Traditional medicine in late pregnancy and labour: perceptions of <i>kgaba</i> remedies amongst the Tswana in South Africa

Abstract

In South Africa most black women use antenatal care services and deliver in clinics, and a considerable number complement this use of formal health services with traditional medicine. This study reported here examined the knowledge, beliefs and practical experiences of pregnant women, traditional healers and midwives with regard to kgaba (traditional medicine) and explored what constitutes kgaba. Interviews (N=30) and focus group discussions (N=21) were carried out among participants in Mogwase district in the North West Province of South Africa, where the use of kgaba remedies is commonly believed to cause foetal distress and an increase in caesarean sections. Findings indicated that kgaba remedies are ingested not only to prevent or solve physical problems but are also perceived as valuable in protecting against the harm that evil spirits can cause during pregnancy. Experiences with kgaba differed among participants and this may relate to the variety of plants used, their preparation and dosage. The use of crushed ostrich eggshell, which is perceived as inducing labour, emerged as an important finding. The use of kgaba as perceived by the Tswana is an important component in the experience of pregnancy and labour. However, communication about the use of kgaba between pregnant women and health staff was poor and hinders reporting or recording of dosage and evaluation of effects. There is a need to develop strategies that promote open dialogue between health providers and communities on the use of traditional medicine. Key words: traditional medicine, labour, ethnopharmacology, South Africa Terms usedIn this study the term traditional medicine (TM) is used for medicines of plant, animal or mineral origin, which are taken orally. The definition of tradition healer (TH) includes both diviners, who use bone throwing for diagnosis, and herbalists. Nowadays the distinction between these two healers is not always clear and they may be combined.

Complementary and alternative medicine use: Results from a descriptive study of pregnant women in Udi local Government area of Enugu state, Nigeria

“…This finding is in line with the reports of some previous studies which identified third trimester as the stage when pregnant women frequently use CAM [7, 23, 24]. However, this does not correspond with the findings of some other studies which recorded that use of herbs among pregnant women occurred mostly during the first trimester [8, 15].…”

Plants used during maternity, menstrual cycle and other women's health conditions among Brazilian cultures

“…Studies about this theme in other countries target some specific cultures (Adnan et al 2015;Bourdy and Walter, 1992;Lamxay et al 2011;Michel et al, 2012;Ong and Kim, 2015;Razafindraibe et al, 2013;Shah et al, 2013;Srithi et al, 2012;van der Kooi and Theobald, 2006), or specific conditions (Malan and Neuba, 2011;Telefo et al 2012), which permits a better definition of held practices, whether ritualistic (Lamxay et al 2011), plantation and collection (Shah et al, 2013), which might facilitate the understanding of how certain traditional remedies act in the context that their use is inserted. However, the reviewed studies (de Boer and Cotingting, 2014;Njamen et al, 2013;Torri, 2013) (Chang and But, 1986) and India (Kapoor, 1990) are based on natural products, and they have been part of the official medicine in those coutries for …”

“…International reviews show a low number of articles focusing on the use of plants for women's health conditions through folk medicine and most of the studies published were from Asia (Adnan et al, 2015;de Boer and Lamxay, 2009;Lamxay et al, 2011;Liulan et al, 2003;Ong and Kim, 2015;Shah et al, 2013;Srithi et al, 2012), Africa (Malan and Neuba, 2011;Razafindraibe et al, 2013;Telefo et al, 2011;van der Kooi and Theobald, 2006) and Oceania (Bourdy and Walter, 1992). Few studies were performed in the Americas (Bussmann and Glenn, 2010;Michel et al, 2012;Torri, 2013) and, despite its endemic richness and cultural diversity, no data was found regarding this specific topic in Brazil.…”

Medicinal Plants used during Antenatal Care by Pregnant Women in Eastern Uganda

“…The use of medicinal plants as food and medicine is also practiced elsewhere in pregnant women for example in South Africa 18 and Côte d'Ivoire 34 . Many wild food plants used for medicinal purposes contain a variety of secondary compounds such as anthocyanins, phenols and antioxidants among others 35 and essential nutrients, which are useful for both foetal development and mother's health 19 .…”

“…Medicinal plants play a significant role during pregnancy, birth and postpartum care in many rural areas of the world 8,11,17 . The use of plants to ensure good development of pregnancy and facilitate labour is a well-established practice in Africa 18 . Although most natural nutritional supplements used during pregnancy have been replaced with synthetic western drugs, many pregnant women still look to natural herbs to provide essential nutrition and to aid in the relief of some common ailments 19,20 .…”