Uterotonic Potential and Outcomes of Sub-Saharan African Ethnomedicinal Plants: A Systematic Review of Current Evidence

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@article{1708499,
      author = {Aseminaso Tubonemi Omineokuma, Elsie Ososese Ugege, Deinabobo Igirigi Dagogo-Brown, Loveday Ese Oghenemavwe},
      title = {Uterotonic Potential and Outcomes of Sub-Saharan African Ethnomedicinal Plants: A Systematic Review of Current Evidence},
      journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
      year = {2025},
      volume = {8},
      number = {11},
      pages = {781-787},
      issn = {2456-8880},
      url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1708499.pdf},
      abstract = {Background: Maternity challenges remain a public health burden in Sub-Saharan Africa. In rural areas of the region where access to modern healthcare technologies is limited, birthing mothers rely on ethnomedicinal plants. This systematic review synthesised current evidence on the uterotonic potential and outcomes of Sub-Saharan African ethnomedicinal plants.
Materials and Methods: Literature was sourced electronically on PubMed and Scopus databases. Relevant references from identified articles were hand searched on the Google Scholar search engine. The search strategy was limited to studies published in English language between 2020 and 2025. Following PRISMA guidelines, 6 studies out of 1,985 were eligible for review and three studies entered the meta-analysis. Random effects model was used for meta-analysis at p < 0.05.
Results: The review identified ethnomedicinal plants such as Linum usitatissimum (flaxseed), Ocimum lamiifolium (Scent leaf or Kunudiri), Zingiber officinale (ginger), and Carica papaya (pawpaw). For birth outcomes, significantly more adverse birth outcomes were observed among birthing mothers who used Scent leaf or Kunudiri, pumpkin fruit (Cucurbita pepo), Ruta chalepensis, ginger, eucalyptus oil, and wild garlic mixtures. Pharmacological safety profile was not reported majority of the identified ethnomedicinal plants, raising concerns about unregulated use. The meta-analysis demonstrated that use of some of the ethnomedicinal plants in maternity care raised the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes six times. 
Conclusion: Gaps in the mode of action and safety of ethnomedicinal uterotonic plants in Sub-saharan Africa persist. There is an urgent need for clinical trials toward dose standardization and use guidelines to ensure safe application.},
      keywords = {Ethnomedicine, Medicinal plants, Sub-Saharan Africa, Traditional medicine, Uterotonics},
      month = {May},
  }