Benefícios e malefícios relacionados ao uso empírico de plantas medicinais por gestantes: uma revisão da literatura.

Abstract

Empirical use of Medicinal Plants has always occurred since ancient civilizations, either for the treatment of chronic diseases or for the alleviation of pain. However, the use of herbal medicines for prophylactic, curative, palliative or diagnostic purposes was only officially recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1978, when the worldwide dissemination of the necessary knowledge for its use was recommended. In needy communities, the combination of factors such as poverty, low education, poor health care, as well as ease of access to fresh medicinal plants, help explain the adoption of herbal medicine as the main and often the only resource for disease prevention and treatment. The present study aimed to verify the most common medicinal plants in Brazil during pregnancy and to identify the beneficial and harmful effects of empirical use during this period, as well as the concomitant consumption of herbal medicines and conventional medicines, considering possible adverse effects found in the literature. This study used as a methodological tool the literature review, including articles published from 2009 to 2019. Of the 115 articles found, 61 fit the descriptors used. In this study, it was observed that plants that are common in the population can cause problems of teratogenicity, fetal toxicity and even fetal death. Moreover, when used in conjunction with conventional medicines, these plants can cause problems or aggravate the problems. already existing. Thus, as important as having this knowledge is the realization that these people should receive this information. This requires the training of pharmacists and other health professionals, as well as public policies that bring this knowledge to people, especially those most in need of information, in order to ensure a healthy pregnancy and without major complications, whether for the mother or to the fetus.