The Effect of Dates and Fennel on Breastfeeding Adequacy of Mothers: A Review

Background: No systematic review study was found regarding the comprehensive examination of the effects of dates and fennel on breastfeeding adequacy of mothers. The present study aimed to examine the impact of dates and fennel on breastfeeding adequacy of mothers. Materials and Methods: All clinical trials evaluating the effect of palm date and fennel on breastfeeding in lactating mothers were searched on the online databases of Scopus, EMBASE, Cochrane, and Web of Science and Medline with no language or time restrictions using the combination related keywords of Mesh. Results: Five studies were included in this study. The results of the first research suggested the positive relationship between consuming fennel herbal tea and dates in enhancing milk production of mothers within the early days following birth. In the second study, the mother's satisfaction with the adequacy of milk showed the positive effect of dates consumption. The results of the third research showed that 80% of mothers in the intervention group had a smoothness score of breastmilk. The higher smoothness in the intervention group showed the positive impact of consumption of date on breastmilk. In the fourth study, a galactagogue drop containing fennel, Anise, dill, parsley, cumin, and fennel flower did not affect the volume of breastmilk and weight gaining of the infant. The fifth study showed the positive impact of the herbal tea of fenugreek seeds and fennel on improving the breastfeeding adequacy with positive changes in the anthropometric indicators, the number of wet diapers, and increased number of breastmilk drinking. Conclusion: Considering the availability and inexpensiveness of fennel and dates, their usage by breastfeeding mothers is recommended for increasing breastmilk.