DESIGN: Using interviewer-administered questionnaires, we assessed changes in food consumption during pregnancy (26-28 weeks' gestation) and the postpartum period (3 weeks after delivery) as compared with the usual pre-pregnancy diet.
SETTING: Singapore.
SUBJECTS: Pregnant women (n 1027) of Chinese, Malay and Indian ethnicity (mean age 30·4 (SD 5·2) years) who participated in the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) study.
RESULTS: During pregnancy, participants tended to increase their consumption of milk, fruit and vegetables and decrease their consumption of tea, coffee, soft drinks and seafood (all P < 0·001). Most participants reported adherence to traditional restrictions ('confinement') during the early postpartum period (Chinese: 94·8 %, Malay: 91·6 %, Indian: 79·6 %). During the postpartum period, participants tended to increase their consumption of fish and milk-based drinks and decrease their consumption of noodles, seafood, and chocolates and sweets (all P < 0·001). Ethnic differences in food consumption were pronounced during the postpartum period. For example, most Chinese participants (87·2 %) increased their ginger consumption during the postpartum period as compared with smaller percentages of Malays (31·8 %) and Indians (40·8 %; P for ethnic difference <0·001). Similar ethnic differences were observed for cooking wine/alcohol, herbs and spices, and herbal tea consumption.
CONCLUSIONS: Marked changes in food consumption that reflect both modern dietary recommendations and the persistence of traditional beliefs were observed in Singaporean women during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Traditional beliefs should be considered in interventions to improve dietary intakes during these periods.
AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aimed to systematically review all available evidence which purports to support these claims.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: The systematic review accorded with the Cochrane Collaboration framework and PRISMA reporting. Databases including MEDLINE, Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), Cochrane library database, and Google Scholar were searched by keywords, Yahom and Ya-hom. Pharmacological and toxicity data from non-animal and animal studies were included.
RESULTS: Twenty-four articles: 2 on in vitro cell lines or bacteria, 3 in vitro cell-free, 5 in vitro animal, 13 in vivo and 1 human mainly reported (A) Cardiovascular effects (i) transient hypotension (0.2-0.8g/kg, intravenous injection (i.v.)), increased cerebral blood flow (2g/kg, single oral) and vascular dilatation/relaxation (ii) elevated blood pressure (BP) (0.2-0.8g/kg, i.v. or 2-4g/kg oral) and vasocontraction. Single Yahom doses (3g) given to healthy volunteers had no effect on cutaneous blood flow, ECG or systolic BP although marginally increased diastolic BP was claimed. (B) Yahom (2-4g/kg) completely inhibited gastric acid secretion evoked by gastric secretagogues. (C) Toxicity: Chronic oral doses of selected Yahoms to rodents (0.001-1g/kg) supports its status as generally regarded as safe.
CONCLUSIONS: Most studies supported declared objectives relating to perceived Yahom actions, but lacked background demonstrating clinical efficacy, and mechanistic data that would validate conclusions. Our study suggests that research into traditional medicinal herbs needs underpinning by appropriate clinical interventions and pharmacovigilance, thereby optimising efficacy and minimizing toxicity by combining traditional wisdom and modern testing.
AIM OF STUDY: Therefore, this study was conducted to document the ethnomedicinal knowledge of the Kenyah community. The main objectives of this study are: 1) To determine and document the diversity of medicinal plants used by the Kenyah community, 2) To determine whether the availability of modern medicine has affected Kenyah traditional medicine, and 3) To identify plants which have not been previously cited or used for previously unreported medical uses.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted repeated interviews and field surveys at the Asap-Koyan Resettlement Area, Belaga Sarawak. A total of 24 respondents from four Kenyah longhouses were interviewed in this study. Individuals possessing extensive traditional medicinal knowledge were identified via preliminary interviews or by viva voce. Translators were employed to ensure that there was no miscommunication. The results were evaluated based on the plant's total use-reports and number of respondents citing the plant. The data was also evaluated based on use-reports by ailment category.
RESULTS: Over 95% of the respondents were 40 years and older (58.21 years old ± 11.21). This was due to the younger members of the community (40 years old and below) admitting that they had almost no knowledge regarding traditional medicine, as they preferred relying on modern medicine. A total of 61 plant species were mentioned by the 24 respondents Seven plants had five or more respondents citing it, which was more than 20% of the respondents. These plants were Piper betle, Homalomena cordata, Senna alata, Annona muricata, Derris elliptica, Blumea balsamifera and Coscinium fenestratum.
CONCLUSION: Almost all of the cited plants had been previously recorded to be used in either Ayurvedic, Chinese herbal medicine, Malay traditional medicine or other Asian ethnomedicinal systems. However, there were four highly cited species that were used for treatments that were scarcely reported in past literature. These were piper betle (used by Kenyah to treat fever), Sauropus andrognus (used by Kenyah to treat fever), Derris elliptica (used by Kenyah to treat fever and influenza) and Coscinuim fenestratum (used by Kenyah to treat toxic effects from non-medical substances).