Page 47 - IJPS-10-3

International Journal of
Population Studies Traditional practices of herbal medicine in Malawi

pregnancy or childbirth, with the hope of abstaining from their mothers or mothers-in-law prepare and provide
cesarean delivery or difficult labor. These findings agree herbal medicine to the women in labor. If the women
with the studies conducted in Uganda and Nigeria, where refuse to consume, they are labeled as uncooperative and
women opted to use herbal medicine in pregnancy to avoid will be abandoned alone in the hospital or maternity room.
cesarean delivery (Adejoh et al., 2020; Ibanda et al., 2021). Although this finding is rarely discussed in the literature,
Similar findings have also reported in a Zimbabwean study, a study has alluded to this phenomenon that women are
which indicated that previous history of cesarean section sometimes coerced or forced by a family member or a
influences women to resort to using HM so that they can go guardian to take herbal medicine (Mkize, 2015). This casts
through a normal delivery next time (Panganai & Shumba, a spotlight on the issues surrounding herbal medicine
2016). These findings also indicate that women perceive that use during pregnancy, which should be addressed at the
herbal medicine use can obviate the need for performing community level with the involvement of family members.
cesarean section, while many of them do not realize that In line with the concept of “perceived barrier” of the
cesarean section is performed for other obstetric reasons. HBM, we found that even some women acknowledge
Nevertheless, these findings allude to the concept of “cues the unfavorable outcomes of using herbal medicine, they
to action” of the HBM by informing health workforce would still take it for the fear of being abandoned by the
that understanding women’s past obstetric history would guardian due to prolonged hospital stay. Therefore, the acts
somewhat inform the likelihood of engaging in behaviors; or influence of a family member is perceived as a barrier to
such knowledge can help guide the formulation of clinical avoiding herbal medicine use during labor.
or community interventions targeting at the reduction of Our findings also showed that women, who often do not
maternal and neonatal mortality in Malawi. critically question their decisions, are under the constant

Another reason for herbal medicine use among the influence of their friends and peers in herbal medicine use.
women is their desire to be relieved of labor pain. In This essentially reveals how peers and friends can influence
other words, the women perceived that herbal medicine health decision-making in community and village settings.
use could help quickly relieve one from the labor pain. Similarly, other studies alco cited peer pressure as the
This finding is consistent with those of a Nigerian study, driver of herbal medicine use among women (Barnes et al.,
which reported that women consume aqueous extracts of 2019). For women who expressed that they are intrinsically
herbal plants during labor to alleviate labor pain (Attah motivated to use herbal medicine, it is possible that they
et al., 2012). This report also further lauded the consistent were raised in a culture where herbal medicine use is
use of herbal medicine during childbirth among women a commonplace or exposed to this practice since they
despite the scarcity of information supporting its benefits. were young. However, be it cultural or other reasons, the
Another justification for herbal medicine use among the real motive behind the self-motivation in taking herbal
women is that it hastens delivery process. The nuance medicine remains unclear. Ong et al. (2005) found that
between the two reasons is that the first one aims to offer women are more likely to use herbal medicine if they are
relief from the pain, while the second one aims to shorten born in mainland China. In addition, a study found that
the labor process. The reasons explained are somehow participants from non-English-speaking regions are less
relatable because most of the herbal medicines used during likely to take herbal supplements than their counterparts
childbirth are associated with oxytocin effects (Lampiao from English-speaking regions (Forster et al., 2006).
et al., 2018b). In addition, previous studies indicate that Evidence also suggests that personal beliefs toward holistic
herbal medicine facilitates and hastens labor process (El approach to health play a role in the practice of herbal
Hajj et al., 2020; Cheptum et al., 2017). Although the labor medicine use since many women believe that herbal
process is an excruciatingly painful experience for women, medicine provides safe alternatives to pharmaceuticals
health-care professionals should lambast the use of herbal and are dissatisfied with conventional standard care (Hall
medicine, in adherence to the concept of “perceived et al., 2011). These mixed findings indicate a theory that
threat” of the HBM, by promulgating the possible obstetric regardless of one’s origin or source of information, a
complications, such as ruptured uterus or fetal distress. woman’s belief and confidence in the benefits of herbal

Another unusual finding of this study is projected at the medicine have an implication on its use, which is coherent
role of a guardian during childbirth in this rural community. with the “self-efficacy” concept of the HBM.
The surveyed women claimed that they consumed herbal Consistent with other researchers (Tsui et al., 2001;
medicine when provided by the guardian at the time of Holst et al., 2009), this study found that family (parents,
childbirth for the fear of being abandoned or left alone at guardians), friends, and peers are the main sources of
the hospital. Guardians for these women, who are often information on herbal medicine use among the rural women

Volume 10 Issue 3 (2024) 41 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.0296