Fatimah grass: launching labor, but at risk of miscarriage

Jamu grass fatimah is one of the most popular ways to stimulate childbirth in Indonesia. From generation to generation, pregnant women are advised to drink soaked water from fatimah grass to accelerate the birth process of the baby.

One study from Malaysia found that fatimah grass contains oxytocin. Oxytocin is a hormone also used in labor induction medicines to trigger or increase uterine contractions. This is the reason behind the popularity of the use of fatimah grass soaked water as an herbal medicine that can facilitate childbirth.

But the use of traditional herbal medicine is in fact strongly opposed by many medical professionals, considering the dangers that can be fatal.

Inappropriate doses of the herb fatimah grass can be at risk of triggering a miscarriage

Reporting from Kompas, Prof. Maksum Radji, Permanent Professor of Pharmacy at the University of Indonesia, emphasized that in order for the use of herbal medicines to be safely consumed en masse, these products must first be scientifically proven about their safety through a series of clinical trials in controlled laboratories. Herbal medicines must also be tested for dosage, method of use, effectiveness, risk of side effects, and their interactions with other medicinal compounds.

Unfortunately, most of the herbal medicines circulating in Indonesia fall into the category of jamu and OHT (Standardized Herbal Medicines). Both are types of traditional medicine that have not undergone clinical trials in humans.

Fatimah grass herbal medicine is one of the many native Indonesian herbs whose safety is still in doubt, especially for pregnant women. Fatimah grass herbs are usually formulated using a stew of a combination of spices and variations of hereditary recipes that do not have a definite dosage and indication.

According to dr. Ali Sungkar, Sp.OG, still from Kompas, the random dosage between herbal medicine makers means that the side effects of fatimah grass cannot be determined with certainty. "Fatimah grass is not safe for consumption for pregnant women because it is not clear what it contains. We also don't know whether the active ingredient is in the roots, stems or leaves, ”said Ali.

There is no standardization for product manufacturing procedures and the minimum dose of oxytocin in the fatimah grass herb is feared to trigger excessive uterine contractions, which often leads to tearing of the uterus or bleeding that can be fatal - especially if the mother has not experienced an opening. And although the contraction effects of fatimah grass can be treated immediately with the help of medical drugs, according to Ali the results will not be optimal and there is still a big chance to endanger the safety of mothers and babies during the delivery process.

What's more, the effect of Fatimah grass on everyone can be different. This is because each person has his own processing method which he thinks is the most correct. Some have their roots soaked in warm or hot water so that the dosage may be increased. There are also those who choose to soak the fatimah grass in cold water, but there is no visible effect and then continue to drink it regularly until the effect is visible.

Is there a safe way to facilitate labor?

Dr. Budi Iman Santoso, Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, FKUI-RSCM, was quoted as saying by Tribun News that there is no special drink that can launch labor. The smoothness of the delivery process is greatly influenced by the strength of the mother's contractions, the size of the pelvis, and the size of the baby. For example, if the mother's pelvis is small but the size of the baby is large, labor may tend to be more difficult.

A safer, proven way to speed up labor is medical induction. Labor induction can be done in various ways, such as administering drugs or other methods. With a more precise dosage of drugs and run under the close supervision of your obstetrician team, the risk of side effects and complications can be calculated from the start and controlled to a minimum for the safety of the mother and baby.