Introduction: Galactogogues are artificial or herbal agents used to stimulate, maintain and increase milk production. They are biologically active substances that interact with the body. Depending on their origin, they are divided into pharmacological and plant galactogogues. Herbal galactogogues have been used in folk medicine for centuries to increase lactation. They are most often found in the form of tea blends or capsules. Purpose: To present the influence of galactagogues on lactation. Methods: We used the descriptive research approach, reviewing domestic and foreign professional and scientific literature on well-known and commonly used herbal galactagogues, their efficiency and safety. We searched for literature in databases DiKUL, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and in Google Scholar portals. For literature accessible in libraries, we used the COBISS system. The collecting of literature took place between February 2021 and May 2021. Results: The entire reviewed literature proves that the efficiency and safety of herbal galactagogues are questionable, difficult to verify and insufficiently researched in general. We recognized the following galactagogues as the most efficient: fenugreek, milk thistle, Indian borage and fennel. Discussion and conclusion: While researching the literature, we gathered that the users of herbal galactagogues want to have access to evidence-based information on the use of herbal galactagogues, to which high-quality and constructive studies would greatly contribute. In addition to in-depth clinical trials, the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties of herbal galactagogues should be thoroughly studied and their use standardised. The results of pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic studies would play an important role in determining the metabolism of galactagogues in mothers and newborns.
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