Utilization of Local Plant: Beluntas Leaves (Pluchea indica Leaves) to Enhance Breast Milk Production

Main Article Content

  Iin Prima Fitriah
  Mardiani Bebasari
  Bunga Meilizayosa
  Athifa Zuharani
  Salsabila Febriwandi

Abstract

Breast milk plays a crucial role in infant growth and maternal health; however, some mothers experience insufficient production due to physiological, psychological, and nutritional factors. A promising alternative to address this issue is the use of local plants with galactagogue properties, which stimulate milk production. This community service activity aimed to support breastfeeding mothers through health education with a counseling method on the importance of breastfeeding, an explanation of the benefits of beluntas leaves (Pluchea indica), and a demonstration of their preparation by boiling. The results of this activity show that the majority of the 84 respondents (91.67%) felt the benefits of the counseling and demonstration on processing beluntas leaves. Evaluation results indicated that participants showed improved understanding of breastfeeding benefits and expressed interest in trying beluntas consumption at home as a natural method to increase milk supply. The integration of health education, scientific explanation, and practical demonstration effectively enhanced both knowledge and motivation among mothers. Therefore, the utilization of beluntas leaves has the potential to serve as a simple, applicable, and community-based intervention to promote increased breast milk production.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Article Details

How to Cite
Fitriah, I. P., Bebasari, M., Meilizayosa, B., Zuharani, A., & Febriwandi, S. (2026). Utilization of Local Plant: Beluntas Leaves (Pluchea indica Leaves) to Enhance Breast Milk Production. Jurnal Ilmiah Pengabdian Masyarakat Bidang Kesehatan (Abdigermas), 4(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.58723/abdigermas.v4i1.554
Section
Research Articles

References

Astria, N., Usman, I., Hutabarat, S., & N. (2025). Local plants as natural galactagogues in an effort to increase breast milk production: An exploratory study in Kapuk Merangin Village. Journal of Maternal and Child Health (MCH) , 4(2) , 35–41.

Darmawan, R., Hidayati, S., & Pratama, R. (2021). Phytochemical screening and galactagogue activity of Pluchea indica leaves. Indonesian Journal of Pharmacy , 32(1) , 45–52. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.14499/indojpharm32i1.457

Grzeskowiak, LE, Lim, SW, Thomas, J., & Forder, P. (2021). Use and experiences of galactagogues during breastfeeding among Australian women. 16(6) , e0252338. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0252338

Hidayah, N., Nuraini, L., & Dewi, K. (2023). Practice-based health education to support the success of exclusive breastfeeding. Journal of Community Health Services , 5(1) , 11–20. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.22219/jpkmk.v5i1.1167

Kusmiyati, Y., & Purnama, D. (2020). Factors that influence breast milk production in breastfeeding mothers. Journal of Maternal and Child Health , 8 (1) , 45–52. https://doi.org/https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=Faktor-faktor+yang+memengaruhi+produksi+ASI+pada+ibu+menyusui&author=Kusmiyati&author=Purnama&publication_year=2020

Lumbanraja, P., Siregar, M., & Lubis, F. (2018). The effectiveness of torbangun leaves (Coleus amboinicus) as a natural galactagogue. Indonesian Medical Journal , 51(1) , 37–43. https://doi.org/https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=Effectiveness+of+torbangun+leaves+as+galactagogue&author=Lumbanraja&publication_year=2018

McBride, C., Weber, S., & Chan, S. (2021). Cultural practices and herbal galactagogues in Southeast Asia. Journal of Human Lactation , 37(3) , 521–530. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/0890334421993365

Nugraheni, D., Suryati, E., & Yuliani, R. (2019). The effect of consuming katuk leaves on breast milk production. Indonesian Journal of Midwifery. , 10(2) , 78–84. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.36419/jki.v10i2.267

Patel, S., Sharma, V., & Chauhan, N.S. (2020). Galactagogues from medicinal plants: A review. Phytotherapy Research , 34(1) , 51–67. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.6490

Rahmawati, A., Suryani, E., & Pratiwi, A. (2021). The impact of exclusive breastfeeding on infant growth. Journal of Health Sciences , 9(2) , 120–129. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.33086/jik.v9i2.2057

Susanti, D., Wahyuni, S., & Fitri, A. (2020). The effectiveness of the demonstration method in improving exclusive breastfeeding practices. Andalas Public Health Journal , 14(2) , 75–83. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.25077/jkma.v14i2.650

Syarif, RA, Anggorowati, N., Yuniyanti, MM, Adyaksa, DNM, & Wahyuningsih, MSH (2023). Lactogenic activity of ethanolic extract of Pluchea indica Less leaf in lactating rats. Journal of Herbmed Pharmacology, 12(3) , 380–387. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.34172/jhp.2023.41

Tan, KL, Thia, YC, & Ng, CJ (2022). Use of herbal galactagogues in Southeast Asia: A community-based survey. International Journal of Breastfeeding , 17(1) , 42. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1186/s13006-022-00489-1

Torbangun leaf extract (Plectranthus amboinicus (Lour.) Spreng). (2024). Leaf extract increases the expression of lactation-related genes in human breast epithelial cells MCF-12A. Indonesian Journal of Food Science and Technology , 3(2) , 137–143. https://online-journal.unja.ac.id/ifstj/article/view/37364

World Health Organization. (2021). Infant and young child feeding. WHO . https://doi.org/https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/infant-and-young-child-feeding