The Use of Brewed Herbs Mouthwash for Overcoming Morning Sickness

Abstract

The most common discomfort at first trimester of pregnancy is nausea followed by vomiting, known as morning sickness. The condition tends to be worse if it is not treated properly, which will cause poor pregnancy outcome. Some brewed herbs including cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg can be used as mouthwash to relieve nausea and vomiting, however there were lack of study to prove its efficacy. This study was aimed to determine the effectiveness of brewed herbs (cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg) mouthwash in dealing with morning sickness among pregnant women. This is a quantitative – pre experiment study with one group pretestpostest design, held in the work area of Candiroto Subdistrict Public Health Center-Temanggung Regency. A total sampling was conducted with 45 respondents. Pregnancy-Unique Quantification of Emesis/Nausea (PUQE) index was used as measurement tool, and Wilcoxon statistical test was applied. The result showed both brewed clove and nutmeg were effective in overcoming morning sickness (p-value 0.001 and 0.016 respectively; z-score -3.426 and -2.401 respectively), while cinnamon was not (p-value 0.19, z-score -1.604). The PUQE-score mean difference for clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon were 6.47; 0.93; and 0.53 respectively. It can be inferred that clove is the most effective herb in overcoming morning sickness compared to nutmeg and cinnamon. It is recommended for pregnant women to use brewed clove as mouthwash in alleviating morning sickness. Health practitioners were suggested to promote the use of brewed clove in dealing with morning sickness. There is an opportunity for the health office in collaboration with local herbal industry to develop nonpharmacological product such as clove mouthwash to treat morning sickness.