Is Papaya safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what NIH LactMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's authority on medicines and breastfeeding, reports about Papaya. This is a summary of that source — not our own verdict.
Effects on the breastfed infant
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Effects on milk supply
A small study compared papaya leaf extract in various doses to placebo in nursing mothers. It found that a dose of 800 mg daily was more effective than a dose of 600 mg daily or a placebo in raising serum prolactin levels after 8 days of treatment.[ 10 ] A randomized, but not placebo-controlled trial gave postpartum mothers (n = 30) a mixture containing Sauropus androgynus extract , papaya leaves, mung beans, tamarind and sugar. One bottle of 400 mL of the mixture was taken daily for 4 weeks postpartum. A control group (n = 30) received breastfeeding counseling only. The amount of breastmilk produced was estimated weekly for 4 weeks by weighing mothers before and after feeding, although it is unclear how this was done and by whom. Daily milk production in the third week (801 vs 656 mL) and fourth week postpartum (909 vs 757 mL) was greater in the women who consumed the galactogogue mixture.[ 11 ] A nonblinded study in Indonesia randomized postpartum women with perceived low milk supply to either an herbal decoction containing 25 grams Sauropus androgynus (katuk) leaves, 10 grams Coleus amboinicus (torbangun) leaves and 5 grams papaya leaves (n = 60) or to 500 mg Sauropus androgynus extract (CV Al-Ghuroba, Indonesia; n = 60). Patients were to take the product and weigh their infant twice daily for 28 days. Maternal serum prolactin was measured on day 14 and 28. Breast milk volume and infant s weight increased on days 14 and 28, and serum prolactin levels decreased in both groups; however, the changes were not statistically significant. Mean infant weights increased, with no difference between the two treatments. Two mothers in the combination group and 3 in the extract group had increases in aspartate aminotransferase and/or alanine aminotransferase.[ 12 ]
Levels in milk
Maternal Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date. Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Source: NIH LactMed (National Library of Medicine).
Educational summary of an authoritative source — not medical advice. Never start, stop, or change a medicine while breastfeeding without confirming with your doctor.