Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus Willd) Root Extract Improves Post-Partum Lactation in a Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

Background: Inadequate milk production during the immediate postpartum period is a common problem. Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus), a revered herb in Ayurveda, is traditionally used as a galactagogue. Objective: To assess the effectiveness of Shatavari root extract on lactation in post-partum women. Methods: This prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, enrolled 120 (Intent-to-treat) post-partum women (≥ 37 weeks’ gestation, aged 20–40 years) with uncomplicated vaginal or cesarean deliveries who intended to breastfeed. Participants received either Shatavari root extract (SHT; 300 mg) or placebo (PL) capsules twice daily for 72 hours postpartum. The primary outcomes were time to evident breast fullness after the last feeding and the total milk volume expressed at 72 hours. The secondary outcomes were maternal and investigator-rated satisfaction (e.g., noticeable breast fullness, maternal/infant wellbeing), assessed by a five-point Likert scale. The safety parameter was evaluated by reporting adverse events. Independent t-tests were used for primary outcomes, chi-square tests for subjective ratings, and analysis of covariance to assess the impact of covariates (age, body mass index, delivery type, and milk expression method). Results: Seven participants (3 SHT, 4 PL) did not complete the study, yielding a per-protocol dataset of 113 women (57 SHT and 56 PL). The baseline characteristics were comparable across groups. The time to evident breast fullness after the last feeding was significantly shorter in the SHT group (p = 0.002), and milk volume at 72 hours was significantly higher (p

背景：产后即刻泌乳不足是临床常见问题。Shatavari（Asparagus racemosus，总序天门冬）是阿育吠陀医学体系中广受尊崇的药草，传统上被用作催乳剂。
目的：评估Shatavari根提取物对产后女性泌乳功能的改善效果。
方法：本研究为前瞻性、随机、双盲、安慰剂对照试验，共纳入120名符合意向性分析（Intent-to-treat）标准的产后女性，受试者孕周≥37周，年龄20~40岁，均为无并发症的阴道分娩或剖宫产且计划母乳喂养。受试者于产后每日两次服用Shatavari根提取物（SHT；300mg）或安慰剂（PL）胶囊，干预时长为产后72小时。主要结局指标为末次喂养后至乳房明显充盈的时间，以及72小时时的总挤奶量。次要结局指标采用5点李克特（Likert）量表进行评估，涵盖受试者与研究者评级的满意度维度（如乳房充盈程度、母婴健康状况）。安全性指标通过不良事件报告进行评价。统计分析方面，主要结局指标采用独立样本t检验，主观评分采用卡方检验，协变量（年龄、体质量指数、分娩方式、挤奶方法）的影响采用协方差分析。
结果：共有7名受试者（SHT组3名，PL组4名）未完成本研究，最终获得符合方案数据集（per-protocol dataset）的有效样本为113名女性（SHT组57名，PL组56名）。两组基线特征具有可比性。SHT组受试者末次喂养后至乳房明显充盈的时间显著短于对照组（p=0.002），且72小时时的挤奶量显著更高（p