An account on a platform of social media selling herbal supplements claims that sage can boost breast milk for breastfeeding mothers, along with other benefits for women. This claim was made in a video posted as reels, which has been viewed by 11,000 people. The page itself has 110,000 followers.
Fact Checking:
Sara Ismail, a gynecologist and obstetrician, stated to KirkukNow that sage (Mayramia in Arabic) is not beneficial for young women who have recently started menstruating. It cannot neither regulate menstrual cycle nor increase breast milk, as it does not contain the female hormones claimed by the herbal medicine page.
"Scientific evidence is needed to prove the effectiveness of a substance, and in the case of sage,
it has not been studied," Ismail explained. "It may mimic estrogen, a female hormone that can be beneficial for women over the age of 47 who are experiencing hormonal imbalances due to menopause."
Ismail also noted that some women in this age group may turn to sage as a replacement for estrogen therapy when their ovaries are no longer producing enough estrogen.
