A new pregnancy super food going around is called ‘okra’ or okra water, also known as ‘lady’s finger,’ and some say okra water for labor or how okra water for pregnancy can make your labor easier. Keep reading to find out the okra benefits and more!
The History of Okra Water for Labor
Okra water is an ancient folk remedy that has been used in many cultures throughout history. It is believed to ease contractions during childbirth, reduce pain, and prevent postpartum bleeding.
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Okra, also known as Abelmoschus Esculentus or Hibiscus esculentus, is a fast-growing, heat-loving tropical plant found in the wild along the White Nile, which drains in the Southwestern highlands of Ethiopia. Okra’s origins are a bit murky; Okra has spread out of Africa to the Middle East and India.
Okra is an easy vegetable to grow in any average garden soil. Additionally, it flowers over a long period. If the okra pods continue to be picked, they will continue flowering until the days begin to cool in the fall.
Plus, since okra is self-pollinated, seeds can be saved from last season’s pods!
Pregnant women in Nigeria use different plant preparations to induce childbirth and reduce birth-associated pain. These natural medicines’ knowledge and correct use has been acquired and improved over many generations. Still, we don’t have the rationale yet on if or how these plants, like okra water for labor, truly work. But I hope we will find out soon!
Research needs to look further into uterotonic plants (plants that can stimulate labor contractions), their bioactive ingredients, and their mechanism of action on the uterus.
One article looked at 9 plants used by traditional healers in Nigeria to aid or induce labor and found that they all had a contracting effect on myometrial smooth muscle cells, the same muscle cells of the uterus [20]! However, okra was not one of the nine plants studied. I’m excited for more research to emerge, giving us answers on how to use okra water for labor.
The Benefits of Okra for Your Pregnancy Health
Okra benefits for your pregnancy include:
1. Does Okra Have Protein?
One cup (100 grams) of raw okra contains [1]:
- Calories: 33
- Carbs: 7 grams
- Protein: 2 grams
- Fat: 0 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Magnesium: 14% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Folate: 15% of the DV
- Vitamin A: 14% of the DV
- C: 26% of the DV
- K: 26% of the DV
- B6: 14% of the DV
Therefore, okra is high in vitamins C and K. However, okra water contains little protein; only 2 grams.
Nevertheless, vitamin C is beneficial for your overall immune function which helps you not get sick as much. And vitamin K1 present in okra is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays an important role in blood clotting.
The CDC reports that vitamin K does not cross the placenta and breastmilk only contains very low levels. Therefore, one study found that newborns born to mothers taking vitamin K daily didn’t show a difference in newborn bleeding. However, getting adequate vitamin K daily during pregnancy showed significant increases in the amount found in the umbilical cord blood and in the mother’s breastmilk [2].
Furthermore, since vitamin K facilitates blood clotting, getting sufficient amounts throughout your pregnancy may reduce your risks of postpartum hemorrhage, however, there isn’t any research done on this yet. Additionally, ask your OB-GYN or midwife about calcium and magnesium nutrition during pregnancy as calcium plays a major role in blood coagulation [3] and magnesium can influence the amount of calcium absorbed in your body [4].
2. Does Okra Water for Labor Have Folic Acid?
Okra has high folate, but it does not contain any folic acid.
Folic acid is a synthetic form of vitamin B9 which has been proven to help lower the risk of neural tube defects in babies, which affect the brain and spine of a developing fetus [5].
Some people are against using folic acid as, unlike folate, not all of the folic acid you consume is converted into active B9 (also known as 5-MTHF) in your digestive system. Instead, some folic acid needs to be converted in your liver or other tissues [19].
Conversely, folate is the naturally occurring form of vitamin B9 found in some food. However, I cannot find any research studies that have been conducted to see if folate also decreases the risk of neural tube defects in babies. Although folate and folic acid are both referred to as vitamin B9, folic acid is taken to be converted into active vitamin B9 [19].
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Still, folate is recommended for pregnant women, in addition to folic acid. One serving of okra provides 15% of a woman’s daily needs of folate, and with other folate-rich foods and your prenatal vitamin, you should have adequate concentrations of this vitamin.
3. Beneficial Antioxidants
Antioxidants benefit your health by preventing damage from molecules called free radicals. These free radicals are naturally produced in the body as a byproduct of normal metabolism or by exposure to environmental toxins such as tobacco smoke, UV light, pesticides, and air pollutants.
Research has confirmed that the benefits of eating a diet high in polyphenols include:
- Improving heart health [7]
- Lowered risk of blood clots [7]
- Lowered risk of oxidative stress (caused by free radicals) [7]
- Protects your brain against inflammation [8]
- Protects your brain from symptoms of aging [8]
- Improves cognition, learning, and memory [8]
4. Help with Lowering Blood Glucose
Gestational diabetes is a condition that affects about 7-10% of all pregnancies worldwide [9, 10, 11, 12]. It can develop during pregnancy when the body doesn’t make enough insulin or experiences insulin resistance.
Blood sugar control is important for every pregnant woman as even mildly high blood sugar is linked to less optimal outcomes [13]. Additionally, without blood sugar control, blood sugar may spike then crash and leave you feeling hungrier and more lethargic.
A couple of animal studies found that eating okra may decrease blood glucose levels and lead to fewer blood sugar spikes than animals in the control group who did not ingest any okra [14, 15]
For more ways to lower and regulate blood glucose during pregnancy, read 5 Ways You Can Help Prevent Gestational Diabetes (Coming soon!).
Always check with your practitioner before trying okra if you’re on medications as okra may interfere with metformin, a common diabetes medication.
5. Does Okra Water for Labor Lower Blood Pressure?
A study from 2018 found that supplementing 200 mg/kg of okra powder reduced the high levels of fasting blood sugar and total cholesterol [18].
Therefore, eating or drinking okra water may help you lower your blood pressure! Still, gestational hypertension (high blood pressure during pregnancy) is one of the leading causes of maternal death. So, if you’re concerned about your blood pressure, ensure you work closely with your midwife or OB-GYN to find even more ways to manage your blood pressure.
6. May Have Anti-Cancer Properties
Okra contains a protein called lectin, which may inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
One study found that lectin in okra prevented breast cancer cell growth by up to 63% [16] and another study in metastatic mouse melanoma cells discovered that okra extract caused cancer cell death [17]. However, since these studies were performed in test tubes, more human research is needed to draw conclusions.
Does Okra Water Help with Labor?
Okra is a great source of multiple vitamins and minerals that can benefit your health during pregnancy.
Some people have even said it might help make labor easier. However, there is no evidence to support this. Additionally, from what I’ve analyzed about okra’s composition, there doesn’t seem to be any composition that would make the labor and birth experience easier aside from if it helped you manage blood sugar levels which could help prevent induction and an increased risk of cesarean birth. Although, there may be something more that we just haven’t learned yet!
Amazingly, there is another healthy food that does have research on preparing your cervix for labor, increasing your chances of having a vaginal birth, and more! Check out: “Does Eating Dates Make Your Labor Easier?“
Does Okra Water Induce Labor?
Like the evidence on okra water making labor easier, we don’t have any evidence to support the idea of okra water inducing labor.
Actually, we don’t have good evidence of any food being effective in inducing labor. (Remember that helping your body prepare for labor and inducing labor are different things).
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Sources:
[1] USDA. Okra, raw. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169260/nutrients
[2] Shahrook, S., Ota, E., Hanada, N. et al. Vitamin K supplementation during pregnancy for improving outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sci Rep 8, 11459 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-29616-y
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[3] Singh, S., Dodt, J., Volkers, P. et al. Structure functional insights into calcium binding during the activation of coagulation factor XIII A. Sci Rep 9, 11324 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-47815-z
[4] Dai Q, Shu X, Deng X, et al. Modifying effect of calcium/magnesium intake ratio and mortality: a population-based cohort study. BMJ Open 2013;3:e002111. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2012-002111
[5] https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/folicacid/recommendations.html
[6] Lobo V, Patil A, Phatak A, Chandra N. Free radicals, antioxidants and functional foods: Impact on human health. Pharmacogn Rev. 2010;4(8):118-126. doi:10.4103/0973-7847.70902
[7] Tressera-Rimbau A, Arranz S, Eder M, Vallverdú-Queralt A. Dietary Polyphenols in the Prevention of Stroke. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2017;2017:7467962. doi:10.1155/2017/7467962
[8] Sarubbo F, Esteban S, Miralles A, Moranta D. Effects of Resveratrol and other Polyphenols on Sirt1: Relevance to Brain Function During Aging. Curr Neuropharmacol. 2018;16(2):126-136. doi:10.2174/1570159X15666170703113212
[9] Xiong X, Saunders LD, Wang FL, Demianczuk NN. Gestational diabetes mellitus: prevalence, risk factors, maternal and infant outcomes. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2001;75:221-8.
[10] Nguyen CL, Pham NM, Binns CW, Duong DV, Lee AH. Prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus in eastern and southeastern Asia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Diabetes Res. 2018;2018:6536974.
[11] Ferrara A. Increasing prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus: a public health perspective. Diabetes Care. 2007;30:S141-6.
More Sources:
[12] Adam S, Rheeder P. Screening for gestational diabetes mellitus in a South African population: prevalence, comparison of diagnostic criteria and the role of risk factors. S Afr Med J. 2017;107:523-7.
[13] HAPO Study Cooperative Research Group, Metzger BE, Lowe LP, Dyer AR, Trimble ER, Chaovarindr U, Coustan DR, Hadden DR, McCance DR, Hod M, McIntyre HD, Oats JJ, Persson B, Rogers MS, Sacks DA. Hyperglycemia and adverse pregnancy outcomes. N Engl J Med. 2008 May 8;358(19):1991-2002. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa0707943. PMID: 18463375.
[14] Fan S, Guo L, Zhang Y, Sun Q, Yang B, Huang C. Okra polysaccharide improves metabolic disorders in high-fat diet-induced obese C57BL/6 mice. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2013 Nov;57(11):2075-8. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201300054. Epub 2013 Jul 26. PMID: 23894043.
[15] Khatun H, Rahman A, Biswas M, Islam AU. Water-soluble Fraction of Abelmoschus esculentus L Interacts with Glucose and Metformin Hydrochloride and Alters Their Absorption Kinetics after Coadministration in Rats. ISRN Pharm. 2011;2011:260537. doi:10.5402/2011/260537
More Sources:
[16] Monte LG, Santi-Gadelha T, Reis LB, Braganhol E, Prietsch RF, Dellagostin OA, E Lacerda RR, Gadelha CA, Conceição FR, Pinto LS. Lectin of Abelmoschus esculentus (okra) promotes selective antitumor effects in human breast cancer cells. Biotechnol Lett. 2014 Mar;36(3):461-9. doi: 10.1007/s10529-013-1382-4. Epub 2013 Oct 16. PMID: 24129958.
[17] Vayssade M, Sengkhamparn N, Verhoef R, Delaigue C, Goundiam O, Vigneron P, Voragen AG, Schols HA, Nagel MD. Antiproliferative and proapoptotic actions of okra pectin on B16F10 melanoma cells. Phytother Res. 2010 Jul;24(7):982-9. doi: 10.1002/ptr.3040. PMID: 20013817.
[18] Erfani Majd, N., Tabandeh, M. R., Shahriari, A., & Soleimani, Z. (2018). Okra (Abelmoscus esculentus) Improved Islets Structure, and Down-Regulated PPARs Gene Expression in Pancreas of High-Fat Diet and Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats. Cell journal, 20(1), 31-40. https://doi.org/10.22074/cellj.2018.4819
[19] Alpers DH. Absorption and blood/cellular transport of folate and cobalamin: Pharmacokinetic and physiological considerations. Biochimie. 2016 Jul;126:52-6. doi: 10.1016/j.biochi.2015.11.006. Epub 2015 Nov 14. PMID: 26586110; PMCID: PMC4867132.
[20] Attah, A. F., O’Brien, M., Koehbach, J., Sonibare, M. A., Moody, J. O., Smith, T. J., & Gruber, C. W. (2012). Uterine contractility of plants used to facilitate childbirth in Nigerian ethnomedicine. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 143(1), 377-382. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2012.06.042
DISCLAIMER: This post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding you or your baby’s health. Please read my Medical Disclaimer for more info
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