Review on the effects of palm date consumption on safe labor: An Islamic recommendation

Recent investigations have shown that consumption of palm date could be effective on labor parameters. Also Holy Quran, Islamic Hadiths and narrations has encouraged consumption of palm date during pregnancy, labor and after that. So, this study aimed to review the effects of palm date consumption on labor parameters from the perspective of Islam and modern medicine. This review was done by searching on PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, Ebesco, Embase, and ISC by entering Phoeniceae, Phoenix dactylifera, Palm, Date Palm, Date Palm Fruit, Date Fruit, Labor Onset, Pregnancies, and Gestation as keywords. In this study, clinical trial studies which were published until May 2017 were reviewed. We included studies that were done on human. Based on findings, date consumption can lead to increase of cervical dilation and effacement, and onset of spontaneous labor, and decrease need to induction with oxytocin, duration of gestation, duration of labor and postpartum hemorrhage. Results indicated that in line to verses of 23-26 Surah Maryam and Islamic hadiths and narrations, date could be consume as a natural and non-expensive, available and without side effects substances to facilitate delivery and labor.