In the present review, the pooled effect of herbal compress
on labor pain reduction could not be drawn. However,
findings from the individual studies indicated that herbal
compress significantly reduced labor pain compared with
usual care. Heat may be the main mechanism of action of
herbal compress in improving labor pain as indicated in other
studies [39, 40]. The pooled effect of herbal compress in
increasing milk production found in this review was also
consistent with findings from a previous study which showed
that warming up the breast with a hot compress for 20
minutes significantly increased the amount of breast milk
compared with nonwarmed breasts [41].