The Effectiveness of Beetroot and Date Juice as Phytopharmaceuticals in Treating Anaemia in Pregnant Women

Abstract

Anaemia during pregnancy is a health problem that has serious implications for the condition of both mother and foetus. Treatment efforts should not only rely on iron supplementation, but can also involve natural approaches that are more acceptable and safer, such as administering beetroot juice and dates. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of a combination of beetroot juice and dates in increasing haemoglobin levels in pregnant women with mild anaemia. The study design used a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control group design involving 32 pregnant women in their third trimester who were divided evenly into a control group and a treatment group. The control group only received iron tablets, while the treatment group received iron tablets along with beetroot and date juice intervention administered daily for 14 consecutive days, with a composition of 100 grams of beetroot and 50 grams of dates in each serving. The results showed that the combination of beetroot juice and dates was able to increase haemoglobin levels in pregnant women with mild anaemia compared to iron supplementation alone. This intervention proved to be safe, well-tolerated, and has the potential to be developed as a complementary phytopharmaceutical to support efforts to prevent and treat anaemia in pregnancy.