Experiencing infertility? Try these herbs

As some people have come to find out, sometimes getting pregnant can be a tricky thing. There are numerous reasons why a couple may be having difficulty conceiving, one of which could be concerns with male fertility.

However, more and more people are becoming reluctant to take conventional medicines, and are seeking more natural alternatives in trying to boost male fertility.

Several things can cause fertility problems in men and they include low sperm motility, low sperm count, abnormal sperm and sperm allergies. Sometimes, the causes of infertility are infections (particularly chlamydia, gonorrhoea and tuberculosis).

Also, sperm count or the density of sperm in the ejaculate may be lower than normal, which then proportionally decreases the number of sperm that reach the egg. In addition, stress, poor sperm quality and motility also have a huge impact on fertility.

While there are many herbs out there that can be beneficial to a person’s overall health, there are a select few that will specifically support the male reproductive system, including a man’s overall health.

The ability to achieve and sustain an erection for a long time to release and deposit the sperm in the female reproductive tract is also important for natural conception.

So what are the herbal remedies to support male fertility to achieve conception?

• Grapefruit seed extract

Cadmium is the most widespread environmental pollutant, which exerts diverse toxic effects in various tissues and organs of humans and animals, including the testes.

The 2016 study, in Molecular Medicine Reports, indicated grapefruit seed extract protective against low sperm counts arising from exposure to chemicals or heavy metals such as cadmium as well as boost production of testosterone.

Previously in 2008, Dr L.C. Saalu at the Department of Anatomy, Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM), Ikeja, Lagos, in conjunction with other experts  indicated the possibility of using grapefruit seed extract to improve sperm count and quality in men  with  varicocele, the commonest “correctable” cause of infertility or the commonest “reported” cause of infertility.

Sesame seed

Adding sesame seeds to your diet regularly could help in fighting against male infertility to an extent. Experts say it could be an effective and safe treatment to improve sperm count and motility in infertile men.

In a study published in the Journal of Research in Medical Sciences in 2013, it was found that after 25 infertile men between the ages of 27 and 40 were given sesame powder orally (0.5 mg) for three months. They showed significant improvement in their sperm count

In fact, the study further revealed that two of these men had successfully impregnated their partners without the help of IVF or any other fertility treatment, after consuming sesame for three months.

• Moringa oleifera (drumstick) leaf

Moringa is a natural herbal medicine that can be used to treat infertility in not just women, but men also.  The rich source of zinc can be taken to naturally increase male and female libido.

Research at the Bureau of Plant Industry found that a steady consumption of its fruit increases sperm count. They also said it: “helps to raise sperm count and mobility, which both translate to increased opportunity for the sperm to fertilise an egg.”

Also, moringa is protective from damages from side effects of medicines. In animal studies, researchers found it ameliorated the side effect of Paroxetine, a conventional drug to treat depression based on the 2016 edition of the Zagazig Veterinary Journal.

• Date

Researchers have validated folklore claims that eating date boosts fertility in men. Egyptian researchers indicated that the consumption of date palm pollen improved the sperm count, motility, morphology and Deoxy ribo-Nucleic Acid (DNA)/genetic material quality with a concomitant increase in the weights of testis and sperm duct in a study published in Al- Mustansiriyah Journal of Science.

In Nigeria, Date palm is called dabiino in Hausa; ikekeleku in Igala, dibino in Kanuri and dobina in Nupe.

Also, Iranian researchers in 2014 also suggested that date can be effective in improving sperm quality as well as the reproductive system of adult male rats.

In this study published in the Iranian Journal of Reproductive Medicine, they concluded that there were no side effects observed among the subjects after consuming date and that it can improve male fertility factors.

• Bitter leaf

Researchers have found that combining extracts of bitter leaf and scent leaf/ sweet basil combat the adverse effects of diabetes on male fertility.

In 2013, researchers reported that bitter leaf improved sperm quality in rats treated with bitter leaf extract for duration of 30 days in the American Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

• Cissus populnea

Experts’ evaluation of Cissus populnea (Ogbolo or Ajara (Yoruba) found that they have anti-microbial activity, which may cure some sexually transmitted infections that could be responsible for male infertility.

An investigation on these herbs used in folkloric medicine to treat male infertility the 2009 edition of Research Journal of Medicinal Plant showed that the essential oil from the stem powder of C. populnea and the leaves of S. radiatum inhibit the growth of several germs of bacteria origin and as such may correct male infertility factor arising from bacterial infection.

• Croton zambesicus

Treatment of animals with Croton zambesicus, called àje kò bale in Yoruba or Koriba or Icen maser in Hausa, can avert the derangement in sperm parameters in rats exposed to pyrethroid-based insecticide.