The Green Pharmacy for Infertility

[Guest guest]

The " Green Pharmacy " for Infertility

 

In the early 1990s, there was a rash of articles reporting that sperm counts

seem to have fallen significantly (about 40 percent) since the 1930s. We began

seeing headlines like these:

 

" From Silent Spring to Barren Spring " (Business Week)

 

" What's Wrong with Our Sperm? " (Time)

 

" Downward Motility: When It Comes to Sperm, You're Half the Man Your Grandfather

Was " (Esquire)

 

After these alarming articles appeared, however, some studies reported that all

is well and the typical ejaculate still contains 100 million sperm, just as it

did 60 years ago. But these studies have to be weighed against others reporting

a sperm count closer to 60 million, a substantial decline.

 

In Search of Sperm

 

Among other responses to the studies, researchers began asking what could be

causing the decline. Some evidence suggests that pesticides and other pollutants

are estrogenic, meaning that they have chemical effects that mimic those of the

female sex hormone. Expose the male of the species to enough estrogenic

chemicals for long enough, and you get a feminization effect, including a lower

sperm count.

 

Here's some of the evidence that feminization is, in fact, taking place: In Lake

Opopka, Florida, there was a big spill of an estrogenic pesticide in 1988.

Subsequently, male alligators developed abnormally short penises, reproductive

impairment and female-like hormone levels.

 

In the lower Columbia River in the Northwest, juvenile male otters have

testicles that are only one-seventh normal weight. They, too, show evidence of

exposure to estrogenic chemicals.

 

Florida panthers were exposed to the estrogenic pesticide DDT for years, and

they ate other animals that were exposed. Panther fat has high levels of DDE, a

DDT breakdown product. The panthers also have unusually high levels of abnormal

sperm, low sperm counts, undescended testicles and thyroid dysfunction.

 

A growing number of scientists are calling for controls on all of these

estrogen-like chemicals. I think we should listen to them. But guess who

disagrees? The chemical industry.

 

No surprise there. I just hope that we figure out whether this falling sperm

count is real, and if it is, what we're going to do about it to keep the human

race reproducing.

 

Infertile Territory

 

Infertility is now generally defined as an inability to conceive after six

months to one year of trying. An estimated 20 percent of couples have trouble

conceiving. While it appears that falling sperm counts may be part of the

problem, rising maternal age is certainly a factor, and as women are having

babies later in life, the risk of infertility rises.

 

Treating infertility has become a huge medical industry during the past few

decades, with doctors doing everything from prescribing fertility drugs to

arranging for test-tube babies (in vitro fertilization). These well-publicized

procedures can cost up to $10,000 apiece.

 

While some infertility problems in women can be addressed by having children

earlier, men need to try some tactics to raise their sperm counts. The following

section highlights primarily the natural alternatives that can be helpful for

men.

 

Green Pharmacy for Infertility

 

Infertility is a major heartache, and it may require going the high-tech route.

But before you try a high-tech solution, you'll want to thoroughly explore

possible causes with your doctor to find out whether there are lifestyle or

other changes that you can make to improve your chances of conception. And while

you're at it, consider some natural alternatives.

 

Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea) and other foods containing vitamin B6. People

who advocate micronutrient supplementation often recommend vitamin B6 for

infertility. The best sources of this nutrient, in descending order of potency,

are cauliflower, watercress, spinach, garden cress, bananas, okra, onions,

broccoli, squash, kale, kohlrabi, brussels sprouts, peas and radishes.

 

Ginger (Zingiber officinale). According to reports of research with animals in

Saudi Arabia, ginger significantly increased sperm count and motility. I

hesitate to extrapolate one animal study to humans, but ginger is so safe and

tasty that if I were troubled by a low sperm count or poor sperm motility, I

wouldn't hesitate to reach for ginger tea, ginger ale, gingerbread and dishes

spiced with this tangy herb.

 

Ginseng (Panax ginseng). California herbalist Kathi Keville, author of The

Illustrated Herb Encyclopedia and Herbs for Health and Healing, tells two

stories of infertile men who started taking ginseng, schisandra and saw palmetto

to build up their physical stamina. Some time later, both of their wives became

pregnant.

 

While I wouldn't hang my hat on this anecdote, ginseng has been revered in Asia

for centuries as a male potency and longevity tonic. There is some research with

animals suggesting that ginseng stimulates sexual activity, and of course, you

need that to conceive.

 

Guava (Psidium, various species) and other foods containing vitamin C. For

treatment of male infertility caused by sperm abnormalities or clumping, vitamin

C supplementation has been shown to be as effective as several

fertility-enhancing drugs. Melvyn Werbach, M.D., assistant clinical professor of

psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine and

author of Nutritional Influences on Illness, suggests taking 1,000 milligrams a

day. (Although the Daily Value for vitamin C is only 60 milligrams, taking this

much is considered safe.)

 

Besides guava, other good plant sources of vitamin C include bitter melon,

emblic, rosehips, bell pepper, red peppers and watercress.

 

Herbal formulas for men. The Chinese herb cangzhu (Atractylodes lancea)

dominates two formulas widely prescribed in China for male infertility. One,

called hochu-ekki-to, contains 4 grams each of cangzhu, astragalus and ginseng;

3 grams of Japanese angelica; 2 grams each of bupleurum root, jujube fruit,

citrus unshiu peel (a Japanese citrus fruit); 1.5 grams of Chinese licorice

root; 1 gram of black cohosh; and 0.5 gram of ginger. In one study, this formula

boosted sperm concentrations and motility considerably after three months.

 

A similar formula called ninjin-to contains three grams each of cangzhu, ginger,

ginseng and Chinese licorice.

 

If you'd like to try either of these formulas, I'd advise against attempting to

mix them up yourself. Instead, consult a Chinese herbalist.

 

Herbal formula for women. For women, Maine herbalist Deb Soule, founder of Avena

Botanicals and author of The Roots of Healing, offers several fertility

formulas. Here's the one she suggests most often: two tablespoons each of

chasteberry, Chinese angelica (also called dang-quai) and false unicorn root and

one to two teaspoons of blessed thistle steeped in a quart of boiling water for

15 minutes. She suggests drinking two to three cups a day four or five days a

week.

 

Jute (Corchorus olitorius) and other herbs containing folate. For years,

naturopaths have suggested folic acid, a B vitamin, for women who are infertile.

And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta have been urging

pregnant women to get more folic acid because it prevents severe spinal birth

defects.

 

Everybody's been touting folic acid supplements, but I generally recommend

getting nutrients from foods whenever possible, and there are a number of foods

that provide good amounts of folate, the naturally occurring form of folic acid.

According to my trusty database, the food with the greatest amount of folate is

edible jute, at 32 parts per million on a dry-weight basis. This is followed by

spinach, endive, asparagus, papaya, okra, pigweed and cabbage.

 

Noting that many of these same plants are well-endowed with zinc, which is

critical to male reproductive vitality, I suggest that this same assortment of

vegetables might also help the man of the house.

 

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) and other herbs containing zinc. Several studies

suggest that zinc deficiencies may be tied to male infertility and poor sperm

quality. Good sources of zinc include spinach, papaya, collards, brussels

sprouts, cucumbers, string beans, endive, cowpeas, prunes and asparagus. Simmer

most of these together in a big pot, and you've got the makings of a good soup.

 

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) and other herbs containing arginine. Naturopaths

often recommend supplementation with the amino acid arginine for men with low

sperm counts. They call for getting four grams of arginine a day. That's the

amount found in about two ounces of sunflower seeds.

 

Sunflower seeds are the highest entry for arginine in my database at 8.2 percent

on a dry-weight basis. Other herbs rich in this vital nutrient include carob,

butternuts, white lupines, peanuts, sesame seeds, soybeans, watercress,

fenugreek, mustard, almonds, velvet beans, Brazil nuts, chives, broad beans and

lentils.

 

Ashwaganda (Withania somnifera). Ayurvedic physicians feel about this herb the

way the Chinese do about ginseng, that it's a tonic for the male libido and

sexual function, particularly erection problems.

 

Bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) and other herbs containing choline.

Scientists at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill

have found that in male rats, a deficiency of dietary choline, one of the B

vitamins, is associated with infertility. I hesitate to make too much of a

single study done with animals. But reproductive systems in mammals are more

similar than different, and getting a little extra choline probably can't hurt.

 

In my database, fruits of the bottle gourd, a white-flowered vine suggestive of

gourds, are highest in choline at 1.6 percent on a dry-weight basis. Other good

herbal sources of choline include fenugreek leaves and shepherd's purse. The

following run well behind in the amount of choline they contain but are still

worth mentioning: ginseng, horehound, cowpeas, English peas, mung beans, sponge

gourd, lentils and Chinese angelica.

 

Oat (Avena sativa). Oats make horses frisky and have long been considered a male

sexual energizer, hence our phrase " sowing his wild oats. " Some herbalists

suggest that oats boost male human fertility as well. You can get oats cheaply

in oatmeal or more expensively in concentrated oat extracts found in many health

food stores.

 

Raspberry (Rubus idaeus). Raspberry leaf tea is usually recommended to pregnant

women to calm uterine irritability. But animal breeders add raspberry leaves to

male animal feed to increase their fertility. Keville suggests that infertile

men try raspberry leaf tea. There's little or no harm in it, and the tea is

quite tasty.

 

http://www.mothernature.com/Library/bookshelf/Books/41/71.cfm

_________________

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjoguest

DietaryTipsForHBP

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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