Herbs & Fertility
Until relatively recently in our human history it was customary for wedding guests to gift herbs and nutrient-rich foods known to enhance fertility to newlyweds, to increase their chances of conceiving. All over the world in fact, people have consistently used regional medicinal plants to support fertility in both sexes. And many of these plants, used based on empirical data for centuries, hold up remarkably well in contemporary clinical trials.
So why don’t we hear more about them?
Especially considering that, under the assault of environmental toxins and dietary and lifestyle choices fertility is, quite literally, in crisis. The World Health Organization has declared infertility a World Health Crisis, with 1 in 8 to 1 in 6 couples struggling to conceive (depending on where you source your data).
And as we find ourselves most urgently in need of the support of plant wisdom to improve our ever-dwindling reproductive capacity, we are more disconnected from it than ever.
The majority of westerners believe that the western medical model is really the only place to turn here, and if we follow the standard advice of trying to conceive without success for one year, we must then submit to the expertise of fertility clinics and assisted reproductive technology (ART). Though a Godsend for couples in need, ART is nonetheless a for-profit, multi-billion dollar industry that has rose to near-ubiquitous popularity in just the past twenty-five years. It is by no means the only place to turn to enhance fertility.
What the western medical ideology surrounding reproductive care fails to recognize is that fertility is holistic - optimized hormones, a low toxic burden, and minimal physiological impact of stress (both environmental and emotional) all dramatically impact our fertility. Fertility is also something that yes, naturally declines in both men and women with age, but also ebbs and flows throughout our fertile years.
There is so much we can do naturally to support our bodies' innate ability to find balance and vitality where reproductive health is concerned, and herbal medicine works to enhance just that - our bodies’ innate fertility - and it does so through a variety of mechanisms.
Here’s a short list of some of the central herbs here and their indications:
Shatavari - improves PCOS symptomology in clinical trials, enhances ovulation and strengthens follicles, while also improving cervical mucus production and endometrial lining.
Vitex - works via the pituitary over time to improve progesterone secretion, balance hormones and prepare for pregnancy.
Red Raspberry leaf - has an affinity for uterine cellular health and generally improves pregnancy outcomes and prepares the body for birth.
Maca - generally enhances fertility, supports progesterone production, and (some evidence suggests) prevents miscarriage.
Black Cohosh - improves overall hormone regulation and endometrial health.
Unfortunately, the majority of American Fertility Specialists are unaware of how to use these plants in their practice effectively to balance hormones and enhance natural fertility where “unexplained infertility” is diagnosed before moving on to more invasive procedures, so patients are not even counseled to try working with them.
This is especially frustrating because working with these herbs is inexpensive and non-invasive, and after doing so for a few months you can easily re-test for biological shifts in hormone production, so there’s no need to guess. We also see that when patients undergo more invasive procedures without adequate preparation, outcomes aren’t amazing.
This certainly isn’t to suggest that these therapies don’t have their place, but that it’s outrageous that the data supporting herbal medicine in this field continues to be overlooked, because the simple truth is that in clinical trials with these herbs we collectively see higher pregnancy rates, improved birth outcomes, reduced miscarriage. And also important to note - with regular use we see an overall improved longevity of a woman’s fertile years.
And because fertility, hormone balance, and libido are all inherently connected, we inevitably find some cross-over here. For instance, with Muira Puama, an Amazonian tree bark also known as potency wood and typically thought of as an aphrodisiac, we see improved overall circulation to reproductive organs, healthier hormone levels, and (surprise!) improved birth outcomes.
As infertility rates rise, sperm count, quality, and motility is plummeting, along with testosterone levels. But there are herbs for this as well.
Herbs that, again, perform beautifully in clinical trials at improving sperm count, quality and motility, and reducing DNA damage. Again, a short list: ashwagandha, tribulus, eleuthero, maca (again), saw palmetto, ginseng.
But these too are rarely recommended to the male partners of couples trying to conceive, and instead, western medicine doesn’t have much to offer in the way of effective therapies for improving sperm health.
One of the central differences in the approaches of western versus holistic medical ideology, is that the western model seeks to replace what the body is lacking with synthetic compounds, and the herbs seek to help the body restore its own balance. In the form of hormones, this is a crucial distinction, especially when we consider that hormone therapy can take us even further from our bodies’ own balance.
