Foods, herbs to manage male infertility

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 Do you know that walnuts (Asala) can make men become dads? Do you also know that mumps can cause male infertility? If your male child develops it, you must take him to the hospital for proper treatment. By the way, mumps is a viral infection that affects the parotid glands (salivary glands) below and in front of the ears. It is popularly called “Segede” in Yoruba.

This week, I will talk about male infertility. I will also give more of non-indigenous herbs. I had a chat with the CEO of towgfoods, Mr Jazmel Deen. He gave me lists of some herbs that are effective in treating male infertility. Some of them are maca, ashwagandha, tribulus

panax ginseng, mucuna, muirapuama, ginkgo biloba, saw palmetto, shilajit, tongkat ali.

Some risk factors of male infertility are

  • Smoking tobacco
  • Excessive consumption of alcohol
  • Using certain illicit drugs
  • Being overweight
  • Having certain past or present infections
  • Being exposed to toxins
  • Overheating the testicles
  • Having experienced trauma to the testicles
  • Having a prior vasectomy or major abdominal or pelvic surgery
  • Having a history of undescended testicles
  • Being born with a fertility disorder or having a blood relative with a fertility disorder.
  • Having certain medical conditions like tumours and chronic illnesses such as sickle cell disease
  • Taking certain medications or undergoing medical treatments such as surgery or radiation used for treating cancer.

Beneficial herbs

  • Guava leaves
  • Phoenix dactylifera (Dates)
  • Nigella sativa (black seed)
  • Withania somnifera
  • (Ashwagandha)
  • Afromomum melegueta (ataare)
  • Tribulus tertestris
  • Mondia whitei (Isirigun)
  • Cissus populnea (Afato)
  • Mucuna pruriens (werepe)
  • Asparagus racemosus (Shatavari )
  • Sida cordifolia (Bala)
  • Asphaltum (Shilajit)
  • Piper longum (Pippali)

Lifestyle changes and foods

  • Lose weight if you are overweight
  • Quit smoking
  • Avoid alcohol, drug abuse and certain medications that may reduce sperm production
  • Limit exposure to environmental and occupational contaminants
  • Limit the consumption of soy and estrogen-rich foods
  • Eat more antioxidant-rich foods like the ones rich in vitamin C and beta-carotene.
  • Cut back on processed meat, try fish instead
  • Be careful with trans fats (eat less fried junk food)
  • Eat nuts especially walnuts. Eat Zinc-rich foods such as beans, nuts, certain types of seafood including crab and lobster. Eat seeds like pumpkin seeds. Dark chocolate is good for you too.
  • Do not over indulge in high-fat dairy like ice cream, whole milk etc.
  • Increase your fruits and vegetables intake.

Scientific studies

In a study titled, “Effects of the aqueous extract of dry seeds of Aframomum melegueta(ataare) on some parameters of the reproductive function of mature male rats,’’ by Yolande Mbongue et al, the conclusion is that the aqueous extract of A. melegueta increased the secretions of epididymis and seminal vesicle, which are accessory sex organs.

The assessment of the spermatogenic effects of aqueous extract of Cissus populnea stem bark was done in a study titled, “Study of the Aqueous Extract as Potential Spermatogenic Enhancers in Male Wistar Rat,’’ by Ojekale, the oral administration of C. populnea extract over a 64-day period to male wistar rats resulted in a four-fold increase in sperm count.

One study of 75 men with low sperm concentration, decreased motility and abnormal sperm morphology attending a fertility clinic in Malaysia found that taking 200 mg of Eurycoma longifolia (Tongkat Ali) per day improves sperm motility and count.

In an in vitro study where human sperm from 40 healthy males was incubated with extracts of the Tribulus Terrestris herb, both sperm motility and count were enhanced.

A small study of nine healthy men taking 1500 or 3000 mg of maca root found that after four months, semen volume, sperm count and sperm motility were all improved.

Obviously, enlarged veins in the testes (varicocele), undescended testicles, infections and some other factors can affect sperm production. See your doctor.

And so, we have come to the end of this series. I want us to move on.  Did you notice that all the diseases identified being overweight as a risk factor? Maintaining a healthy weight goes a long way in enjoying sound health. You have to also pay attention to your diet because you are what you eat.

After the article on prostate enlargement was published, the only text messages I got were what are the local names of the non-indigenous herbs listed? I was disturbed because it made it look like, “You did not say anything meaningful in that article, just provide the local names” What about all the lifestyle changes I enumerated? How many times have you taken a walk? I listed foods, have you changed your diet from those junks to healthy foods? The truth is that a healthy diet and an active lifestyle go a long way in having sound health. Your medications and herbs are not enough.

If I am not able to provide local names of certain herbs, then it is either the local names are controversial and I would not want you to ingest wrong herbs or they may be non-indigenous herbs. How do I give local names to herbs that are not native to Africa? I assure you that if you ever need any of the non-indigenous herbs, I will give you directions on where to buy them. Many people now have the Mondia whitei and Tribulus terrestris they asked for.

A reader felt I was discouraging the consumption of indigenous fruits by giving lists of exotic fruits in one of the articles. I have never said people should not eat indigenous fruits. Besides, vegetables such as Broccoli, cabbage, green peas and even brown rice that I mentioned in the said article are no longer strange in this clime.

For people who asked questions about Psyllium husk for constipation, the suggested intake of psyllium husks to treat constipation is one teaspoon three times per day. The powder should be mixed into a full glass of water before swallowing. If it is the capsules you are able to get, it should be swallowed whole with a full glass of water. Take after a meal. It is important to drink a good amount of fluid while taking psyllium.

I have received text messages from men who complain that their high blood pressure medications make them have erectile dysfunction, if your medications give you serious side effects, you may want to try nature. As a reminder, these herbs can go through decoction (boiling).They can be infused (Pour hot water on them). Some can be squeezed to get their juice out. A teacup in the morning and night is perfect. I read about someone who had serious itching all over her body after taking cloves (kanafuru). If you are allergic to any of the herbs, discontinue the usage. I will never discourage you from seeing your doctor. What I do every week is to build a bridge between medical science and herbal medicine.

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