KatCarney

Phytotherapeutic approaches to infertility.
source: http://www.healthy.net/asp/templates...rticle&ID=1182

There is much that herbs can contribute to supporting fertility, but there is no `wonder cure' here. The suggestions given here will help, but the practitioner is encouraged to be creative and intuitive in remedy selection. Each individual woman and man will have plants that suit them best. Identifying them is part of the skill of the good herbalist.

Hormonal imbalance
Hormonal problems, in either partner, are readily treated herbally. Whilst not containing hormones themselves, some herbs stimulate the glands concerned, bringing about production of the right proportions of hormones and in their right sequence in the menstrual cycle to promote conception. Vitex agnus castus is the key to success here. Research carried out in the University of Gottingen in Sweden, found that although it does not contain the hormone progesterone, it affects the pituitary gland in such a way that it corrects and regulates the secretion of progesterone from the ovaries. Vitex also corrects any hormone deficiency of either oestrogen or progesterone.

Chamaelirium luteum also has the effect of correcting hormonal imbalances. In Britain, the most frequent use of this remedy is for female infertility, as well as impotence on the part of the man. Herbalists have been known to warn people of the potency of this plant should they not want to conceive! It is an effective tonic to the uterus and ovaries, and is useful to redress almost any imbalance in either male or female reproductive systems. It helps to prevent miscarriage, uterine hemorrhage and over-relaxed conditions of the uterus, even to the extent of prolapse.

Debility
Where illness, malnourishment, fatigue, and conditions such as anaemia, anorexia and kidney problems have lowered vitality and produced a state of debility which has affected fertility, there are many herbs which can help to build up the strength of the generative organs. Bitters, tonics and adaptogens are actions to consider. The specifics will depend upon the individual concerned, but application of the model for remedy selection will usually clarify this.

True Unicorn Root (Aletris farinosa) is considered beneficial for habitual miscarriage due to chronic weakness. It can be used safely throughout pregnancy. It acts to stimulate the uterus and ovaries and is commonly used for infertility and impotence.

Emotional problems
Where emotional problems cause tension and anxiety, or when just wanting to conceive is producing psychological blockages to conception, herbal remedies may well be helpful. Perhaps some of the success of herbal remedies for infertility is related to the fact that both partners often feel they can relax a bit now that they have sought help and found a herbal remedy they feel they can rely on. Important remedies to consider, discussed in more depth in the section on the nervous system, include:

Anemone pulsatilla Leonurus cardiaca Scutellaria spp. Viburnum opulus V. prunifolium

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