Herbs And Fertility

Herbs And Fertility
by Betty Jimenez

Please Note: Before starting any regime with herbs or alternative medicines, seek as much research as you can and a medical opinion.

Anticipating a child can be filled with much happiness and excitement. The pregnant mother and her partner experience many wonderful, thrill filled moments along this path of pregnancy.

For a couple who are unable to conceive, or who have a low chance at conception, this waiting game is filled with equal amounts of dread and sadness. There are many modern treatments and options for couples who have, in the past, been unable to conceive. There are fertility drugs, in vitro fertilization, surrogate pregnancies, thermometers and new positions, as well as, of course, adoption.

Many couples are afraid of the side effects of fertility drugs, which, as well as dangerous, can also produce multiple offspring. Twins or triplets might be cute, but eight newborns at one time? Dangerous, risky, and frightening. Some of the side effects of current drugs for women are severe nausea and hypo tension (low blood pressure), as well as mood swings and hot flashes in some patients. There are also side effects listed such as the growth of excess hair, skin problems and, sometimes, weight gain.

In vitro fertilization is very expensive, and actually has a very low success rate. In fact, this treatment is generally only used as a last effort. Along with this discouraging fact, there are also moral, ethical and religious questions and oppositions to these procedures.

The topic of freezing male sperm (or even female eggs) for use in the future has also been a very hotly debated topic.

Surrogate pregnancy has the same considerations, as it is basically the same procedure, with the exception that the egg, instead of being planted in the natural mother’s uterus, is implanted into another female’s womb. This adds emotional and legal problems into the mix, along with the existing ethical, moral and religious matters.

Though adoption is a wonderful, warm and much needed social practice, for some couples the desire to have a child of their own hereditary lineage is very strong.

Is there nothing else which can be done? Well, actually, there is. There are many very powerful herbal remedies for all types of medical conditions. Most everyone knows that a bladder infection can be helped with cranberries, or cranberry juice. Aloe Vera is not only used for home remedies, it has also, recently, been incorporated into many modern, advanced medicines. There are also herbal solutions to help in the search for fertility!

What are these herbs? Well, there are blackberries, mugwort, saffron, Dang Gui, Ligusticum, Rehmannia, and White Peony. You should be able to locate these herbs in general health food stores, as well as some stores in the Chinatown district of your local city.

Dang Gui (Angelica sinensis), Ligusticum, Rehmannia, and White Peony. This is a classic Chinese formula known as Dang Gui Four and can be found in any Chinatown and some health food stores. There are also herbs to help “maintain” the pregnancy, and prevent miscarriage. These are Chaste berry, Cramp bark, and Partridge Berry.

Why do these herbs help? The blueberries, according to the Chinese naturalist view of treatment, are considered to be a nutritive tonic. Use of the blueberries will promote a strong density and function of all organs, including the reproductive ones.

Mugwort is believed to be almost magical in it’s effect on the female sexual organs. Blood flow to the reproductive organs is increased, thereby warming and strengthening the uterus, leading to more productive female cycles, and pregnancy.

Saffron has been used for many centuries to strengthen circulation and promote warmth to the spleen, which is believed to be essential to the reproductive organs, and, therefore, necessary for a healthy, complete pregnancy. This herb is known to be very expensive, but also very effective.

The Dang Gui Four is used to promote healthy circulation in the entire female pelvic area, which is believed to be a major cause of infertility, as well as working with the pituitary gland to increase ovulation.

Though no herb is guaranteed, and use may not result in pregnancy, the use of these herbs has been well documented for centuries in Chinese medicine and in our own “country” folks here in the United States, and these remedies have been relied upon for centuries to help couples in their search for a baby.

© 2001