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| Edited By: Deepak Gidwani |Source: DNA |Updated: Jan 31, 2010, 11:22 PM IST
If you are unable to father a child because you are infertile or because stress and smoking is destroying your testosterone, modern-day science and medicine may not be of much help. The solution lies in the herb ashwagandha (withania somnifera). At least, that’s what a research by Lucknow-based scientists has proved.
The study was conducted by Dr Abbas Mahdi, KK Shukla, Mohd. Kaleem Ahmad and Deepansh Dalela (biochemistry department), Dr SN Shankhwar and Dr Vishwajeet Singh (urology department), Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University (CSMMU), formerly King George’s Medical University, and Rajender Singh (endocrinology division), Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), over two years involving 120 men between 25 and 38 years.
“The study established a definite role of stress in male infertility and the ability of withania somnifera to treat infertility,” says Deepansh Dalela, a third-year MBBS student. “The treatment reduced stress, improved anti-oxidants’ level and overall semen quality,” he says.
The project, funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research, induced pregnancies in partners of 14% of patients, an unexpectedly high success rate. The 120 men in the project were divided into two groups of 60 each. One group of fertile males, who had previously initiated at least one pregnancy, was used as the “control group” for comparison with the other 60 who comprised the “study group”. The latter had an equal number of men who were infertile despite having normal sperm count and semen profile.
This group was divided into three groups of 20 each — infertile men, infertile men under stress and infertile men who were smokers. They were given a single dose of ashwagandha root powder for three months. Their semen samples were collected before and after treatment.
The study, published by eCAM, open access journal of Oxford University Press, concludes that withania somnifera balances hormone levels, reduces stress and possibly improves detoxification processes.
