Herbal Extract Promising as Male Contraceptive in Animal Trials
-
An extract of an herb used in traditional Chinese medicine works as a reversible oral contraceptive in male mice and monkeys, researchers say. Triptonide, extracted from the herb Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F, did not appear to cause any side effects in the animals. Researchers have had difficulty finding pharmaceutical means to control the male half of the reproductive process. Female oral contraceptives use hormones to mimic pregnancy, which is a time during which women are naturally infertile. No such phase exists for men. And although women release one egg a month, men produce a thousand sperm every second, any one of which can fertilize the egg
-
@rekha Searching for compounds that might achieve this goal, he came across literature on T wilfordii Hook F, commonly known as lei gong teng. or thunder god vine. Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine use it to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. He said that with more than 3 months of use, it can cause male infertility. It appears to interrupt the development of the sperm, causes malformations, and lowers sperm counts and motility.