If you think herbal remedies are harmless because they're natural, you need
to think again. Herbs should be treated with the same respect as conventional
drugs. Several studies have demonstrated that herbal remedies can have
undesirable side effects. A recent study took a closer look at four of the most
popular herbal remedies on the market—Echinacea
purpurea, Gingko biloba, St. John's wort, and saw
palmetto—to see if they had any undesirable effects on
fertility.
The researchers examined the ability of sperm to penetrate an egg after the
sperm had been exposed to various concentrations of the four herbs. Their
results showed that high concentrations of some of the herbs had negative
effects on fertility. They recorded that sperm treated with St. John's wort were
completely unable to penetrate an egg. The sperm treated with echinacea and
gingko also had poor penetration abilities.
However, many experts agree that there were serious flaws in this study's
design. The design flaws make solid conclusions from this investigation
impossible. For example, the laboratory methods used by the researchers ignored
the effects of ingestion and metabolism of herbs in the body. Furthermore, there
was some question about the source of the herbs and the determination of what
amount of herb is a "high" or "low" concentration. While it is possible that
some herbs may affect fertility, better studies are needed. The conclusion to
draw at present is that natural remedies may have powerful effects, good and
bad, on our bodies. If you are self-prescribing herbal remedies, be sure to
discuss them with your doctor or pharmacist.
