Herbal Treatment of Female Infertility

Infertility is the inability to conceive a child within one year of
trying. About one-fifth of couples have difficulty conceiving and in
up to a third of these cases the cause of infertility is unknown. The
incorrect operation of the reproductive system without an underlying
medical condition is known as functional infertility.

AnneMarie Reilly described a "natural" approach to the treatment of
female functional infertility at the recent 149th Annual Conference of
NIMH.

Themes she believes might be associated with infertility include
abnormal blood flow, premenstrual syndrome, stress, hyperalgesia and
disruption of energetic patterns.

AnneMarie considered a range of herbal actions and herbs that may
tackle these conditions:

·         Improvement of blood flow with circulatory stimulants such
as Zingiber officinale

·         Reducing uterine cramping with uterine spasmolytics such as
Viburnum opulus

·         Uterine tonics such as Angelica sinensis

·         Reduction in oestrogen excess with bitter herbs such as
Taraxacum officinale

·         Improving progesterone function and reducing prolactin with
Vitex agnus castus

·         Improving adrenal function with adaptogens such as
Eleutherococcus senticosus

·         Addressing adrenal exhaustion with nervine tonics such as
Hypericum perforatum

The choice of herbal treatment and nutritional supplement described by
AnneMarie depends on the symptoms identified by careful case studies.
She believes that combining symptoms with ‘energetic’ approaches to
diagnosis helps to identify the causal factors for infertility and its
treatment.

http://www.nimh-conference.com/index.html

An edible mushroom can relieve symptoms of the menopause such as
insomnia and anxiety as well as day and night sweats.

The Lion’s Mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) taken as a powder (3-5g
per day) can provide almost instantaneous relief of symptoms.

Martin Powell ,a Chinese herbalist, and author of ‘Medicinal
Mushrooms; A Clinical Guide’ recently described the actions of Lions
Mane at the 149th Annual NIMH conference.


Martin cited research evidence that Lion’s Mane can stimulate nerve
growth factor biosynthesis and the differentiation and re-myelination
of nerve cells.

Clinical trial data demonstrated the effectiveness of Lion’s Mane
treatment in improving mild cognitive impairment
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18844328) and reducing depression
and anxiety (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20834180).


Several case histories showed the effectiveness of taking Lion’s Mane
in relieving menopausal symptoms. Martin believes that the relief of 

The recent 149th annual conference of NIMH was attended by medical
herbalists from all parts of the country and heard from speakers who
demonstrated the rich diversity of the profession.

New practitioners like myself mingled with older hands. Some of the
speakers emphasised the ancient traditions of herbal medicine while
others stressed the scientific basis for herbal medicine being a part
of the modern mix of treatments.

There is no contradiction. Our herbal treatments are as old as the
hills and have been used for many hundreds of years in civilisations
across the planet. But people like myself, who have studied and taught
biology at a professional level, can show that medical herbalism is
grounded in scientific reality with all its necessary checks and
balances.

http://www.nimh-conference.com/index.html