Indian folklore medicine in managing men's health and wellness.
India is a home for a large variety of plants with remarkable medicinal and pharmacological value. Traditional medicine in the form of Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani has used many of these plants since ancient days for treating and curing various ailments of the body. When it comes to issues related to reproductive health, people still hesitate to discuss and/or accept it openly and hence look for alternate and natural remedies. The various tribal populations distributed across different parts of the country still use these plant extracts in various formulations for maintenance of good health. The medical utilities of several of these plants have been documented; however, there are many more, whose potential is yet to be explored. This review discusses the role of various plants grown in the Indian subcontinent that have been widely used in maintaining various aspects of reproductive health in men such as infertility, aphrodisiac, contraception, libido, sexually transmitted infections and reproductive tract cancers as well as in treating chronic disorders.
Department of Zoology, Centre for Advanced Studies, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India. lohiyank@gmail.com.
N K
NK
Lohiya
Department of Zoology, Centre for Advanced Studies, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India.
K
K
Balasubramanian
Department of Zoology, Centre for Advanced Studies, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India.
A S
AS
Ansari
D001046:Aphrodisiacs / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003267:Contraception / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008515:Medicine, Ayurvedic; D054526:Men's Health; D008517:Phytotherapy; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D060728:Reproductive Health; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*
D001046:Aphrodisiacs; D028321:Plant Preparations
Indian medicinal plants; reproductive health