Abstract―Modern medicine recognized Herbalism as an alternative therapy, though it is still widely used without supporting scientific evidence. Recent studies showed that the ingestion of Orchis anatolica roots enhanced adult male mice fertility. In the current study we aimed to investigate if the leaves of Orchis anatolica have fertility-enhancing effects similar to those of the root. As a result, sperm count, progressive motility and normal morphology were decreased in Orchis anatolica-treated group, while the percentage of sperm with damaged DNA increased. Additionally, the rate of pregnancy and the number of implantation sites decreased significantly in the treated group, while the number of resorption sites increased. Moreover, testosterone concentration decreased in Orchis anatolica-receiving group. This led to a conclusion that Orchis anatolica leaves ethanolic extract has a negative impact on male mice fertility.

Index Terms―Fertility, Orchids anatolica, spermato-genesis, testosterone

Cite:Mansour M. Nawasreh and Lubna H.Tahtamouni, "The Effect of Orchis anatolica Leaves on Reproductive System—An in Vivo Study," International Journal of Pharma Medicine and Biological Sciences, Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 63-66, April 2017. doi: 10.18178/ijpmbs.6.2.63-66