A leafy shrub previously famous for being a “herbal remedy” for stress also temporarily reduces male fertility, say scientists.
Gandarusa, a plant that grows in the steep mountains of an Indonesian forest, contains powerful compounds in its leaves that could become the next method of limiting population growth.
A team of researchers on the island of Java is extracting the chemicals from the dried leaves and introducing them into capsules to test their potential as a male contraceptive.
The chemicals work delicately by interfering with the enzyme located on the sperm head, leaving male hormones unaffected. These alterations made at the tip of each sperm cell prevent them from penetrating the female egg, or oocyte.
Dr Dyan Pramesti, from Airlangga University, explains: “If the enzyme is not active, or reduces the activity, the sperm cannot perforate the wall of the oocyte” – thus no pregnancy.
The team has tested the herb on over a 100 couples and has also determined that its effect is not permanent. Fertility was re-established just two months after subjects stopped ingesting it.
“We’ve done two rounds of testing on humans and so far, no pregnancies have resulted,” says Bambang Prajogo, a research member of the team. “We are now starting Phase 3 testing with 350 couples and we are hoping we will continue with our 100 percent success rate.”
Prajogo claims that Phase 3 will be over this year. If proven safe, it will later on be introduced into the market.