Effect of Tribulus terrestris L. on sperm parameters in men with idiopathic infertility: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE(S): Tribulus terrestris L. is an herbal plant that has long been used as sex stimulant and to treat male infertility. This systematic review collected the clinical trials and/or quasi-experimental studies on the effect of T. terrestris on sperm parameters in idiopathic male infertility. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To search the related articles, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, ProQuest, Clinicaltrial.gov, WHO, Google Scholar, MEDLINE via Pubmed, Web of Science, SID, Magiran, Irandoc, and Iranmedex databases were used without any time limitation. Words used to search were T. terrestris L., Tribestan, male infertility and sperm parameters based on the MeSH glossary. To assess the eligibility of the articles, the views of the two authors and in cases where there was no agreement, the third person was used. RESULTS: Through searching of the databases, 5775 articles were identified, of which 3509 were entered after removing the duplicates. Afterward, 102 articles were screened for inclusion. Finally, 7 articles were included in this systematic review. Only one quasi-experimental without control arm article reported that the use of T. terrestris L. in the treatment of idiopathic male infertility was not effective, In the others, T. terrestris L. was reported to be effective in improving some or all parameters of the sperm, namely number, motility and morphology. CONCLUSION: The results of the present systematic review showed that the consumption of T terrestris L., in general, resulted in the improvement of sperm parameters. This result was obtained from 6 out of the 7 articles.

Comparing the effectiveness of Salvia officinalis, clotrimazole and their combination on vulvovaginal candidiasis: A randomized, controlled clinical trial.

AIM: To determine the effect of vaginal tablet of Salvia officinalis, alone and in combination with Clotrimazole, on the recovery of Vulvovaginal candidiasis. METHODS: In this triple-blind randomized controlled trial, 111 participants were randomly assigned into three groups of 37 patients using block randomization with block sizes of 6 and 9, and allocation ratio of 1:1:1: 100 mg vaginal tablet of Clotrimazole and Placebo (CP), 400 mg vaginal tablet of S. officinalis and Placebo (SP), and vaginal tablet of S. officinalis and Clotrimazole (SC), once daily for 7 days. On the seventh day after the treatment was ended up, Vulvovaginal candidiasis were examined by vaginal symptoms and wet test, and if positive, they were examined by culture in chrome agar Candida medium. RESULTS: Socio-demographic characteristics was similar (P > 0.05). Thirty-six, 36 and 35 patients, respectively in CP, SC and SP groups recruited in the study. The frequency of a positive wet test confirmed by Sabrodextrose agar medium 7 days after treatment was significantly lower in SC group than the reference group of CP (adjusted odds ratio = 0.09, 95% confidence interval: 0.93-0.932, P = 0.043). There was no significant difference between SP and CP group (P = 0.071, 95% confidence interval: 0.032-1.151, adjusted odds ratio = 0.192). Also, there was no significant difference between the three groups in terms of vaginal symptoms at the baseline (P > 0.05), however the statistical differences were indicated after the intervention in cheesy discharge, pruritus and Vulvovaginal edema (P < 0.05.(. CONCLUSION: S. officinalis in the form of vaginal tablet, alone and when combined with Clotrimazole, can treat the Vulvovaginal Candidiasis.