When one talks of alternative healing therapies for curing problems like infertility, herbs take an important role. Before we go deep into the matter, we need to have a clear idea about herbs and their roles. Unlike the Western medication system, the East has a long tradition of treating ailments with herbs. In Indian Vedas (Ayurveda), which are more than 5000 years old, there is wide mention of the herbs. Similarly, in the Chinese tradition, the practice of prescribing herbs to treat infertility can be traced back to 200 A.D. Some of the commonly known herbs are used everyday in all Indian homes for numerous reasons. To take for an example, garlic, taken on a regular basis, keeps bad cholesterol and high blood pressure at bay. Again, the anesthetic quality of cloves helps numb the digestive system, which reduces gastric irritation in chronic cases. Coriander seeds are considered diuretic and carminative. Saffron, ‘the king of Indian herbs' is often used in menstrual problems.

Though Chinese herbs are well-known for their effectiveness in female infertility, US had a lackadaisical attitude to endorse the use of herbs for the treatment and most members of the country's conventional medical profession demonstrate reluctance towards prescribing herbal remedies. But now, throughout the world, an increasing awareness about using herbs for treatment of infertility is gaining ground and the United States are not an exception to it as well. It has recently received more attention as it has been proved that Chinese herbal treatment in infertility is actually quite effective, particularly in older women who have problem of hormonal imbalance or irregular periods. One of the biggest advantages of this herbal treatment is that it looks to address both the body and the mind while curing the disease from its root. In fact, the herbs act in restoring the balance of the body and treating the person as a whole, not only the symptoms.

However, herbal therapies have been found to work best when several ingredients are used in a perfect blend instead of a lone herb. It also depends on the freshness and purity of the material that may consist of roots, stems, bark, flowers and fruits of the plant or plants. Herbs that are usually prescribed to treat female infertility include the following:

• Black Cohosh

• Licorice

• Red Cover blossom

• Wild Yam

• False Unicorn root

• Dong Quai

• Chastetree berry

While searching for the best herbs for curing infertility one needs to bear in mind that the herbs contain fairly potent components and may act adversely if applied wrongly. Moreover, they may create complications when used in conjunction with randomly selected OTC drugs without consulting an herbalist or a naturopath. Besides some medical conditions as described below are not ideal for treatment through herbs:

• Blood clotting problems

• High blood pressure

• Diabetes

• Cardiac problems

• Thyroid problems

• Psychiatric complications

• Past history or organ transplant

• Past history of stroke

Another important part in herbal treatment includes the method of procurement. Despite the fact that the FDA does not control the herbal medications' production, the US Pharmacopoeia imposes some basic standards in the method of manufacturing of herbal products. Establishments for producing or selling herbal products that meet these standards are allowed to use their seal of approval in the form of “USP Dietary Supplement Verified”.

The fact is that alternative treatments or holistic remedies do indeed give the best results for infertility. Conventional treatments are hardly able to deliver the satisfactory results and they come with many side-effects as well. Holistic remedies first tries to find out the real problem and then prescribes the best herbs to cure it. Chinese medications, acupuncture, exercise and diet are all included in the holistic remedy of infertility and because of which, the results are always positive.