Reproductive System
The male and female reproductive organs and the hormones that govern them — fertility, the menstrual cycle, prostate health, libido and menopause.
General herbal approach
Reproductive herbalism splits along two lines. On the female side, work centres on the menstrual cycle and the hormonal shifts of fertility and menopause: emmenagogues and uterine tonics regulate flow and tone, hormone-balancing herbs ease premenstrual and menopausal complaints, and nourishing tonics rebuild after blood loss or childbirth. On the male side, the focus is the ageing prostate, libido and fertility — antiprostatic and 5-alpha-reductase-inhibiting herbs, aphrodisiac tonics, and antioxidant, spermatogenic support. Adaptogens underpin both, since stress and the HPA axis sit behind much hormonal imbalance, low drive and sub-fertility.
Because so many of these herbs are hormonally active or stimulate the uterus, several are reserved or used only under guidance in pregnancy and in hormone-sensitive conditions.
Browse by sub-system
Use the filters on the Herbs by Body System page to narrow to the Male Reproductive or Female Reproductive herbs, or read each sub-system’s own page:
Key herbal actions
The actions most often called on for the reproductive system: Emmenagogue, Uterine tonic, Hormone modulator, Aphrodisiac, Male tonic, Female tonic, Antiprostatic, Adaptogen. Each links through to the herbs that carry it.