Background: Male infertility is one of the main diseases in medicine, causing marital, economic, and public problems in patients. Idiopathic male infertility is a condition in which sperm parameters are abnormal without a specific cause and has no specific standard treatment. After all, many current treatments have side effects and are expensive or invasive.
Antioxidants are considered one of the non-invasive and cost-effective treatments that are commonly prescribed by specialists in this field. Herbal antioxidant remedies can also bring about better sperm quality and be useful to infertile patients. One of the medicinal plants available in the references of Iranian medicine to help treat infertility and improve the quality of semen is the Zardak (Daucus carota L. var. carota). Zardak and its seed contain large amounts of phenols and flavonoids that have antioxidant effects. Additionally, Zardak is used in sources of traditional Iranian medicine as a brain, heart, and liver tonic, which can help male fertility through improving body health.
This study is a case report of idiopathic infertility that lasted for 3 years. A 36-year-old, non-smoking, overweight male case was referred to a traditional Iranian medicine clinic by a urologist due to idiopathic infertility. The patient underwent various drug treatments for 3 years before the referral, which did not change the parameters of semen or pregnancy. The patient received the dry extract of Daucus carota L. seeds for 3 months. All semen parameters improved after the intervention.
In this study, following the treatment of the male case suffering from idiopathic infertility by receiving dried Daucus carota L. seed extract, his wife became pregnant in the 8th week after starting the treatment. In conclusion, using Daucus carota L. seed can be suggested as another treatment for the management of idiopathic male infertility.