Garlic And Fertility – How To Use The Herb For Best Results

Getting pregnant is not easy for all couples. Apart from being mentally and financially ready, they should also be healthy and fertile to get pregnant. Given our hectic lifestyles and delayed family planning, fertility becomes a important factor in couples who want to reproduce.

Fertility issues are common than you would think. There are some natural ways to boost fertility. Have you heard about using garlic to boost fertility? Garlic is a fantastic fertility booster. Here we discuss everything about garlic and fertility.

We all know the food we consume plays an important role in our overall health. But, not many of us aware of foods that work wonders in enhancing fertility. The medicinal value of garlic is recognized for thousands of years. Garlic is considered one of the strongest fertility booster of Mother Nature.

Nutritional Value Of Garlic

Research shows garlic contains 33 sulfur compounds and 17 amino acids.

According to nutrition data, one cup (around 136 grams) of garlic contains the following nutrients. It is given in Percent Daily Value (%DV). When %DV is less than 5% indicates the quantity of that nutrient is less and when %DV is greater than 20% indicates the presence of a high amount of that nutrient.

• Manganese: 114%
• Vitamin B 6: 84 %
• Vitamin C: 71%
• Selenium : 28%
• Calcium: 25%
• Phosphorous: 21%
• Copper: 20%
• Potassium: 16%
• Thiamin: 18%
• Iron: 13%

It contains trace amounts of various other nutrients as well. As you can see, Garlic is low in calories and rich in selenium, allicin, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and manganese.  It also contains a considerable amount of calcium, phosphorous, iron & vitamin B-complex. The distinctive sharp odor and taste of the garlic are due to the presence of volatile oils & compounds of sulfurs in it.

Garlic And Fertility – What Is The Relationship

The medicinal properties and the use of garlic remedies are documented in Sanskrit, approximately 5000 years ago.

Garlic is loaded with vitamins and minerals that can potentially boost fertility both in males and females. Most of the nutrients in garlic help to increase the health of sperm and egg. Eating 4 to 5 cloves of garlic every day can do wonders in enhancing fertility.

Garlic, along with its incredible health benefit, also improves the sex drive.  Thanks to allicin in garlic, an organo-sulfur compound, that boosts the blood flow to the sexual organs in both men and women.

Related Reading: 7 Best Foods To Increase Fertility

However, never expect this to work overnight. To reap its incredible benefits, you have to consume 3 to 5 pods of garlic daily for at least a month.

How Does Garlic Help Improve Male Fertility?

Many studies point to the potential effect of garlic on enhancing male fertility. It can potentially enhance spermatogenesis, increase the level of testosterone (male sex hormone), and even improve testicular structure. Furthermore, another study shows that men who eat garlic smell more pleasant and attractive to the opposite sex.

Garlic is advantageous in the treatment of erectile dysfunction (failure to get or keep an erection firm) & impotence. Intake of garlic while undergoing the infertility treatment was found to enhance the result.

Here are some ways garlic help to improve male fertility

1.    Reduces cell damage

More often, increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is one of the main reasons for male infertility. According to research, in about 30–80% of infertility cases in men ROS is a contributing factor.

This, in turn, creates oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can potentially bring about defective sperm function. Body’s natural antioxidants fail to keep up with the increased oxidative stress

 Strong antioxidants in garlic can effectively reduce the cellular damage caused by oxidative stress. This helps to improve male fertility.  

2.    Improves blood circulation

The allicin present in garlic improves blood circulation. This increases the blood flow towards the male organs. Garlic also helps to clear out toxins in the blood. 

This increased flow of good blood to the male organs helps to enhance erection, stamina, and potency.

3.    Garlic improves sperm quality

Selenium, a natural antioxidant present in garlic improves sperm motility. It also helps to improve sperm quality by reducing cell damage. Vitamin C and Vitamin B6, which is abundantly found in garlic also enhance sperm health and sperm count.

A handful of garlic everyday can help in improving sperm health and thus better chances of pregnancy.

4.    Enhances the immunity

The vitamins and minerals in garlic improve immunity. A good immunity is directly related to better fertility.

Garlic is well known for its anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties. A healthy and strong body that is not subjected to infections frequently is important to enhance fertility.

5.    Purifies the blood

Regular consumption of garlic purifies the blood. When the purified blood flows to the penis it sustains the erection, improves ejaculation, and helps in the production of healthy sperms

How Does Garlic Help Improve Female Fertility?

Garlic, other than helps to add taste and flavor to cooking, can boost female health in many surprising ways. Regular intake of garlic helps to delay menopause. The anti-bacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory properties of garlic is highly beneficial for female health.

Also, all the qualities mentioned above such as improving blood quality, increasing blood flow, boosting immunity, etc, are beneficial for improving female fertility as well.

Related Reading: How Does Follicular Scan Help In Getting Pregnant?

It helps to boost libido and solve many uterine and menstrual issues that get in the way of pregnancy. Intake of raw garlic is one of the effective home remedies to ward off period pain. Regular consumption of garlic can lead to healthy conception

Here are some of the incredible ways garlic helps to improve female fertility.

1.    Aids in ovulation

Raw garlic and ovulation are strongly interrelated. Garlic is rich in vitamin B 6. Vitamin B 6 has an incredible role in stimulating ovulation. Use garlic for ovulation and, thereby, take your fertility to the next level.

2.    Increases cervical mucus

Cervical mucus plays an important role in getting pregnant. It decides your fertility levels and ovulation cycles. It is the cervical mucus that helps the sperms to swim without much effort in the direction of the uterus to fertilize the egg.

The quality and quantity of the cervical mucus determines if the sperms successfully finish their journey to the uterus. Any abnormalities in cervical mucus both in its consistency and constituents, can make it impenetrable to the sperms and thus affect fertility. This can hamper your chances of getting pregnant.

Garlic increases and makes the cervical mucus thin. Daily consumption of 3 to 5 garlic cloves can noticeably enhance the quality and quantity of the cervical mucus.

3.    Garlic helps to balance fertility hormones

Magnesium is very important when it comes to female health and fertility. This mineral controls the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). 

FSH, in turn, stimulates the ovaries.  Magnesium deficiency can also bring down the progesterone levels that can impede successful pregnancy s it increases the risk of miscarriage.  

Garlic is loaded with magnesium and therefore, is highly beneficial to enhance female fertility

4.    Increases the chances of successful implantation

The strong anti-inflammatory property of garlic is very advantageous for those who trying to conceive with IVF.  As garlic helps down the overall inflammation of the body, it increases the chances of implantation.

If you are trying for an assisted pregnancy, it is vital to have this wonder herb daily.

5.    Garlic decrease the risk of yeast infection

Studies show garlic can bring down the risk of yeast infection. Thanks to the strong anti-fungal property of allicin. Even though yeast infection cannot bring about infertility, getting pregnant will be hard if you currently have one.

This is because the white blood cells that your immune system sends to fight off the yeast infection can potentially destroy the sperms that entered your body. Therefore, getting pregnant with a yeast infection is hard.  

Related Reading: How To Prepare Body For Pregnancy After 30

6.    Helps to control weight

Maintaining a healthy weight is important when it comes to fertility. Being overweight increases the risk of infertility. 

The chances of getting pregnant increase if you are close to a healthy weight. 

Eating garlic every day burns fat, improves metabolism,  and thereby, helps to control weight. You can combine honey and raw peeled and crushed garlic and store it in an airtight jar. Have a spoon from this every day. 

Ways To Incorporate Garlic In Fertility Diet

While incorporating garlic in the fertility diet, you have to remember one thing. Allicin, the key ingredient present in garlic is very unstable. When you heat it (as in cooking or making soups), chances are more allicin starts breaking down, thereby diminishing the results.

According to studies, when you chop or crush or mince the garlic, its medicinal property increases. Therefore, eating fresh garlic increases the chances of an optimum result, as it contains the highest amount of allicin. If the sharp smell and taste of raw garlic avert you from having it, here are some ways to eat raw garlic.

• Whip it up with chickpea or beans until you get a creamy texture. You can use it as garlic dip.
• Prepare some raw garlic butter. When mixed with butter garlic tastes better. You can spread it in bread, chapatti, or roti.
• You can use crushed garlic in salads. Make a salad with fertility boosting food items. This way, you double the result.
• Juicethe garlic and mix it with other juices. This way, you won’t smell it and at the same time, you will be able to grab its benefits. You can also add it to smoothies.
• Garlic infusion is another effective way to incorporate garlic into the diet to boost fertility. For this, take one Kg of peeled and crushed garlic in an airtight jar. Add around one liter of boiled water to this. Tightly close the jar with its lid. Keep the jay away from light for thirty days. Remember to shake the jar once a day for all these thirty days. After one month, takes one teaspoon of garlic every day to boost fertility.
• Many herbalists recommend garlic and honey for male fertility. Let’s see how to make honey fermented garlic. Just mix one cup of peeled garlic and one and a half cup of honey in an airtight glass jar.  Use honey just enough to covers the garlic pods and all the garlic pods are covered. For this, shake the jar upside down. 

You will see the bubbles are forming after a couple of days. (If not, just add some water this will kick start the fermentation process). When fermentation takes place, you should open the lid once in a while to release the carbon dioxide formed.

Continue doing this until the fermentation is finished which might take over a month. Now store the jar in a dark place. You can start having it after three months.

Using garlic for fertility – Precautions

• As garlic has blood-thinning properties if taken with anticoagulant drugs, the risk of bleeding increases.
• You can take garlic supplements if you don’t like eating raw garlic. But you must consult a doctor before trying out garlic supplements as a fertility booster.
• Due to some of its strong medicinal properties, it might interact with certain medicines like diabetic drugs, drugs to lower blood pressure, and immunosuppressant drugs.

Using garlic for fertility – Potential side effects

• Do not take raw garlic on an empty stomach. It may cause heartburn, gas, or vomiting in some people.
• Taking raw garlic orally can bring about issues like bad breath and burning sensation in the mouth