Trial reportPloS one2014
An extract of pomegranate fruit and galangal rhizome increases the numbers of motile sperm: a prospective, randomised, controlled, double-blinded trial.
Trial report in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT01357044 (An Extract of Pomegranate Fruit and Galangal Rhizome Increases the Numbers of Motile Sperm), which is not on this map. Cited by 15 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
An Extract of Pomegranate Fruit and Galangal Rhizome Increases the Numbers of Motile Sperm: A Prospective, Randomised, Controlled, Double-Blinded Trial
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 40 citations in OpenAlex.
- Preventive Effects of Tri Garn Pis Polyherbal Extract on Sexual Performance, Testicular Apoptosis, and Sperm Quality in a Dexamethasone-Induced Chronic Stress in Mice.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Exploring the pharmacological mechanisms and therapeutic implications of galangin against neurological disorders.Pharmacological reports : PR · 2025Review
- Effects of Adding Punicalagin or Oleuropein to TRIS Diluent on Quality of Frozen-Thawed Semen from Rams.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025Article
- Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Some Plants of GenusJournal of experimental pharmacology · 2025Review
- Punicalagin Protects Ram Sperm from Oxidative Stress by Enhancing Antioxidant Capacity and Mitochondrial Potential during Liquid Storage at 4 °C.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2024Article
- Update on the Potential ofAdvances in pharmacological and pharmaceutical sciences · 2024Review
- Effects of Chokeberries (Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- The Evaluation of the First Bahname Written in Turkish in the Ottoman Era Concerning Current Urology.Turkish journal of urology · 2022Article
- Phytomedicinal therapeutics for male infertility: critical insights and scientific updates.Journal of natural medicines · 2022Review
- Ellagic Acid: A Review on Its Natural Sources, Chemical Stability, and Therapeutic Potential.Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity · 2022Review
- Effect ofJournal of diabetes and metabolic disorders · 2021Article
- Effectiveness of Pharmacological Intervention Among Men with Infertility: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2021Article
- Therapeutic Effects ofJournal of nutrition and metabolism · 2021Review
- Integration of botanicals in contemporary medicine: road blocks, checkpoints and go-ahead signals.Integrative medicine research · 2018Review
- Punicalagin Mollifies Lead Acetate-Induced Oxidative Imbalance in Male Reproductive System.International journal of molecular sciences · 2016Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
unlabelledPomegranate fruit (Punica granatum) and galangal (Alpinia galanga) have separately been shown to stimulate spermatogenesis and to increase sperm counts and motility in rodents. Within traditional medicine, pomegranate fruit has long been used to increase fertility, however studies on the effect on spermatogenesis in humans have never been published. With this study we investigated whether oral intake of tablets containing standardised amounts of extract of pomegranate fruit and powder of greater galangal rhizome (Punalpin) would increase the total number of motile spermatozoa. The study was designed as a prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blinded trial. Enrolment was based on the mean total number of motile spermatozoa of two ejaculates. The participants delivered an ejaculate after 4-8 days of tablet intake and two ejaculates just before they stopped taking the tablets. Seventy adult men with a semen quality not meeting the standards for commercial application at Nordic Cryobank, but without azoospermia, were included in the study. Participants were randomized to take tablets containing extract of pomegranate fruit (standardised with respect to punicalagin A+B, punicalin and ellagic acid) and freeze-dried rhizome of greater galangal (standardised with respect to 1'S-1'-acetoxychavicol acetate) or placebo on a daily basis for three months. Sixty-six participants completed the intervention (active treatment: n = 34; placebo: n = 32). After the intervention the total number of motile spermatozoa was increased in participants treated with plant extracts compared with the placebo group (p = 0.026). After three months of active treatment, the average total number of motile sperm increased by 62% (from 23.4 to 37.8 millions), while for the placebo group, the number of motile sperm increased by 20%. Sperm morphology was not affected by the treatment. Our findings may help subfertile men to gain an improved amount of motile ejaculated sperm by taking tablets containing preparations of pomegranate fruit extract and rhizome of greater galangal.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT01357044.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.