The role of Cistanches Herba and its ingredients in improving reproductive outcomes: A comprehensive review

Background Infertility patients account for an astonishing proportion of individuals worldwide. Due to complex etiology and challenging treatment, infertility has imposed significant psychological and economic burdens on many patients. Cistanches Herba (Cistanche tubulosa (Schenk) Wight and Cistanche deserticola Ma), renowned as one of the most prominent Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs), is abundant in diverse bioactive compounds that exhibit therapeutic effects on many diseases related to oxidative stress (OS) and disorders of sex hormone levels. Objective Due to the limited drugs currently used in clinical practice to improve reproductive outcomes and their inevitable side effects, developing safe and effective new medications for infertility is of significance. This article comprehensively reviewed the phytochemicals of Cistanches Herba, focusing on their efficacy and mechanisms on infertility and their safety for the first time, aiming to offer valuable insights for the development and application of Cistanches Herba, and for developing novel strategies for treating infertility. Methods We used “Cistanche” and its known bioactive components in combination with “sperm”, “testicles”, “epididymis”, “ovaries”, “uterus”, and “infertility” as keywords to search in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and CNKI up to November 2023. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guideline was followed. Results The therapeutic effects of Cistanches Herba on infertility are mainly attributed to echinacoside (ECH), verbascoside (VB), salidroside (SAL), polysaccharides, and betaine. They can effectively improve spermatogenic dysfunction, gonadal dysfunction and erectile dysfunction (ED) by exerting anti-oxidation, sex hormones regulation and anti-hypoxia. Moreover, they can also improve premature ovarian failure (POF), ovarian and uterine cancer, oocyte maturation by exerting anti-oxidation, anti-apoptosis, and anti-cancer. Cistanches Herba and its active ingredients also exhibits pleasing safety. Conclusion Cistanches Herba is a promising source of natural medicine for infertility. Additionally, compared to current therapeutic drugs, its favorable safety also supports its development as a nutritional supplement. However, high-quality clinical studies are required to validate its effectiveness for the development of novel therapeutic strategies.