The Effect of Ceratonia siliqua L. on Semen Parameters in Idiopathic Male Infertility: A Systematic Review

Background aim: At least 50% of infertile couples’ problems are related to the male factor infertility. There is widespread use of herbal medicine among men for infertility problems. This study was conducted to determine the effect of Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob) on semen parameters in idiopathic male infertility. Methods: This systematic review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Articles were searched without time restrictions till September 2023 through searching English databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMBASE and ProQuest using MeSH terms of male infertility, RCT, herbal medicine, idiopathic male infertility, Ceratonia siliqua L, Carob, semen parameters and their equivalent words in Persian, which were searched individually or in combination. Two reviewers independently assessed eligibility and quality of included articles and any disagreements were resolved by consensus with a third party. Results: Out of 140 articles, 97 documents were removed due to duplication. After screening 43 remaining articles, 30 articles were excluded based on the title and abstract, and eight articles due to being conducted on animals. One article was the study protocol, which was also excluded. Finally, four articles were included in systematic review. All studies reported Carob is effective in improving some or all parameters of semen including count, motility, and morphology. Conclusion: Considering small number of human studies related to the effect of Carob on semen parameters, conducting more robust clinical trials are recommended.