Study limitations
hepatorenal toxicity, kidney yang deficiency, asthenospermia
ABNORMAL SPERM MORPHOLOGY, ASTHENOSPERMIA
The study population was relatively small, but it complied with the initial power calculation. No placebo control group was included, preventing the observation of the absolute effect of the Shengjing recipe. The effect could only be observed relative to Xuanju capsule. An untreated group could not be included for ethical reasons because asthenospermia is a treatable condition using TCM and because all included participants were seeking fertility treatments. The pregnancy outcomes were not evaluated, but the present study was not powered to do so. The blood and semen parameters were limited, impairing a complete analysis of the beneficial effects of the Shengjing recipe. In TCM clinical practice, sperm concentration and normal sperm form are closely related to the traditional concept of “body fluid”. In addition, sperm viability and hormone levels in this study are related to the TCM concept of “kidney yang”, and the Chinese medicine prescription selected in this study was mainly for the treatment of patients with kidney yang deficiency. Therefore, sperm concentration and normal sperm morphology were not included in the observation indicators. Additional studies are necessary.In conclusion, Peng’s Shengjing recipe improves the quality of sperm and shows effectiveness in patients with clinical asthenospermia due to kidney yang deficiency. The treatment was well tolerated, without obvious hepatorenal toxicity.