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pubmed:otherAbstract |
PIP: Studies on contraceptives of plant origin are important because the synthetic hormonal contraceptives in current use produce some side effects. Records on folk medicine mention 225 species of plants with contraceptive and abortive properties. However, experiments performed on animals have confirmed the contraceptive effect in only 145 of these plant species. Chemically, these drugs belong to a wide variety of classes including terpenoids, alkaloids, glycosides, phenols, and other compounds. The available literature on these compounds and their contraceptive effects is reviewed. The review indicates that a wide variety of plants with contraceptive properties can be found in the USR. However, many of these plants cannot be recommended for practical use due to a lack of complete pharmacological data. Further research is needed to find reliable contraceptives derived from plants that do not produce any side effects. Such contraceptives would be especially useful in those cases where hormonal contraceptive agents are contraindicated.
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