Table of Contents
- Can Pueraria Mirifica be used on Males?
- Will Pueraria Mirifica Feminize a Man?
- Is Pueraria Mirifica useful for Male Breast growth?
- Does Pueraria Mirifica have any Side Effects on a Male?
- What is Pueraria Mirifica used for?
- Can Pueraria Mirifica help with Weight Gain?
- Can Pueraria Mirifica help with Hair Growth?
- How long does Pueraria Mirifica take to work?
- Can Pueraria Mirifica cause Blood Clots?
- Want to know more?
- Sources
Can Pueraria Mirifica be used on Males?
Due to its high phytoestrogen content, Pueraria Mirifica has strong estrogenic effects on males which can cause reduced testosterone and increased estrogen levels on the male body. This can lead to feminization effects.
Will Pueraria Mirifica Feminize a Man?
Regular use of feminizing herbs can raise estrogen and bring testosterone even below baseline levels. When combined with Hormone Replace Therapy (HRT) and other feminizing herbs, Pueraria Mirifica will feminize a man. The signs of feminization include:
- Breast tissue growth (gynecomastia)
- Voice changes (raised pitch)
- Smooth skin
- Less body hair
- Stimulates hair growth on the scalp
- Emotional changes
- Body curvature
- Feminizes face features
- Fat redistribution
You can experiment with these other feminizing herbs before diving into hormone replace therapy:
- Black Cohosh Root
- Dong Quai
- Fenugreek
- Green Tea
- Hops
- Licorice Root
- White Peony Root
Pueraria Mirifica, when applied topically, can elevate serum estradiol levels by a considerable amount. However, it’s highly unlikely that Pueraria Mirifica alone would result in any significant feminization. While some people report minor feminization effects from certain herbal formulas, only prescription-grade hormone replace therapy (HRT) will provide meaningful feminization results.
In the video below, the channel “Health Nut Owl” goes through 7 Health Benefits of Pueraria Mirifica:
This is our recommended Pueraria Mirifica supplement (Amazon’s Choice):
Is Pueraria Mirifica useful for Male Breast growth?
There is no meaningful evidence that Pueraria Mirifica can be useful for male breast growth:
- While Estrogen, if taken in high enough doses can stimulate the growth of breast tissue, is not safe to use because it can also increase the risk of breast cancer. Most products do not contain enough Phytoestrogens to emulate the breast cell growth effect of estrogen, and even if they did, it would also increase the risk of breast cancer, just like regular estrogen.
- Phytoestrogens also latch on to estrogen receptors, thus they block the action of regular estrogen. However, they only produce a partial effect of estrogen. So they actually decrease the estrogen function, rather than increase it. This means Phytoestrogens should decrease breast size, not increase it.
The study below explores the effects of phytoestrogens on primary human breast cancer cells.
Study Information
- Title: Effects of phytoestrogens on the activity and growth of primary breast cancer cells ex vivo.
- Length: 48 hours.
Subject Information
- Gender: Female.
- Health condition: breast cancer.
Method used
Breast cancer cells were obtained from patients who underwent primary breast cancer surgery, which were treated for 48 h. with:
- 17β-estradiol (E2 )
- one of three phytoestrogens (genistein, resveratrol and quercetin, 10-7 M)
- a combination of E2 and one of the three phytoestrogens
These cells were then extracted for viability and apoptosis assay.
Results
- Human breast cancer cell viability was inhibited by all phytoestrogens but induced by E2 with or without phytoestrogen.
- Apoptotic cells, as well as the proteins involved in apoptotic pathway and estrogen receptor (ER) β, were significantly increased in the cells treated with phytoestrogen alone.
- The use of E2 with or without a phytoestrogen revealed completely opposite results.
- The proteins involved in the proliferative pathway and ER α expression were all increased in the cultures with E2 with or without phytoestrogens.
Conclusions
- In the presence of E2 , these phytoestrogens lose the effects of suppressing breast cancer cells; contrastingly, induce growth stimulatory effects by inhibiting apoptosis and stimulating proliferation in primary breast cancer cells.
- Thus, the effects of phytoestrogens on breast cancer should be considered as E2 still present in breast cancer tissue.
Does Pueraria Mirifica have any Side Effects on a Male?
Due to its high estrogen content, there is concern that Pueraria Mirifica could cause diminished fertility as a side effect on males. However, an animal study shows that long-term treatment with Pueraria Mirifica didn’t alter male fertility significantly.
Study Information
- Title: Effects of Pueraria mirifica, an herb containing phytoestrogens, on reproductive organs and fertility of adult male mice.
- Length: 16 weeks.
Method used
- Male mice were divided into four groups (10 mice/group).
- Groups 1-3 were orally treated with PM at doses of 0 (PM-0), 10 (PM-10), and 100 (PM-100) mg/kg BW/d in 0.2 mL distilled water
- Group 4 was subcutaneously injected with 200 microg/kg BW/d of synthetic estrogen diesthylstilbestol (DES).
- The treatment schedule was separated into two periods: treatment and posttreatment (8 wk for each period).
Results
- The PM-10 and PM-100 treatments had no effect on testicular weight, sperm number, and serum LH, FSH, and testosterone levels.
- Only the PM-100 treatment reduced weights of epididymes and seminal vesicle and the sperm motility and viability.
- Histopathological examination demonstrated that testis, epididymis, and seminal vesicle were normal in all doses of PM treatment.
- PM-treated males showed no alterations in mating efficiency and on causing pregnancy of their female partners. DES injection impaired all those parameters.
- Offspring fathered by the PM- and DES-treated males exhibited neither malformations nor change of body weight gains, and the reproductive organ weights of 50-d old pups were in the normal range.
Conclusions
- The present data clearly demonstrate that a long-term treatment of PM at doses 10 and 100 mg/kg BW/d, via oral route, does not alter a male fertility and a hypothalamus- pituitary-testis axis.
- Although PM-100 can cause some moderate impairment, no persistent effects were observed. Most of PM-treated mice increased the mating efficiency after stop treatment.
What is Pueraria Mirifica used for?
Pueraria Mirifica is used for symptoms of low estrogen that come naturally with menopause as women age. It contains Phytoestrogens (plant compounds that act like estrogen). Pueraria Mirifica is used for female health benefits, such as:
Antioxidant
- reduces oxidative stress and damage
- increases antioxidant levels
Relieves Menopause Symptoms
- vaginal atrophy (wasting)
- vaginal dryness and irritation
- vaginal tissue health, ph, and skin tone
- dyspareunia (pain during intercourse)
- hot flashes
- night sweats
- low libido
- mood swings
- irritability
- irregular or absent periods
Bone Health
- osteoporosis
- bone density and quality
Cholesterol management
- drop in “bad” low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol
- increase in “good” high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol
- increases fats and sugars metabolism
Anti Breast Cancer
Prevents the growth of breast cancer cells
Mental Health
- protects against nervous system damage due to decreased estrogen levels
- may reduce cognitive decline due to aging
Can Pueraria Mirifica help with Weight Gain?
Since Pueraria Mirifica has estrogen-like effects, it may reduce the weight gain caused by low estrogen levels that come with menopause. PMS causes a hormonal imbalance which can lead to weight gain in older women (this is because estrogen helps with the metabolism of sugars and fats).
Can Pueraria Mirifica help with Hair Growth?
Menopause causes thinning of hair in women due to lower estrogen and higher androgen levels. Pueraria Mirifica can help with hair growth, because it reduces the formation of hormones that cause hair loss, such as DHT (Dihydrotestosterone). Pueraria Mirifica can also help with hair growth in other ways:
- eliminates clogged hair follicles
- improves scalp blood circulation and nourishes hair follicles
- protects hair from free radicals in the environment due to its antioxidant properties.
How long does Pueraria Mirifica take to work?
The time it takes for Pueraria Mirifica to work for Skin Care and Hair Growth is 1-2 weeks, and for General Health is a few weeks to several months.
However, the time it takes for Pueraria Mirifica to work may be different for each person due to several factors including but not limited to: body size, metabolism, and age.
Can Pueraria Mirifica cause Blood Clots?
Conventional hormone replacement therapies for women (such as oral estrogen) can increase the risk of blood clots, stroke, and heart attacks. Phytoestrogens such as Pueraria Mirifica don’t increase the risk of blood clots. This means phytoestrogens are a safer alternative to conventional hormone replacement therapy.
Since research regarding phytoestrogens is relatively new, their efficacy as a hormone replacement therapy is questionable.
Want to know more?
Click the links below to access the individual topic pages:
Sources
This article makes use of information from the U.S. National Library of Medicine under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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