1*PhD Scholar, Department of Panchakarma, School of Ayurveda, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri, India. Email: nambu24@gmail.com
2Professor, Department of Kayachikitsa, (Co-Guide) SDM Trust's Ayurvedic Medical College, TERDAL, Karnataka, India. Email: vaidyasukumar@gmail.com
3Professor and Head, Department of Shalakya Tantra, (Guide) School of Ayurveda, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri, India. Email: balajisiva85k@gmail.com
Ayurveda conceptualizes male infertility as a systemic imbalance affecting Śukra Dhātu, the culminating essence of tissue metabolism, rather than isolated anatomical or hormonal dysfunction. Śukra embodies vitality, immunity, and reproductive potency, with its subtle (avyakta) form sustaining ojas-like vigor and gross (vyakta) form enabling fertilization. Classical texts like Caraka Saṃhitā and Suśruta Saṃhitā link Śukra integrity to upstream dhātus, śukravaha srotas patency, and doṣa equilibrium, paralleling modern factors such as oligospermia, asthenozoospermia, and DNA fragmentation from lifestyle stressors, oxidative damage, varicocele, and environmental toxins.
Doṣa specific aetiologies Vāta depletion causing low volume/libido, Pitta-induced heat impairing morphology, Kapha excess thickening semen align with Srotodūṣṭi pathologies like Saṅga (obstruction), Atipravṛtti (premature ejaculation), and Sirāgranthi (varicocele). Conception hinges on four pillars: Ṛtu (timing/hormonal rhythms), Kṣetra (anatomical field), Ambu (nutritive plasma), and Bīja (gamete quality), offering holistic correlates to contemporary reproductive biology.
Treatment follows a sequential paradigm: Nīdāna parivarjana (etiology avoidance), Śodhana (Panchakarma: Deepana-Pacana, Snehapana, Abhyanga-Svedana, Virecana for Pitta/qualitative defects, Basti for Vāta/channel restoration), Śamana (pacifying vr̥ṣya-balya herbs), Rasāyana (tissue rejuvenation enhancing Ojas), and Vajīkaraṇa (Aphrodisiac potentiation). This progression ensures metabolic clarity before vitality amplification, as emphasized in Caraka.
An integrative model synergizes Panchakarma detoxification, Rasāyana renewal, and psychosocial interventions (yoga, counselling) to optimize semen parameters, Apāna vāyu, and emotional stability. Bridging classical depth with empirical evidence, Ayurveda addresses multifactorial infertility—Kṣīṇa/Pīta/Kr̥ṣṇa śukra yielding clinical successes in natural conceptions, underscoring fertility as a manifestation of holistic health.
Keywords: Ayurveda, Male infertility, Śukra Dhātu, Panchakarma, Rasāyana, Vajīkaraṇa
How to cite this article: Namboothiri DP, Nandigoudar S, Sivabalaji K. Virility: Breakthroughs From Emerging Ayurvedic Therapeutic Protocols In The Management Of Male Infertility. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(5s): 960-965; DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.5s.118
Source of support: Nil.
Conflict of interest: None