Exploring phytoandrogens: A review of their potential in health and medicine

Classical androgen deficiency occurs in about one out of every twenty adult men. In recent decades, the demand for natural compounds as alternatives to allopathic treatments for hormone deficiencies has grown. Many plants are reported to contain steroidal sex hormones. Phytotherapeutics and nutraceutical agents are suggested as novel alternative strategies and show notable promise in conditions of hypogonadism. Similar to phytoestrogens, the concept of phytoandrogens has also been recognized and valued. Phytoandrogens are a class of plant-derived natural products that exert effects similar to testosterone in animals via androgen receptors. Traditional medicines reported for the treatment of syndromes including impotence, infertility, and erectile dysfunction comprise a large class of phytoandrogen candidates with androgenic activities. Thus, the primary purpose of this review is to critically identify and highlight the natural plants that possess androgen-related compounds.