About 90% of the word’s contraceptive users are women. Contraceptive choices are available but with lot of side effects. Condom, vasectomy, withdrawal are very few contraceptive choices are available for males. However, as noted earlier, exploratory research has indicated that certain Piper betle and Calendula officinalis ingredients have contraceptive properties. This work gives a view mainly on the contraceptive properties of these plant extracts. Plant samples were collected from different states of India. Motility of sperm depends on mitochondrial activity present in mid-piece of sperm. In the present study, the mitochondrial activity of sperm was evaluated after treating semen with different concentrations of Piper betle and Calendula officinalis. The mitochondrial activity was also evaluated after subjecting the semen samples for different incubation time periods. Test was done on more then 75% motile normozoospermic semen sample. It was found that as the concentration of extracts increases the mitochondrial activity decreases significantly (p < 0.001), similar results were observed when constant concentration of extracts with increasing time intervals. The mitochondrial activity decreases significantly (p < 0.001) in 5 minutes to 20 minutes incubation time. Experiment indicates that Piper betle and Calendula officinalis have properties to decrease mitochondrial activity in human sperm.
