Basella alba is a
plant used in traditional medicine in the West Cameroon
region to treat sexual asthenia and infertility in man. Its
methanol extracts stimulated testosterone production in
testicular fractions and Leydig cell cultures, and in normal
adult albino male rats. In Leydig cells, testosterone is partly
metabolized into estradiol by aromatase. The stimulatory
effect on estradiol level may result from its effect on
aromatase gene transcription and translation into a
biologically active enzyme