Background: Androgens, encompassing testosterone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and androstenedione, serve as pivotal regulators of semen quality in bulls. Despite their recognized efficacy in enhancing sexual performance and fertility in humans, herbal feed supplements remain relatively unexplored in the realm of animal husbandry. Moreover, the prevailing issue of suboptimal semen quality among crossbred bulls poses a significant challenge to the cattle industry. This study aimed to study the impact of herbal feed supplementation on the dynamics of androgen hormones in breeding bulls and its potential to enhance semen quality. 
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Methods: Eighteen Frieswal breeding bulls were divided into three groups: a control cohort (G-I, n=6) provided with a standard diet and two treatment groups (G-II and G-III; n=6 each) enriched with herbal feed supplementation. The supplementation regimen comprised a mixture of Safed musli, Kali musli, Ashwagandha, Shatawar, Vidhara, Bidarikand, along with Gokhru and Sahajan seeds, administered at doses of 35 g and 70 g in G-II and G-III, respectively, over a duration of four months. Semen quality and hormonal levels (testosterone, DHT, DHEA and androstenedione) were assessed and blood/semen was collected from individual animal at day 0 (initial), 60 (first cycle) and 120 (second cycle) of experimental feeding. 
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Result: The results obtained revealed that DHT levels were significantly (p&lt;0.05) lower in both G-II and G-III after 60 and 120 days of supplementation compared to those recorded in the control group. However, testosterone, DHEA and androstenedione levels did not vary significantly among groups. The inclusion of herbal supplements significantly (p&lt;0.05) improved semen volume and initial progressive motility, suggesting enhanced sperm functionality. Additionally, sperm viability increased and abnormality decreased significantly (p&lt;0.05) in supplemented groups, further indicating improved semen quality. It was concluded that herbal feed supplementation improves sperm motility and semen volume in breeding bulls and the concurrent decrease in blood dihydrotestosterone levels suggests a potential mechanism underlying these enhancements. 
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Novel Insights into Androgen Hormone Dynamics and Semen Quality Response to Herbal Feed Supplementation in Breeding Bulls