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Phytotherapy of benign prostatic hyperplasia. A mini-review
Identifier
016946
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
BPH has more than one cause. It may be simple 'old-age' as the valves of the veins become less efficient, then it is benign, but annoying.
But it can indicate pathogens and if it is a pathogen, then different approaches are needed to get rid of the pathogen.
There are numerous studies on PubMed pro and against the efficacy of herbal products in BPH.
But if you do not know the cause sometimes they may work and sometimes they may not, no trial is ever going to be meaningful, because there is no understanding of the illness or the effects of all the chemicals in the plant.
If we take one example in the list below, let us assume the cause is toxins - perhaps mercury poisoning from leaky dental fillings. In this case selenium may well prove helpful. Otherwise it may not only have no effect it might do harm as the selenium levels may become imbalanced.
We have provided this paper as a summary of the known plants and so called nutraceuticals that have been proposed as healing agents and in the case of plants via a long history of use have shown themselves to be effective in some cases.
Remember that taking a plant when the cause is not known may be as bad as taking a drug when the cause is not known. This is why the emphasis on this site has been on plants that we know are nutritionally useful to us and that we can eat. Even if they do not treat the cause, they will help to boost the immune system and in the end that is maybe all that is needed.
A description of the experience
Phytother Res. 2014 Jul;28(7):949-55.
Phytotherapy of benign prostatic hyperplasia. A minireview.
Pagano E, Laudato M, Griffo M, Capasso R.
Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) is a common condition affecting older men, with an incidence that is age-dependent. Histological BPH, which typically develops after the age of 40 years, ranges in prevalence from >50% at 60 years to as high as 90% by 85 years of age.
Typical symptoms include increased frequency of urination, nocturia, urgency, hesitancy, and weak urine stream. Conventional medicines used for the treatment of BPH include alpha blockers and 5-alpha reductase inhibitors.
This article reviews the mode of action, the efficacy, and the safety, including herb-drug interactions of the most common botanicals;
- Serenoa repens
- Pygeum africanum
- Urtica dioica
- Cucurbita pepo and nutraceuticals
- isoflavones
- lycopene
- selenium, and
- β-Sitosterol
in controlling the lower urinary tract symptoms associated to BPH.
Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
PMID: 25165780