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| available as an herb in North America, but the extract is used in an increasing number of dietary supplements and herbal products sold here. It is often combined with saw palmetto berry and stinging nettle. |
| Pygeum has been shown in animal studies to have an anti-inflammatory and antiedema effect. The extract increases bladder elasticity and lowers the plasma concentrations of hormones associated with BPH. |
| Pygeum extract is prescribed in six- to eight-week cycles, with a one-week break in between. |
| Saw Palmetto Berry (Serenoa repens) |
| A small palm tree native to the southeastern U.S., the saw palmetto produces orange berries that, despite their rancid odor, may be the best therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia. The berry has a long tradition of medicinal use, for it was employed by Native American healers for genital and urinary disorders. In addition, it enjoys a reputation as an aphrodisiac. Concentrated extracts of saw palmetto berry are the most widely prescribed prostate medications in Germany, France and other European countries, where orthodox physicians routinely use botanical medicines as well as pharmaceutical drugs. Saw palmetto inhibits the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, speeds the breakdown and elimination of other hormones implicated in prostate enlargement and reduces both inflammation and the accumulation of fluid. |
| In a study of 563 patients, those who took saw palmetto extract for three months reported a rate of urine flow twice that of patients who took the prostate drug finasteride (Proscar) for a year. In another study, the 238 patients receiving saw palmetto reported significant relief of overall clinical symptoms within one month. At least seven double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials have reported |
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