BPH Treatment with natural supplements and herbs, vitamin therapy
July 27 2018 by Ray Sahelian, M.D. alternative and natural therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia
 

BPH is very common in older men. Therapy options for BPH include natural herbs and supplements, pharmaceutical drugs, and surgery. It may be a good option to first try natural approaches before resorting to drugs or surgery since prescription medications to treat this prostate condition have many short and long term side effects. There is a significant overlap between PSA levels found in prostate cancer and BPH.

Natural treatment remedies for BPH, vitamins, herbs, supplements and food selection

BPH is a progressive disease related to inflammation and an imbalance in cell growth and apoptosis.  The following herbs and nutrients could potentially be helpful in BPH. Also, I suggest exercising more during the day and being more active since that leads to deeper sleep and less frequent awakenings to go to the bathroom.

Diet and food
One of the best approaches to reducing prostate gland size is to eat less and lose weight. This alone could help shrink the gland and improve symptoms of BPH. You may consider going, for a few weeks, on a calorie restricted diet. A diet rich in anti-inflammatory vegetables reduces the occurrence of BPH.

Saw Palmetto extract. You can purchase Saw Palmetto extract pills or, another option is Prostate Power Rx which is a doctor formulated prostate health formula which has saw palmetto and several other herbs and nutrients.

Cranberry juice or extract can be of benefit in men with lower urinary tract symptoms.
Curcumin could be of benefit.
Stinging Nettle
Quercetin is a flavonoid found in onions and berries.
Rosemary herb
Pygeum Africanum herb has been studied
Daidzein is a phytoestrogen and related to genistein. They are available for sale as supplements.
Genistein
Lycopene is an extract from tomatoes and pink grapefruit.

Chrysin has been tested in rodents.

Garlic could be helpful. Phytother Res. 2016. Anti-Proliferation Effects of Garlic (Allium sativum) on the Progression of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. Garlic administration decreased relative prostate weight ratio, suppressed mRNA expression level of AR, DHT serum levels, and the growth of prostatic tissue in BPH-induced rats. Moreover, garlic administration decreased the levels of inflammatory proteins, iNOS, and COX-2 in prostatic tissue. These results suggest that garlic may have suppressing effects on BPH and it has great potential to be developed as treatment for BPH.

Pomegranate fruit extract has many health benefits.
 

Probiotics have been proposed by I have not yet seen good studies on their influence on the prostate gland.

Pumpkin seeds have been touted in some books and health magazine articles, but little human research is available regarding the consumption of pumpkin seeds and BPH treatment.

Resveratrol has been studied in rats
J Nat Prod. 2015. Effects of Resveratrol on Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia by the Regulation of Inflammatory and Apoptotic Proteins. Resveratrol produced an antiproliferative effect by regulating the expression levels of proteins involved in inflammation and apoptosis during BPH.

J Nutr Biochem. 2017. Obesity-induced mouse benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is improved by treatment with resveratrol: implication of oxidative stress, insulin sensitivity and neuronal growth factor.
 

Phytother Research. 2014. Phytotherapy of benign prostatic hyperplasia. A minireview. 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 articles review the mode of action, the efficacy, and the safety, including herb-drug interactions of the most common botanicals (Serenoa repens, Pygeum africanum, Urtica dioica, and Cucurbita pepo) and nutraceuticals (isoflavones, lycopene, selenium, and β-Sitosterol) in controlling the lower urinary tract symptoms associated to BPH.

BPH natural treatment with supplements
Results from multiple preclinical and clinical studies indicate that several modifiable, age-related metabolic aberrations (metabolic syndrome, obesity, high cholesterol or triglyceride leves, diabetes) are important determinants in both the development and the progression of BPH.

Q. I accessed your website thru Google and am impressed by what I read. I would like to start taking Prostate Power Rx for my BPH condition. However, as I am also on Hytrin (terozosin) 1 mg a day on alternate days - is it okay to take both Saw Palmetto and Prostate Power with Hytrin ?
   A. We cannot give a definite answer since that is the role of your physician, but some people do alternate one day Hytrin and one day Prostate Power Rx.

Is there any reason for someone with BPH (benign enlarged prostate) not to take Passion Rx?
   Unless the BPH is severe, we see no reason for someone not to take Passion Rx one capsule 2 or 3 days a week. Another option is Prostate Power Rx which also has sexual enhancement properties.

I have BPH and have a question regarding Beta Sitosterol. If what I have read is true, then Beta Sitosterol is the silver bullet for sufferers of BPH. According to all of the claims Beta Sitosterol is the active ingredient in Saw Palmetto, Pygeum and Root Nettle. If true, why not just take Beta Sitosterol?
   There are not enough human studies to determine whether beta sitosterol is useful, by itself, in treating BPH.

Are there any clinical trials regarding the effect of Prostate Power Rx on BPH symptoms?
    None have been done thus far.

Signs and symptoms of BPH
Hematuria (bleeding in the urine) secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia can occur due to a vascular primary gland itself or due to the vascular re-growth of the prostate following a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). Blood in the urine often comes at the end of the stream in those with enlarged prostates.

Cardiovasc Intervent Radiology. 2018. Prostatic Artery Embolization (PAE) for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) with Hematuria in the Absence of an Upper Urinary Tract Pathology. PAE is a useful technique for controlling urinary tract bleeding from prostatic gland enlargement. 

Frequent or urgent need to urinate
Increased frequency of urination at night (nocturia)
Weak urine stream or a stream that stops and starts
Dribbling at the end of urination
 

Medical options for treatment of symptomatic BPH include:

1) the 5alpha-reductase inhibitors finasteride and dutasteride. The 5alpha-reductase inhibitors are effective in the long-term, especially in men with large prostates, and reduce the clinical progression of BPH, and further reduce the long-term risk of urinary retention and need for surgical intervention. However, they cause sexual side effects and impotence, difficulty with erection and a decrease in sexual interest.hf

2) the alpha1-adrenergic antagonists doxazocin, terazosin, tamsulosin, and alfuzosin. Alpha-1 adrenergic antagonists relax the smooth muscle of the bladder neck and prostate, thereby decreasing the resistance to urine flow and increasing peak urinary flow and improving lower urinary tract symptoms. The alpha1-adrenergic antagonists are effective in the short-term, and reduce clinical progression of BPH, but do not reduce the long-term risk of urinary retention or need for surgical intervention.

3) the combination of a 5alpha-reductase inhibitor and a alpha1-adrenergic antagonist. The combination of a 5alpha-reductase inhibitor and a alpha1-adrenergic antagonist significantly reduces the clinical progression of BPH over either drug class alone.

Tamsulosin is prescribed in the treatment of difficult urination, a common symptom of enlarged prostate. Tamsulosin, and other medications in the class called alpha blockers, work by relaxing bladder neck muscles and muscle fibers in the prostate gland and make it easier to urinate. Tamsulosin HCl capsules improve erectile function, sexual desire, and intercourse satisfaction in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms because of benign prostatic hyperplasia, Urology. 2013. Effect of selective alpha-blocker tamsulosin on erectile function in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Symptoms
Men with BPH could find that it is difficult to start going, or perhaps the stream starts and stops several times and causes frequent visits to the bathroom during the day and overnite. If you have BPH, and you have an active day that helps you sleep deeper at night, you are likely to wake up less often to pee, especially if you do not drink much fluids in the evening and visit the bathroom right before going to bed.

Hematuria or blood in the urine.
BPH can cause hematuria, usually noticed at the end of the urine stream.