How can plants, friends of the prostate according to many men, help you? What you still need to know is that tiny during childhood, your prostate is the size of a ping pong ball at puberty and then grows naturally and gradually over time, reaching, in some men, the size of a tennis ball and even more in their sixties.

As it becomes larger, it puts increasing pressure on your urethra, which can give rise to frequent urges to urinate, even overnight. You may also experience urinary leakage because the large volume of your prostate prevents complete emptying of your bladder, which eventually overflows.

To overcome these urinary problems, many men turn to herbal medicines – known as phytotherapy – to alleviate the symptoms associated with what is called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also called prostate enlargement.

Choosing a medicinal plant is not always easy especially when there are several options, formulations, a combination of plants and brands of products for your prostate. The advice of those around you may not be your best option either. What worked for one may be inappropriate for another person with different health problems. But before going further, let’s clarify what we are talking about.

What is phytotherapy?

Herbal medicine is the use of plants or herbal medicines to naturally treat the various ailments of the human body.

For many years, herbal treatments were the only ones offered to patients. With regard to benign prostatic hyperplasia, herbs are often used in combination to relieve mild prostate problems. Their use in this indication is based on traditions for several of them.

Some of the most popular natural remedies are available in health food stores and online. Further research is needed to establish how effective these natural remedies are for treating BPH.

• pygeum (African plum extract)
• saw palmetto
• stinging nettle
• cucurbita pepo (pumpkin seed)
• green tea

Available in tablets, capsules, infusions, liquid preparations, or combination formulas, it is suggested that these herbal remedies may help relieve mild or moderate symptoms of BPH.

Although there is scientific evidence supporting the beneficial properties of these plants, much of the information about them comes only from individual reports or small-scale scientific studies. Only the dwarf palm has been used for large-scale scientific studies and the results are rather disappointing, contrary to the testimonies of patients. Saw palmetto is by far the most popular with sales of $ 152 million in the United States in 2016! For men who have had success with saw palmetto, it takes about 4 to 6 weeks to get results.

Also be aware that, in Canada and the United States, herbal medicines – or any other natural health product (NHP) – are not subject to the same testing and approval requirements as drugs over the counter…

Are plants… friends of the prostate? And what to remember about natural health products (NHPs)?

These questions are central in the PROCURE Webinar with the speaker Benoit Morin, pharmacist, well known to listeners of 98.5 FM radio station.

Take the time to visit each of our pages on this website, as well as our YouTube channel, in order to get familiar with the disease with our expert lectures, our section on available resources, the support that is offered to you.

Do you have any questions or concerns? Above all, do not hesitate. Contact us at 1 855 899-2873 to discuss with a nurse specializing in uro-oncology. It’s simple and free, like all our services.

Conference may interest you (in French only)

Pages of our site that might interest you
Want to know more? Just click on one of the links below
Alternative Medicine and Natural Health Products

PROCURE news that may interest you
Each week, we publish a blog article. Here are a few for you.
Meat, cooking and BBQ: what you need to know
5 facts to know about prostatitis
5 facts to know about large prostate (BPH)

Sources and references
NCCIH – saw palmetto
WebMD – saw palmetto
How to shrink the prostate naturally – Medical News Today
Understanding the risks of supplements and herbal remedies for prostate cancer – Harvard 2017

Written by PROCURE. © All rights reserved – 2020