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Saw Palmetto...effective against AAS-related prostate hypertrophy?
- Thread starter Nighthawkk
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b1ewsw32
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Nighthawkk said:
Adv Ther. 2002 Nov-Dec;19(6):285-96. Related Articles, Links
The lipidosterolic extract of Serenoa repens in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia: a comparison of two dosage regimens.
Giannakopoulos X, Baltogiannis D, Giannakis D, Tasos A, Sofikitis N, Charalabopoulos K, Evangelou A.
Department of Urology, Ioannina University School of Medicine, Ioannina, Greece.
This 6-month double-blind, randomized, parallel-group study compared two dose regimens of Libeprosta, the lipidosterolic extract of Serenoa repens in 100 male outpatients with lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The patients received two 80-mg tablets twice daily or two 80-mg tablets three times daily. Baseline evaluations included maximum and mean urinary flow rates, postvoid residual urine volume, and International Prostate Symptom Score (I-PSS) total and quality-of-life scores. Both regimens significantly reduced the I-PSS mean total score from baseline values (P<.001); improvements achieved statistical significance after month 3 and were maintained for the duration of the study. Significant improvements from baseline also occurred in quality-of-life scores, maximum and mean urinary flow rates, and residual urine volume (P<.05). The decrease in residual urine with both regimens was highly significant (P<.001). No significant differences in efficacy were noted between the two dose groups, and no treatment-related complications or clinical adverse events occurred. In this clinical study, the lipidosterolic extract of Serenoa repens was a well-tolerated agent that may significantly improve lower urinary tract symptoms and flow measurements in men with BPH.
b1ewsw32
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LAWNSAVER said:
J Altern Complement Med. 2002 Apr;8(2):143-52. Related Articles, Links
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to determine the effectiveness of botanically derived inhibitors of 5-alpha-reductase in the treatment of androgenetic alopecia.
Prager N, Bickett K, French N, Marcovici G.
Clinical Research and Development Network, Aurora, CO, USA.
BACKGROUND: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is characterized by the structural miniaturization of androgen-sensitive hair follicles in susceptible individuals and is anatomically defined within a given pattern of the scalp. Biochemically, one contributing factor of this disorder is the conversion of testosterone (T) to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) via the enzyme 5-alpha reductase (5AR). This metabolism is also key to the onset and progression of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Furthermore, AGA has also been shown to be responsive to drugs and agents used to treat BPH. Of note, certain botanical compounds have previously demonstrated efficacy against BPH. Here, we report the first example of a placebo-controlled, double-blind study undertaken in order to examine the benefit of these botanical substances in the treatment of AGA. OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to test botanically derived 5AR inhibitors, specifically the liposterolic extract of Serenoa repens (LSESr) and beta-sitosterol, in the treatment of AGA. Subjects: Included in this study were males between the ages of 23 and 64 years of age, in good health, with mild to moderate AGA. RESULTS: The results of this pilot study showed a highly positive response to treatment. The blinded investigative staff assessment report showed that 60% of (6/10) study subjects dosed with the active study formulation were rated as improved at the final visit. CONCLUSIONS: This study establishes the effectiveness of naturally occurring 5AR inhibitors against AGA for the first time, and justifies the expansion to larger trials.
As it is a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor,it will provided you use a dose that is equivalent to a dose of finasteride, which is required to effect libido and the ability to attain/sustain an erection.
b1ewsw32 said:
Exactly. DHT helps regulate estrogen in men. Block it and you get all kinds or problems like gyno and low sex drive. I am going to try pygeum:
Pygeum for a lean prostate
By Serge Kreutz
Version 1.1, February 2002
While saw palmetto extract is the far better known herbal medication to reduce the size of an enlarged prostate, pygeum may in many cases be superior for the treatment of the condition. Benign prostatic hyperplasia or benign prostatic hypertrophy is a non-cancerous tissue growth of the prostate. Among the early symptoms of the condition are prolonged dribbling after urination, as well as a decrease in the strength of the urinary stream. The enlarged prostate will also interfere with ejaculatory power.
Practically all men experience an enlargement of the prostate as they age. Early symptoms usually set in after the age of 40. As the enlargement of the prostate gets worse, the most disturbing symptom is a persistent difficulty to pass water. This can become very uncomfortable and painful.
A standard treatment for an enlarged prostate over the past decades has been to remove surgically a substantial part of the prostate. That gets rid of the urination problem but unfortunately, nerves passing along the prostate often get cut as well. This will almost certainly mean a rather abrupt end to a man's sex life. That vital organ's function will, after the operation, primarily be that of a channel through which urine flows with little obstruction.
Not an appealing perspective for a large number of men.
Next on the scene arrived Proscar, an oral medication with the generic name finasteride. Proscar has been proven to often shrink an enlarged prostate. It does so by interrupting some hormonal processes that are at the root of benign prostate hyperblasia, the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone.
The conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone is effected by the enzyme 5-alpha reductase. Proscar inhibits 5-alpha reductase and thereby the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone, thus interrupting the chain that leads to cell growth in the prostate. But even though nerves are not cut as they often are in the case of surgery, all is not well at the sex front for those on Proscar. Studies have proven what many men experienced when on Proscar: erections are hard to achieve and maintain.
There are three herbal preparations that have classically been used to facilitate urinary flow in older men: saw palmetto, nettle root, and pygeum africanum. Since the beginning of the nineties, when in the US, restrictions on the promotion and sales of herbal medications were lifted, saw palmetto and, to a lesser extent, the other two herbals have been touted as a cheaper and healthier alternative to Proscar that works just as well. And, most of all, the three herbal preparations are claimed NOT to interfere with sexual function (One US company marketing saw palmetto even promoted saw palmetto as the "sex pill of the nineties".)
The best studied among the three herbals is saw palmetto. There is no doubt that saw palmetto works. It does so in pretty much the same manner as Proscar: by inhibiting the enzyme 5-alpha reductase. Unfortunately, saw palmetto is comparable to Proscar in another aspect. Personal experience suggests that saw palmetto also interferes with the erectile function. There will just be less sensation in the male organ, comparable to what happens to the sensation of one's legs if one sits for a long time.
Pygeum africanum and nettle root are less studied. While both will also result in making passing urine easier for men with enlarged prostates, most probably by effecting a reduction of the size of the gland, the mechanism by which this happens is not precisely known.
The endocrine system works via receptor sites. In principle, one can interfere with hormonal processes in two manners: either by interfering with the hormones themselves, or by interfering with receptor sites. Phytoestrogens, for example, often have effects on women, which usually would be attributed to testosterone, the quintessential anti-estrogen. This is thought to happen because phytoestrogens are weaker than a woman's body's own estrogens. When phytoestrogens bind to estrogen receptor sites, they inhibit a woman's body's own stronger estrogens from binding to these sites, thus tilting the estrogen testosterone balance in favor of testosterone. In women, even a slight tilt towards testosterone will usually result in an increased sexual appetite.
It has been speculated that pygeum africanum and other herbals used in the treatment of an enlarged prostate work by interfering with the binding sites for dihydrotestosterone. We are not aware of scientific studies that would have dealt with the effect of pygeum africanum on erectile functions.
Nighthawkk
New member
good post clobro, very informative
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