PRUNUS AFRICANA, or PYGEUM AFRICANUM, contains several active ingredients such as phytosterols (β-sitosterol is the most representative), fatty acids (including myristic, palmitic, linoleic, oleic, stearic and arachidonic), triterpenoids (ursolic acid, oleanolic acid etc.) and alcohols (docosanol etc.). Studi in vitro (Edgar AD, Levin R, Constantinou CE, Denis L. A critical review of the pharmacology of the plant extract of Pygeum africanum in the treatment of LUTS. Neurourol Urodyn 2007; 26(4): 458-63) showed that Prunus africana inhibits the proliferation of prostate fibroblasts induced by growth factors such as EGF (Epidermal Growth Factor), bFGF (basic Fibroblast Growth Factor) and IGF-I (Insulin-like Growth Factor). African pygeum is also a weak inhibitor of the enzyme 5 alpha-reductase and this effect, together with the previous one, gives it a preventive and therapeutic role in the presence of benign prostatic hypertrophy. In a multicenter study (Breza J, Dzurny O, Borowka A et al. Efficacy and acceptability of tadenan (Pygeum africanum extract) in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH): a multicentre trial in Central Europe. Curr Med Res Opin 1998; 14: 127-39), an extract of Pygeum (Tadenan) has shown good efficacy in the symptomatological treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy. Administered at doses of 100 mg per day for two months, followed by a month of withdrawal, Tadenan has in fact guaranteed a significant improvement in quality of life (+40%) and IPSS (test used internationally to classify the numerous and different symptoms that accompany an enlarged prostate) (+31%), with a reduction in nocturia episodes of 32%. Improvements in maximum and average urinary flow and emptied urinary volume were also significant. Prostate volume and quality of sexual life remained unchanged. The therapeutic indications attributed to NETTLE (Urtica dioica) are different, but only recently a study on prostatic hyperplasia has shown that Nettle root can reduce the volume of the gland by 70% (Rombi M, 100 Plantes Médicinales, Editions Romart, Nice 1991, p. 207). Some fractions present in the phytocomplex of the plant (perhaps lecithins and / or sitosteroids) seem to be able to inhibit, with a still unknown mechanism, the growth of human prostate cells. Some authors believe that an interaction occurs between these principles and the serum proteins responsible for binding free androgens. Studies performed in Germany tend to show that sitosterol exerts beneficial effects on benign prostatic hypertrophy thanks to a decrease in prostaglandin synthesis at the prostate level [Ritschel W.A., Kastner U., Hussain A.S., Koch H.H., Arzneim-Forsch, 40, 463-468 (1990)]. It should also be noted that the polysaccharide fraction contained in the root has an anti-inflammatory action, a property experimentally demonstrated in the edema induced with carrageenan on the paw of rats [Wagner H. et al., Planta Med. 55,452-454 (1989)]. The anti-edema action can in fact play an important role in reducing cervicoprostatic obstruction, helping to improve the functional picture. Nettle-based preparations are prescribed in urination disorders associated with grade I and II prostate adenoma. SERENOA REPENS is also known by the name of Sabal serrulata; Native Americans use the fruit both as food and for the treatment of various problems related to the urinary system and the reproductive system. Currently several researches on fruit extracts have shown that Serenoa repens is very rich in fatty acids and phytosterols. These researches are the result of a meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association where it was demonstrated the effectiveness on the treatment of symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate) in double blind with a placebo and between two of the most common medicines on the market. Research has shown that the combination of Serenoa repens and nettle root results in an effective improvement in urinary symptoms in older people. Other in vitro studies have shown that the properties of the plant also extend to the reduction of prostate cancer cells, but clinical trials in this regard are lacking. The plant has a spasmolytic and decongestant effect on the bladder and urethral mucosa which often accompany the picture of prostatic hypertrophy, improving pollakiuria, dysuria and pelvic heaviness.

COMPLEMENTARY REMEDIES: SURCORTEX, AURUM 10, DEFENSOL, lMMUNOSOL, PROINF