S. repens is safe in its application .
We suggest that strong placebo effect , potentially influenced by positive patients ' expectation on S. repens , shapes both the clinical practice outcomes and the findings of clinical trials .
Hitherto , the totality of evidence continues to suggest that S. repens is a prudent therapeutic option as part of the naturopathic treatment for LUTS/BPH .
OBJECTIVES Benign prostatic hyperplasia ( BPH ) commonly affects men above 40 years old .
The progression of BPH is often accompanied with lower urinary tract symptoms ( LUTS ) that can significantly affect the quality of life of the patients .
Serenoa repens ( saw palmetto ) is a popular herbal remedy indicated for LUTS/BPH .
We review ed the current research on the efficacy of S. repens on LUTS/BPH as a monotherapy as well as combination therapies .
RESULTS The latest evidence , based largely on the Cochrane review , suggests that S. repens is not superior to placebo in treating LUTS/BPH as a monotherapy , even at double and triple doses .
Initial clinical trials on treatment of LUTS/BPH using S. repens with lycopene and selenium , as well as S. repens with Urtica Dioica , have shown positive results .
A phase II randomised double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial investigating the efficacy and safety of ProstateEZE Max: a herbal medicine preparation for the management of symptoms of benign prostatic hypertrophy.
OBJECTIVE The aim of the clinical trial was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ProstateEZE Max , an orally dosed herbal preparation containing Cucurbita pepo , Epilobium parviflorum , lycopene , Pygeum africanum and Serenoa repens in the management of symptoms of medically diagnosed benign prostate hypertrophy ( BPH ) . DESIGN This was a short-term phase II r and omized double-blind placebo controlled clinical trial . SETTING The trial was conducted on 57 otherwise healthy males aged 40 - 80 years that presented with medically diagnosed BPH . INTERVENTION The trial participants were assigned to receive 3 months of treatment ( 1 capsule per day ) with either the herbal preparation ( n = 32 ) or a matched placebo capsule ( n = 25 ) . OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome measure was the international prostate specific score ( IPSS ) measured at baseline , 1 , 2 and 3 months . The secondary outcomes were the specific questions of the IPSS and day-time and night-time urinary frequency . RESULTS There was a significant reduction in IPSS total median score in the active group of 36 % as compared to 8 % for the placebo group , during the 3-months intervention ( p < 0.05 ) . The day-time urinary frequency in the active group also showed a significant reduction over the 3-months intervention ( 7.0 - 5.9 times per day , a reduction of 15.6 % compared to no significant reduction change for the placebo group ( 6.2 - 6.3 times per day ) ( p < 0.03 ) . The night-time urinary frequency was also significantly reduced in the active group ( 2.9 - 1.8 , 39.3 % compared to placebo ( 2.8 - 2.6 times , 7 % ) ( p < 0.004 ) . CONCLUSION The herbal preparation ( ProstateEZE Max ) was shown to be well tolerated and have a significant positive effect on physical symptoms of BPH when taken over 3 months , a clinical ly significant outcome in otherwise healthy men
S. repens is safe in its application .
We suggest that strong placebo effect , potentially influenced by positive patients ' expectation on S. repens , shapes both the clinical practice outcomes and the findings of clinical trials .
Hitherto , the totality of evidence continues to suggest that S. repens is a prudent therapeutic option as part of the naturopathic treatment for LUTS/BPH .
OBJECTIVES Benign prostatic hyperplasia ( BPH ) commonly affects men above 40 years old .
The progression of BPH is often accompanied with lower urinary tract symptoms ( LUTS ) that can significantly affect the quality of life of the patients .
Serenoa repens ( saw palmetto ) is a popular herbal remedy indicated for LUTS/BPH .
We review ed the current research on the efficacy of S. repens on LUTS/BPH as a monotherapy as well as combination therapies .
RESULTS The latest evidence , based largely on the Cochrane review , suggests that S. repens is not superior to placebo in treating LUTS/BPH as a monotherapy , even at double and triple doses .
Initial clinical trials on treatment of LUTS/BPH using S. repens with lycopene and selenium , as well as S. repens with Urtica Dioica , have shown positive results .