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 .
Comparison of Tamsulosin Plus Serenoa Repens with Tamsulosin in the Treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in Korean Men: 1-Year Randomized Open Label Study
Introduction : In Korea , increasing attention has recently been given to the use of phytotherapeutic agents to alleviate the symptoms of BPH . Serenoa repens has been shown to have an equivalent efficacy to Finasteride or Tamsulosin in the treatment of BPH in previous studies . The present study was design ed to compare the efficacy and safety of Serenoa repens plus tamsulosin with tamsulosin only over 12 months in men with LUTS secondary to BPH . Material s and Methods : One hundred forty men with symptomatic BPH ( IPSS ≥10 ) were recruited in our hospital for a 12-month , open-label , r and omized trial . Patients were r and omly assigned to either tamsulosin 0.2 mg/day plus Serenoa repens 320 mg/day ( n = 60 ) or tamsulosin 0.2 mg/day only ( n = 60 ) . Prostate volume and PSA were measured at baseline and at end-point , whereas total IPSS , and its storage and voiding subscores , LUTS-related QoL , Qmax , and PVR were evaluated at baseline and later every 6 months . Results : Total 103 patients were finally available : 50 in the TAM + SR group and 53 in the TAM group . At 12 months , total IPSS decreased by 5.8 with TAM + SR and 5.5 with TAM ( p = 0.693 ) ; the storage symptoms improved significantly more with TAM + SR ( -1.7 vs. -0.8 with TAM , p = 0.024 ) . This benefit with regard to storage symptom in the TAM + SR group lasts at 12 months ( -1.9 vs. -0.9 , p = 0.024 ) . The changes of voiding subscore , LUTS-related QoL , Qmax , PVR , PSA , and prostate volume showed no significant differences between the TAM + SR and TAM groups . During the treatment period , 8 patients ( 16.9 % ) with TAM and 10 ( 20 % ) with TAM + SR had drug-related adverse reactions , which included ejaculatory disorders , postural hypotension , dizziness , headache , gastro-intestinal disorders , rhinitis , fatigue and asthenia . Conclusions : The combination treatment of Serenoa repens and tamsulosin was shown to be more effective than tamsulosin monotherapy in reducing storage symptoms in BPH patients after 6 months and up to 12 months of treatment
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 .