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 .
Analysis of the results obtained with a new phytotherapeutic association for LUTS versus control. [corrected].
INTRODUCTION Benign prostatic hypertrophy ( BPH ) is a common disease whose frequency has risen throughout the world in concomitance with the increase in life expectancy . BPH causes voiding disturbances known by the acronym LUTS ( lower urinary tract symptoms ) , which heavily influence the quality of life in the elderly . The treatment for LUTS is mainly divided into medical and surgical , the latter usually represented by prostate ablation . Medical therapy includes synthetic molecules that interfere with the hormonal control of BPH or act on the bladder neck tonus , as well as natural remedies based on plant extracts from Serenoa Repens and /or Urtica Dioica . MATERIAL AND METHODS Two groups of patients who were c and i date s for surgery for BPH-induced LUTS , were r and omly recruited in a six-month trial aim ed at comparing outcome of treatment with a new combination of plants extracts ( Pluvio ® ) , which differs from the previous ones in that it also contains avocado and soya oil , as well as a high dose of Urtica Dioica , with no therapy . Age , IPSS score , maximal uroflow , prostate volume , PSA , free-to-total PSA ratio , post voiding residual urine and number of nocturia episodes were recorded and statistically evaluated using a NCSS 60 ® program . RESULT A marked benefit in terms of quality of life , measured by IPSS score , uroflow , residual urine and nocturia , was observed in the treated group compared to controls . PSA and prostate volume were not significantly affected . No noteworthy adverse events were observed . CONCLUSIONS The new phytotherapeutic combination evaluated in the present study would seem to be highly effective for the treatment of LUTS in BPH patients and does not have negative side effects . Its use could therefore be strongly advocated in this setting
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 .