Abstract
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is an enlargement of the prostate. The study aimed at validating the use of freeze-dried Croton membranaceus ethanolic root extract for BPH management. Thirty-three patients were observed before and after 3-month administration of 20 mg t.i.d orally. The International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), and the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaires were used. Total/free PSA (tPSA, fPSA), renal, liver function, lipid tests, and ultrasonographic imaging were performed. Thirty (30) patients (66 ± 11 years) completed the study. IPSS results showed 37% had severe, 40% moderate, and 23% mild symptoms before; 57% and 43% had moderate and mild symptoms, respectively, after treatment. IIED of patients' results showed 30% with severe, 40% moderate, 24% mild-moderate, 3% mild, and 3% no erectile dysfunction before treatment and 20% severe, 43% moderate, and 37% mild-moderate dysfunction, after treatment. Quality of life (QoL) improved (P = 0.001). Significant but non-pathological increases in total and indirect bilirubin as well as apolipoprotein A occurred. Mean tPSA reduced from 27.9 ± 19.0 to 16.2 ± 11.8 ng/mL (P = 0.002); fPSA from 6.1 ± 4.8 to 3.9 ± 2.9 ng/mL (P = 0.045); and prostate volume from 101.8 ± 41.3 to 54.5 ± 24.8 cm3 (P = 0.023). C. membranaceus shrinks the prostate and improves QoL.
Highlights
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is an enlargement of the prostate gland from progressive hyperplasia or abnormal growth of cells of glandular epithelial and stromal cells [1, 2]
BPH has a wide variety of treatment options from surgical to complementary alternative medicine (CAM), the high urologist to patient ratio, as well as socioeconomic problems that plaque developing economies, tend to drive the majority of the BPH patients towards dependency on CAM as the first line of medical relief
C. membranaceus roots were harvested from the forest area of the Eastern Region of Ghana to minimize the presence of contaminating herbicides and pesticides
Summary
BPH is an enlargement of the prostate gland from progressive hyperplasia or abnormal growth of cells of glandular epithelial and stromal cells [1, 2]. BPH has a wide variety of treatment options from surgical to complementary alternative medicine (CAM), the high urologist to patient ratio, as well as socioeconomic problems that plaque developing economies, tend to drive the majority of the BPH patients towards dependency on CAM as the first line of medical relief. The use of 5α-reductase inhibitors and α-1 blockers for BPH management has side effects including erectile dysfunction (ED) [5, 6]. Against this background, subjects suffering from BPH appreciably resort to CAM, with as much as 90% of men in Austria and Germany depending on phytotherapy [7]
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