By David Blyweiss, M.D.

It’s never too early for a man to start taking care of his prostate. That means a nourishing whole foods diet, regular exercise and yes, a healthy sex life. But, even though these beneficial habits will promote a healthy prostate as well as good overall health, it may not be enough as you grow older. Why? Because as a man ages, his prostate grows. And often time, it can grow so large that it interferes with the urethra.

The prostate—which is about the size of a walnut when you are a young man—wraps around the urethra, the outlet that discharges urine and semen from the penis. But when the prostate gets bigger it can literally squeeze the urethra like a vice. This is why many older men complain of frequent urination, especially at night. They may also experience a sense of urgency, a weak urinary stream, difficulty starting and an interruption of the stream (stopping and starting). Fortunately, you can take steps to help prevent these urinary problems or even find relief if you already suffer from an enlarging prostate. And it doesn’t require a prescription!

Natural Ways To Ease Symptoms

Mother Nature has provided a variety of natural ways to ease the symptoms of an enlarging prostate—commonly called BPH. One you are probably familiar with is saw palmetto. Used regularly, saw palmetto has been shown to help keep BPH symptoms in check. In one study of 110 men, saw palmetto decreased night-time urination by 45 percent, increased urinary flow rate more than 50 percent and reduced the amount of urine left in the bladder after urination by 42 percent. Other studies have shown even more improvement. In fact, saw palmetto tackles BPH just as effectively as finasteride (Proscar)—without the side effects, such as loss of libido, common to prescription drugs used to treat the condition.

Beta-sitosterol is another popular option. Studies show that men eating a diet high in beta sitosterol, at levels of between 60 and 130 mg. a day, have a lower incidence of BPH  symptoms, including weak urine flow and residual urine in the bladder. Since this phytosterol inhibits the conversion of testosterone to DHT, it may also help prevent prostate cancer. In one study, beta-sitosterol decreased cancer cell growth by 24 percent and induced programmed cell death fourfold.

Ryegrass Pollen- AKA Cernitin

While saw palmetto and beta-sitosterol are both highly effective, there is one prostate protector that rises above the rest—annual ryegrass pollen. Ryegrass pollen, also known as Cernitin, has been used in Europe to treat BPH for more than 35 years and its effects have been confirmed in numerous double-blind clinical studies. The overall success rate of rye grass pollen in patients with BPH is an impressive 70 percent, which is comparable to the pharmaceutical drugs commonly used to treat the condition.

The reason rye grass pollen extract works so well is because it contains plant sterols that relax urethral smooth muscle tone and increases the ability of bladder muscles to contract. There is also clinical evidence that it relaxes the bladder’s sphincter muscles and decreases inflammation by inhibiting the synthesis of prostaglandins and leukotrienes.

Ryegrass pollen extract also contains cyclic hydroxamic acid which prevents the growth of prostate cells. Because of this, ryegrass pollen can improve the urinary symptoms of BPH, including frequency, night-time urination, urgency, decreased urine flow, dribbling, and painful urination in men with mild to moderate BPH. It may also decrease prostate size, improve urinary flow rate and decrease the amount of residual urine.

The Studies

In one placebo-controlled study of 89 men with BPH that compared rye pollen with the prostate drug Tadenan, 78 percent of those taking rye pollen experienced significant improvement in urinary flow rate as well as a decrease in residual urine and in prostate volume compared to only 55 percent of those taking the drug.

Another double-blind, placebo-controlled study concluded that rye grass pollen improved night-time urination in 68.8 percent of the men participating in the study, as opposed to just 37.2 percent of the placebo group. And residual urine improved by 54.7 percent compared with only 12.5 percent of the men taking the dummy pills.

Preliminary studies also suggest that rye pollen can be useful for preventing prostate cancer. Studies of human prostate cancer cells show that ryegrass inhibits the growth of cancer cells. In one of these studies, researchers tested nine types of cancer cells and discovered that rye grass pollen only affected prostate cells. And the benefit of the herbal extract was even more pronounced in hormone-independent prostate cancer cells.

References:

Habib FK, Ross M, Buck AC, et al. “In vitro evaluation of the pollen extract, cernitin T-60, in the regulation of prostate cell growth.” British Journal of Urology. 1990;66:393-397.

MacDonald R, Ishani A, Rutks I, et al. “A systematic review of Cernilton for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia.” British Journal of Urology. 2000;85:836-841.

Rhodes L, Primka RL, Berman C, et al. “Comparison of finasteride (Proscar), a 5_ reductase inhibitor, and various commercial plant extracts in in vitro and in vivo 5_ reductase inhibition.” The Prostate. 1993;22:43-51.

Yasumoto R, Kawanishi H, Tsujino T, et al. “Clinical evaluation of long-term treatment using cernitin pollen extract in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia.” Clinical Therapy. 1995;17:82-87