Just to set the record straight it’s PROSTATE, not prostRate.  (To be prostrate is to lay face down.)  Now that we’ve dealt with that little matter…on to the details.

The prostate is a gland found only in males and it is one of the leading causes of health problems in men over 40 years.  It is walnut-sized, doughnut-shaped, strongly muscled, and encircles the urethra just below the bladder.  The urethra is the tube that carries urine from the bladder out through the penis.  The urethra also carries sperm from the testicles to the outside world during orgasm. 

Being a gland, the prostate secretes (since that’s what glands do) a substance for a specific purpose, in this case seminal fluid.  The primary purpose of seminal fluid is to nourish and protect sperm on their way out.  Seminal fluid is slightly basic in pH (due to its high sodium bicarbonate content) and has minerals (especially zinc), sugars, enzymes, proteins, prostaglandins (hormone-like messengers), and immune factors (1).  The nutrients and minerals feed the sperm and help to keep them strong and healthy for up to three days outside the male body while they are looking for an ovum to fertilize.  During orgasm the muscles of the prostate push the prostatic fluid into the urethra to mix with sperm that have come up from the seminal vesicles.  The basic or alkaline pH protects the sperm from the acidity of the urine that has previously been in the urethra and from the acidity of the vagina into which they are going.

Some of the more common health problems relating to the prostate include prostatitis, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and cancer.  Common symptoms of these problems include difficulty urinating, burning or pain on urination, and reduced urine flow (dribbling).

Acute prostatitis is fairly common in men of all ages.  It is inflammation of the prostate gland.  Symptoms of acute prostatisis include problems with the flow of urine, burning urination, pain between the scrotum and rectum, fever, and blood or pus in the urine.  Usually this condition starts with a bacterial infection elsewhere in the body that migrates to the prostate.  When the infection settles in the prostate and the prostate begins to swell and put pressure on the urethra, the flow of urine is slowed and can often lead to the backing up of urine into the bladder.  This causes the bladder to distend, become tender, and provides and excellent breeding place for further bacterial infections.  Left long enough the infection can spread to the kidneys and cause kidney damage.  In chronic prostatitis the symptoms can evolve to include low back-ache, frequent burning urination, and impotence.

Growth of the prostate is controlled by several hormones.  Many of these hormones are the same as what females have, and they serve a similar purpose, that is to stimulate the production of reproductive cells.  Insulin, IGF-1, estrogens, luteinizing hormone, and prolactin help to keep the prostate healthy.  It is when these hormones change from the healthy balance of a young man to the shifting balance of a man in andropause that benign prostatic hyperplasia can happen.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a condition that affects most men at some time in their lives.  Statistics show this condition is present in one-half of all 50-year-olds, 70% of all seventy-year-olds, and 80% of all 80-year-olds.  (I don’t like the way these numbers are going!)  Some researchers have said that if all men lived long enough they would all develop BPH and/or prostate cancer.  Do remember that there are several known factors that affect this condition and many of these factors are controllable which means BPH can be prevented, treated, and even reversed.

Specifically, what happens in BPH is prostate cells increase their rates of replacement and/or the size to which they grow while cells that should be dying off don’t.  As the trend toward too many and too large cells continues, the prostate begins to grow.  As it grows the inner circle of this doughnut-shaped organ gets smaller and begins to crimp the urethra.  This produces the common set of symptoms including problems starting and/or stopping the flow of urine, frequent urination (especially at night – needing to get up more than once), feelings of urinary urgency, urge incontinence, difficulty producing a good stream of urine, dribbling, and frequent urinary tract infection.

Initially, only the prostate is at risk in BPH, however, if left untreated the ensuing damage can go beyond the prostate.  While enlargement of the prostate is usually benign, left untreated the abnormal cell development can turn into cancer.  Further complications include urine not being completely voided from the bladder that can lead to bladder infections and more serious kidney infections, and eventually kidney breakdown leading to the possibility of dialysis.  If the bladder has to constantly contract to try to force urine out through a partially obstructed urethra the bladder muscles will weaken and incontinence will follow.

Cancer of the prostate is the third most common cancer in men.  This type of cancer is more prevalent in men who have had sexually transmitted diseases and prostatitis.  Early symptoms of cancer are the same as for prostatitis.  A rectal exam (every man’s favorite part of the physical) will reveal a change in the consistency of the prostate from firm but rubbery to hard and solid.

The list of prostate supporting herbs is not long, however, they have had some very good controlled studies done on them and their efficacy has been proven.

Saw palmetto berries have a long-standing reputation as a prostate remedy.  Several studies have pitted this herb against Proscar, the pharmaceutical of choice for BPH.  The final results of all of the studies show that Saw palmetto is as effective as Proscar in reducing the symptoms of BPH without the physical side effects and at about one-third the price.  There are several good scientific reasons why saw palmetto works.  It is a DHT antagonist and inhibits the conversion of testosterone to estrogen.

Beta-sitosterol is a combination of plant sterols from saw palmetto berries.  Controlled studies have shown this to be highly effective in reducing the symptoms of BPH.

Nettle root is often found in herbal prostate remedies.  It acts as an anti-inflammatory that has an affinity for the prostate.

Korean Ginseng is another herb that can reduce the size of an enlarged prostate.  It increases the levels of testosterone and blocks the action of DHT and estrogens on cell growth.

Zinc is critical to males.  Low levels have been linked to prostatitis. This mineral is lost every time ejaculation happens.  In BPH the recommended dose is 30 milligrams per day for six months.  An auxiliary source of zinc is pumpkin seeds. 

B6 is often used by women to help with hormone balance.  The same action is available to men.  Pyridoxine hydrochloride (a.k.a. B6) helps reduce prostatic enlargement by aiding in the healthy creation and conversion of hormones. 

Other vitamins that are important in prostate health include vitamin A, Vitamin B complex, Vitamin C (up to 5 grams per day), Vitamin E (up to 600 iu’s per day), magnesium, and unsaturated fatty acids (two tablespoons per day).

The pesky and potentially dangerous symptoms associated with any inflammation of the prostate can often be remedied with simple herbal and nutritional supplements.


A Woman’s Guide to Male Menopause by Marc R. Rose, M. L. Block, and Virginia Hopkins

Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Phyllis A. Balch and James F. Balch

Judith Cobb, MH, Ci, NCP