We prefer this brand because…...

“Pro-State” is an unusually effective blend including a super-high dose of 650mg. of the very safe and effective herb pygeum, standardized for over 15% sterols including beta-sitosterol; along with a potent dose of 240mg. of nettles root also standardized for its sterol content, the required high amount used in successful clinical studies. “Pro-State” also provides the classic saw palmetto and Graminex pollen extract, Glycine, L-Alanine and L-Glutamic acid, each of which has specific therapeutic actions. For several years our patients have experienced ongoing improvements with less getting up at night, good urination stream, improved bladder emptying, and reduced urgency. Overall we've seen significantly better results with this formula for prostate symptoms and other conditions than with plain saw palmetto.

About pygeum, nettles, Graminex®, saw palmetto

Pygeum is a large evergreen known as the African plum tree, native to central and southern Africa, which grows to up to 150 feet. For thousands of years traditional African healers have used the bark to treat bladder, urine flow and benign prostate hypertrophy symptoms. Historically, the powdered bark was made into a tea. Modern research shows that the main active constituents of pygeum bark are fatty acids and sterols, and studies generally use standardized extracts with at least 14% triterpenes including beta-sitosterol and 0.5% n-docosanol. Numerous double-blind clinical trials have found that an effective dose is at least 100-200mg. daily. After three to six months patients showed major improvements in urine flow rate, rising to 8.2ml per second versus 5.4 before pygeum. Bladder emptying also improved very much: the amount of urine left behind in the bladder after urination dropped to 33ml. on average, compared to 76ml. without pygeum, which is less than half. Nocturnal urination decreased by at least 19%. Pygeum extract also enhances healthy secretions from the seminal vesicles and prostate.

Pygeum seems to work in several ways: It inhibits 5-alpha reductase so that less DHT is made in prostate cells and prostate enlargement is curbed, and it has hormone-balancing effects. It is anti-inflammatory which reduces swelling, by decreasing tissue growth compounds in the prostate including insulin-like growth factor type I (IGF-1), epidermal growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), leading to reduced urethral obstruction and better bladder function. The medically effective constituents of pygeum include beta-sitostenone, beta-sitosterol, beta-sitosterol-3-o-glucoside, phytosterols, docosan-1-ol, n-docosanol, fatty acids, ferulic acid esters of fatty acids, and triterpenes.

Pygeum also has a role in helping erectile dysfunction. Pilot studies show that it can improve the capacity to achieve and maintain an erection, especially for men with prostate hypertrophy or prostatitis. It may do this by reducing inflammation and supporting healthy blood flow. Similarly standardized pygeum can help male fertility and sperm longevity because of its effect in improving the quality of seminal fluid and boosting healthy prostate secretions.

Stinging nettle, specifically the root, has shown good results in double-blind studies, as long as it is a sufficient dose of at least 200mg and standardized for over 15% total sterols. Nettle root was found to ease most of the symptoms of benign prostatic hypertrophy, and also to improve measurable urine outflow compared to placebo, after six to twenty-four months of use. One randomized, multicenter double-blind study confirmed that nettle root taken along with saw palmetto decreased symptoms as effectively as the drug finasteride. Other research showed that standardized nettle root used with pygeum for six months significantly reduced night-time urination and improved flow. Nettle roots contain sitosterol, sitosterol-beta-D-glucoside, other sterol derivatives, tannins, phenolics, ligands including isolaric, iresinol and neoolivil, and other compounds. These all have several actions: They appear to markedly inhibit the enzyme 5-alpha reductase which plays a role in causing benign prostatic hyperplasia. Nettle root can also modulate the effect of male sex hormone stimulation on prostate cells, so that androgen receptors and prostate steroid receptors are not over-activated. Also nettle root may help normalize prostate cells by preventing sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) from attaching to them, and by blocking dihydrotestosterone (DHT) from binging to SHBG. In addition, nettle root polysaccharides have a good anti-inflammatory effect: they stimulate helpful T-lymphocytes, and impede HLE (human leukocyte elastase) which is one of the most destructive enzymes from white cells that enters tissues to trigger the inflammatory process.

Pollen extract has been used successfully in Europe since at least the 1970s for benign prostate hypertrophy. It is a highly concentrated and more potent than plain pollen, with virtually no allergenic risk because if its purity, and more digestible as it is harvested directly from flowers, bypassing the bees, and contains only the nutritive heart of the pollen without bee residue or any tough pollen husk. Pollen extract contains many compounds necessary for life, at least in small amounts, including vitamins, amino acids, nucleic acids, minerals, unsaturated fatty acids, prostaglandin precursors, and plant hormones and enzymes.

Pollen concentrate encourages the bladder muscles to contract efficiently while relaxing the urethra. Studies show that pollen extract can shrink prostate size as effectively as the prescription drug finasteride, by selectively slowing prostate cell growth. It may do this via its powerful anti-inflammatory benefits, reducing signaling molecules such as cyclooxygenase and 5-lipoxygenase as effectively as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and by muting cell growth in response to the hormone DHT. Pollen extracts may also enhance natural death of old prostate cells (apoptosis), and help decrease PSA.

Double-blind studies found that with pollen extract 70-80% of men had fewer symptoms including straining, slow stream, overnight and day time urinary frequency, delayed voiding, and dribbling. They recorded better emptying with an impressive 45% reduction in the amount of urine left in the bladder afterwards, and 18% increase in urine volume and flow rate. After one year on pollen extract there was a 20% decrease in mean prostate volume, and more than 50% of men said they continued to experience good or excellent improvements and reduced sensations of residual urine in the bladder. In a 1993 study in the British Journal of Urology, even for men with prostate enlargement severe enough to obstruct urine outflow, 69% felt improvement from pollen extract, versus 30% for placebo. Ultrasound showed their prostate diameter shrank and they had significantly less residual urine in their bladders after voiding, very beneficial as urine pooled in the bladder is a set-up for serious bladder infections. In another trial in Japan over three months 79% of men noted improved flow, less urgency, and better bladder emptying.Pollen extract is also helpful for chronic prostatitis, reducing urination pain, pelvic pain, as documented in several 2006 studies, and for helping boost libido.

Graminex® is a specific brand of pollen extract, made in the US, guaranteed free from solvents, allergens, pesticides, herbicides, talc, lactose and gluten. It is from a facility that directly controls the total cycle of medicinal plant processing, from planting on Ohio farmland dedicated solely to active ingredients for nutraceutical, food and cosmetic use to harvesting onwards. The pollen passes multiple quality control checkpoints to ensure consistency, potency, efficacy, and safety for the environment. Harvesting and processing occur in a facility certified for Good Manufacturing Practices by NSF®, and the resulting pollen extract goes to formulas for prostate, immunological and gynecological health on six continents.

Glycine, alanine, and glutamic acid used together have been found in several clinical studies to ease benign prostate enlargement symptoms. Results included lowering of night time urination for 90% of men, reduced day time frequency in 70%, less urgency for 81% of men, and less delay starting urination for at least 60%. It appears that these amino acids reduce the sensation of a full bladder, acting as calming neurotransmitters.

Saw palmetto is a palm tree originating in Florida, and its ripe berries have been used for more than a hundred years for prostate symptoms. It is now one of the most widely used botanicals in the world, by over two million men in the US alone. Saw palmetto has a strong track record, with roughly 90% of men getting relief for mild to moderate prostate symptoms, though like prescriptions it may not work for advanced BPH. In Germany, Austria, and Italy saw palmetto is used, along with pygeum and nettle root, as a first-line treatment for prostate gland enlargement. Taken for two months before TURP prostate resection surgery, saw palmetto reduces average blood loss, complications, and the time spent in hospital.

The prostate gland secretes fluids to maintain an optimal semen environment to support healthy sperm for reproduction. Prostate tissues naturally have a very high concentration of androgens for this process, but prolonged exposure to the strong androgen dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a breakdown product of testosterone, can lead to hypertrophy or overgrowth of prostate cells. Saw palmetto works by impeding the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase which produces DHT and speeding the removal of DHT, by blocking DHT from attaching to prostate cells, and also by its anti-inflammatory actions that cut mast cell aggregation, lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase to help reduce prostate swelling. It can improve urinary volume and reduce PSA measurements, frequency, nocturnal urination, and bladder discomfort.

Numerous clinical studies with thousands of men have documented saw palmetto's efficacy for up to 90% of subjects with mild or moderate BPH. A New England Journal Medicine report that it did not help advanced BPH that was beyond medical therapy is irrelevant. The benefits of saw palmetto can build over time: men taking saw palmetto over two years were checked at six, twelve and 24 months and at each stage their quality of life and urinary function improved more while prostate size and symptoms continued to decrease. They found that sexual function was unchanged for the first year and then significantly improved during the second year. Compare this to the drug finasteride (Proscar) which causes erectile dysfunction for about 5% of users, versus barely 1% for saw palmetto. Other studies used the International Prostate Symptom Score and measurement of urinary flow rate: Men with moderate BPH randomly received saw palmetto or placebo, and the herb groups had significant decreases in prostate symptom scores and increases in quality-of-life scores. Saw palmetto is also being used for hormone restoration in anti-aging medicine in place of testosterone, which can elevate DHT. Together with zinc, saw palmetto can safely help to balance pregnenolone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), progesterone, cortisol, estrogen, and testosterone. In addition, saw palmetto has a role in reversing hair loss, for women and maybe for men too: one factor in this condition is excessive DHT in the scalp. Research is finding that after six months on saw palmetto, 60% of subjects have improvement according to standardized scales of hair assessment and their own opinions. The drug finasteride can also relieve hair loss but cause erectile dysfunction and loss of libido.

Contents

2 capsules provide: Saw Palmetto (Serenoa serrulata) Berry Extract 320mg, standardized to > 45% total sterols; Pygeum (Prunus africana) Bark Extract 650mg, standardized to > 15% total sterols; Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) Root Extract 4:1 240mg, standardized to > 15% total sterols; Pro-State^TM Prostate Support complex 200mg. including Graminex® pollen extract, Glycine, L-Alanine, L-Glutamic acid.

Other Ingredients: vegetarian capsule.

Free of: - This product does Not contain: artificial coloring, artificial flavoring, preservatives, parabens, dairy/milk/casein products, gluten, corn, ingredients of animal origin, shellfish, egg, salt, sugar, soy, wheat, yeast.

Cautions

Always take natural remedies under the supervision of your health care provider. Do not self-diagnose a prostrate disorder if you have any symptoms such as difficulty or pain urinating. See your health care provider immediately for an accurate diagnosis. Do not use ‘Pro-State' without the advice of your healthcare professional if you take alpha-blocker prostate prescriptions such as tamsulosin (Flomax), finasteride (Proscar) or doxazosin, the effects could be magnified. No specific side effects are known for nettle root, though nettle leaves may interfere with medications for diabetes, hypertension, warfarin, and lithium, so consult your health professional if you take these medicines. Avoid stinging nettle during pregnancy, as it might stimulate uterine contractions and cause miscarriage. Do not use saw palmetto during pregnancy or while breast-feeding as it has hormone-like actions, which could affect the pregnancy or infant.

Testimonials