Prostate cancer involves a cancerous or malignant tumor in the prostate gland in men, typically those who are over the age of 40. Some men may have benign tumors in the prostate, causing benign prostate hyperplasia. If you have prostate cancer, you'll likely undergo traditional treatments, such as surgery, radiation therapy and hormone therapy. You can take certain herbal remedies that will help to enhance the effects of these treatments and ease symptoms related to the prostate cancer and treatments.
Green Tea
Green tea can decrease your risk of prostate cancer and heart disease. Green tea may also provide a slight benefit in treating some forms of prostate cancer, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. The University of Michigan Health System cites a double-blind clinical trial of men who were at high risk for prostate cancer. Half of the men in the trial took green tea extract each day with 600 mg of catechins and the other half took a placebo. After one year, only 3.3 percent of the men taking green tea extract developed prostate cancer, compared to 30 percent of the men who took the placebo, the University of Michigan says. The University of Maryland recommends that you take 250 to 500 mg of standardized green tea extract each day for prostate cancer.
Saw Palmetto
If you have benign prostatic hyperplasia, or "BPH," taking saw palmetto may help to treat your symptoms. Saw palmetto extract "appears to have antiandrogenic effects," meaning that it helps to correct male hormone imbalances in the body, says the University of Maryland Medical Center. Studies haven't shown that saw palmetto has an effect on prostate cancer, however. You should take 160 mg of saw palmetto standardized extract twice daily to help with BPH symptoms, the University of Maryland recommends. Saw palmetto is also combined with seven other herbs to create a formula called PC-SPES, which stands for "prostate cancer -- hope." This formula contains saw palmetto, licorice, Chinese skullcap, reishi, Asian ginseng, denodrantherm, isatis and rabdosia, according to the University of Michigan Health System. Several preliminary clinical trials have found that taking PC-SPES can decrease blood levels of prostate-specific antigen, or "PSA," which is an indicator of prostate cancer progression in men. Taking PC-SPES can produce several serious side effects, including effects related to estrogen excess, blood clots and excessive bleeding when taken with blood-thinning medications, warns the University of Michigan. You should take PC-SPES only under the close supervision of a doctor.
Milk Thistle
Laboratory tests have shown that milk thistle can stop prostate cancer cells from growing, says the University of Maryland Medical Center. Milk thistle's active component is silymarin, which may help to prevent a recurrence of prostate cancer after surgery. Studies have found that combining silymarin with antioxidants, soy, isoflavones and lycopene can produce this benefit, according to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. An animal study has indicated that taking milk thistle may help to protect the kidneys from damage caused by the chemotherapy drug cisplatin, the University of Pittsburgh adds.
Shiitake
Shiitake mushrooms contain the carbohydrate lentinan, which may help to fight prostate cancer. Several clinical trails have studied the effects of injecting lentinan from shiitake extracts into cancer patients, and the results have been positive, according to the University of Michigan Health System. Lentinan injections have shown beneficial effects on cancer patients' immune systems and increased survival rates in patients with prostate cancer. "It is unknown whether consumption of shiitake mushrooms or lentinan supplements would have the same effects reported in studies using injectable lentinan," the University of Michigan points out. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center also points to preliminary clinical trials that have found that shiitake mushroom may enhance standard cancer therapies' effectiveness and stimulate the immune system.
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