Prostate problems are quite common and tend to increase with age. Prostate-related problems include prostate enlargement, incomplete urination, frequent urination at night, dribbling, inability to copulate, and loss of libido. While some may not consider loss of libido to be a major problem, the facts are that one study involving 918 men aged 45-59 at time of recruitment found that those with high orgasmic frequency had a 50% less mortality risk for problems like cardiovascular disease than those with low orgasmic frequency [1]. “The basic premise here is that you’ve got to have sex…To decrease your odds of contracting age-related illnesses, you should an average of twice per week... There are plenty of studies that show sex is a life-lengthening endeavor…A study out of Scotland reveals that people who have sex at least three times per week look 12 years younger than their out-of-action counterparts” [2].

“One of the most common prostate problems is BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia), basically a swollen prostate. The older you get, the more likely you’ll be dealing with this problem—especially if you do nothing about it. It’s a fact that over half of all 60-year-old men have BPH. By 85, the number is 90 percent” [3]. There are various theories on why prostates tend to enlarge and cause problems. Perhaps the most commonly accepted one is that as we age, the body often does not produce enough of an inhibitory enzyme to stop the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone. Several natural substances, though, have been found to help the body produce that enzyme inhibitor [i.e. 2-6].

Although in Germany most patients with BPH are treated with herbs, this is not the case in the US. “No matter what the question, the urologist’s answer is almost always surgery. Entirely too many men with BPH—an estimated 400,000—go under the knife each year, many of them needlessly…Of course that would be fine if the surgery worked. More often than not, the ‘cure’ is worse than the disease. Many prostate surgeries result in impotence and incontinence” [3]. "One study found that a year after the surgery, 41% of men had to wear diapers because of chronic leakage, and 88% were finished sexually, because of total impotence" [4].

Prosta-Power was not designed to be a prostate-cancer fighter. It is intended to provide nutritional support for men interested in natural ways that may improve the health of their prostate and sexual apparatus. Some women, with diminished libido or difficult to treat osteoporosis, may also find Prosta-Power to be of benefit.

African Pygeum “In France, Pygeum africanum extract (PAE) has become the primary course in the treatment of enlarged prostate. In contrast, surgery is the main treatment option in other Western countries…Pygeum is also therapeutic as an anti-inflammatory, to increase prostate secretions and to decrease certain hormones in the glandular area, which decreases the hypertrophy” [5]. One study found that Pygeum africanum resulted in an increase in acid phosphatase activity and total protein secretion, which led to improvement in the quality of the seminal fluid [6]. Another study found that in men with insufficient prostatic secretion, Pygeum africanum increased prostatic secretion [7]. Pygeum africanum extract has been found to protect the testes and seminal vesicles—it has also been found to protect the prostate from experimentally-induced adenomas [8].

Beta-sitosterol is naturally present in African pygeum [9], muira-puama [5], and saw palmetto [9]. “Beta-sisterol itself is used as a medicine in Europe for BPH” [9]. Interestingly, while three studies using non-purified beta-sisterols found that it tends to improve urinary output (and at the same time reducing mean residual urinary volume)., one study suggested that using purified beta-sisterol “did not help flow volume” [9]. One controlled study found that beta-sitosterol combined with saw palmetto reduced hair loss [10]. All the beta-sisterol in Prosta-Power is contained within Food, hence it is not synthetically ‘purified’!

Bovine prostate supplies prostate tissue. Bovine prostate tissue supplies prostate phosphatase [11 ]. Phosphatase has been found to improve the quality of seminal fluid. “The prostate gland secretes a thin, milky fluid…During {sexual} emission, the capsule of the prostate gland contracts simultaneously with the contractions of the vas deferens so that the thin milky fluid of the prostate gland adds further to the bulk of the semen” [12]. Prostate problems are quite common and increase with age. Bovine prostate has long been recommended for many of them such as nocturia (frequent urination at night), dribbling, loss of libido, and other aging processes [11 ]. Low-temperature dried bovine prostate tissue naturally contains a variety of prostate peptides and enzyme inhibitors. Scientists have sometimes correlated certain low levels of enzyme inhibitors levels with an enlarged prostate [13].

Bovine orchis supplies orchic (testicle) tissue. “The testes secrete several male sex hormones, which are collectively called androgens, including testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and androstenedione” [12]. Bovine orchic tissue combined with bovine prostate tissue has long been used for males with sterility problems—allegedly “It not only increases the sperm count, but normalizes the sperm cells” [14]. Bovine orchic tissue has also long been recommended for hyperirritability, depression, and lack of well being [15]. Orchic tissue is sometimes used as part of some cleanses for bile duct stones, bladder stones, gallstones, kidney stones, liver stones, ureter stones, and/or urethra stones [16].

Damiana, Turnera diffusa , is “used as an aphrodisiac and… treatment of sexual disorders” [17] “Turnera diffusa and Pfaffia paniculata fluid extracts…singly or in combination--improved the copulatory performance of sexually sluggish/impotent rats…These results seem to support the folk reputation of Turnera diffusa and Pfaffia paniculata as sexual stimulants”[18]. Suma itself (Pfaffia paniculata) has been shown to raise testosterone levels [19].

Flaxseed consumption has shown to reduce the proliferation rate of benign, and possibly malignant, prostate tissue [20]. Flaxseed consumption appears to also improve fertility [21].

Korean red ginseng contains substances that have been shown to help protect and shrink swollen prostates [22,23]. “Korean red ginseng (Panax ginseng) is a safe, widely available alternative remedy that improves patients' ability to achieve and maintain an erection sufficient for intercourse, even in a population with severe erectile dysfunction. It is a reasonable, nonprescription treatment, especially for men with reservations about taking sildenafil (Viagra)” [24]. These statements are partially-based on a study that concluded that Korean red ginseng was an effective alternative for treating male erectile dysfunction” [25].

Maca had been used to aid both male and female libido [5]. A recent animal study found that a related maca species reduced prostate hyperplasia (enlargement of the prostate) [26].

Muira-Puama is “used for the prevention of sexual disorders” [17]. It does contain beta-sitosterol [17], which can be helpful for the prostate [8]. It is often used “as a male aphrodisiac or treatment for impotence” [5].

“Saw palmetto extracts are effective in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia, reducing frequency of urination, increasing urinary flow, and decreasing nocturia. It is generally well-tolerated and may delay the need for prostate surgery” [5]. “Research has shown that saw palmetto can actually inhibit 90 percent of the transformation of testosterone to DHT, that powerful hormone thought to be responsible for the prostate enlargement” [3]. It seems to have role to reduce male pattern balding [10].

Selenium and Vitamin E are nutrients that have been shown to have protective effects on the prostate [9,27]. All the selenium, vitamin E, and zinc in Prosta-Power are part of various Foods and are not isolates or mineral salts.

Stinging Nettle Root is often used for complaints related to swollen prostates. “One study found that an aqueous extract of the root was most effective in treating benign prostatic hyperplasia” [17]. Stinging nettle, combined with saw palmetto has shown to help erectile dysfunction, ejaculation volume, and reduce headaches [28]. That combination has also been found to decrease “post-void dribbling” [3].

Turmeric contains curcumin which has been shown to have protective effects for the prostate [29].

“Zinc has a powerful effect on your potency and sex drive, as well as on the health of your prostate…in one recent study, 14 out of 19 patients who were treated with zinc for two months showed reduced enlargement of the prostate” [3]. Zinc can be a factor in alopecia as well [27].