Supplement
Facts / Ingredients
Prosta
Pep
is the leading formula available specially made by
Strictly Health Corporation and available only here. We've
listed the All-Natural ingredients below to help you understand
how Prosta Pep works.
What
causes ?
Hormonal changes that take place as men
age are responsible for BPH and an understanding of these
changes and how they affect the prostate gland will help
to explain why Saw Palmetto is so effective at relieving
BPH. As men age, levels of testosterone decrease, but levels
of some other hormones actually increase. The hormones that
increase are FSH, LH, estrogen, and prolactin. One other
culprit, an enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase, which converts
testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is increased as
well. Though levels of testosterone drop, the testosterone
that is present begins to concentrate in the prostate gland--inefficient
removal of the testosterone combined with increasing levels
of 5-alpha-reductase results in inordinately high levels
of DHT, a much more potent hormone than its precursor. This
in turn causes the prostate gland to swell. Estrogen seems
to inhibit the removal of DHT, complicating the situation
further, and prolactin is known to be an aggravating factor
as well.
Saw Palmetto has
a track record in reducing the severity of BPH (swollen
prostate) in mild to moderate cases that is better than
finasteride, the most commonly prescribed medication for
BPH in the US. 1 Why? Finasteride is a specific 5-alpha-reductase
inhibitor. While Saw Palmetto is not nearly as strong a
5-alpha-reductase inhibitor as finasteride, its multiplicity
of actions makes it more effective than finasteride in mild
to moderate BPH - this seems to be typical of herbal medicines.
Saw Palmetto appears to reduce prostate inflammation and
swelling through at least 10 different mechanisms:
- inhibition of 5-alpha-reductase
- inhibition of DHT binding to androgen
receptors
- slowing of nuclear and cystol androgen
receptors
- inhibition of 17beta-hydroxysteroid
dehydrogenase
- anti-estrogenic activity
- reduction of growth-factor-induced prostatic
growth
- reduction of prolactin-induced prostatic
growth
- general anti-inflammatory activity
- spasmolytic effect on smooth muscle
- general reduction of edema
In Germany and Austria, Saw Palmetto is
a first-line treatment for BPH, where it is far out-prescribed
over finasteride. Saw Palmetto is MUCH cheaper than finasteride.
1-2 weeks of Saw Palmetto supplementation should reveal
whether or not it will be effective for you (some people
notice results within days); if it works, plan on taking
it regularly.
Pygeum Africanum Bark Extract:
The powdered bark of Pygeum Africanum was first used as
a tea for relief of urinary disorders in African herbal
medicine. The success of these traditional medicines led
to the development of the fat-soluable extract used today.
The fat soluble extract of pygeum bark
has three categories of active properties:
- Phytosterols, which have an anti-inflammatory
effects by retarding the formation of prostaglandin that
tend to build up in the prostate of men with (BPH);
- Pentacyclic terpenes have a decongesting,
effect;
- Ferulic esters indirectly limit testosterone
activity in the prostate, which may reduce the risk of
BPH. 11
While these effects have been shown in test tube studies,
human studies are still needed to confirm these effects
in the body. Pygeum alone has been shown in some double-blind
trials to help men with BPH by improving urinary flow
and other symptoms of BPH. 12, 13,17,19,23 It has also
been used successfully in combination with nettle root
to treat BPH. 14
Also, dramatically, the active ingredients
in Pygeum Africanum have recently been shown to have an
anti-mitogenic effect on prostate cancer cells in the lab;
i.e. Slowing their replication. The report's conclusion
was that:
The ethanolic P. africanum extracts
have an antimitogenic effect on prostate cancer cells and
benign prostatic hyperplasia epithelial cells. Such effect
is associated with the inhibition of the mitogenic action
of EGF, and it is accompanied by a decrease of cells entering
the S Phase of the cell cycle.
However, we strongly caution that this
was a lab (in vitro) experiment and double-blind placebo
studies have NOT been done on the ability of Pygeum Africanum
to stop the progress of cancer cells in humans (double-blind
in vivo). It does, however, raise exciting possibilities
that warrant further investigation by the scientific community.
The accepted form of pygeum used in Europe
for treatment of BPH is a fat soluble extract standardized
to 13% total sterols (typically calculated as beta-sitosterol).
15
Pumpkin Seed Oil:
Beginning with Native Americans through
to the present, pumpkin flesh and seeds have been used for
the treatment of intestinal infections and kidney problems
and more recently urinary tract problems and gastritis.
However, these were done under the auspices of traditional
medicine and it has only been recently that scientific analysis
and double-blind placebo studies have been conducted or
initiated.
Pumpkin Seed's active ingredients include
essential fatty acids, amino acids, beta-sitosterol, vitamins
and minerals.
In conjunction with saw palmetto, pumpkin
seed oil has effectively reduced BPH symptoms. 37,38,39
On its own, the studies are less prevalent and more research
needs to be done. However, the analysis and studies down
so far have been positive. 40,41,42,43
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