Pygeum is a prostate-supportive supplement that can also reduce the risk of prostate cancer in high risk individuals. Some benefits include increased sperm quality, semen volume, male fertility, and general prostate health.
So what is Pygeum? Pygeum africanuum, also known as Prunus Africana, is an evergreen tree from southern Africa whose bark is widely used in the united states and Europe for prostate disorders. The active extract of pygeum is beta-sitosterol, a type of fatty acid, similar to that of saw palmetto.
Pygeum has 5 primary effects in men:
Pygeum inhibits 5-alpha reductase, an enzyme that converts testosterone to DHT or dihydroxytestosterone. Effectively decreasing the amount of DHT in the prostate – the hormone responsible for BPH, benign prostatic hyperplasia, development and progression. This is the same mechanism a class of prescription BPH medications.
Pygeum further decreases DHT by decreasing another signaling hormone, prolactin. Prolactin stimulates prostatic testosterone uptake. Therefore pygeum decreases the availability of the precursor hormone needed to form DHT, preventing abnormal prostatic growth.
Pygeum decreases inflammation and scarring of the prostate by decreasing two signaling molecules, leukotrienes and 5-lipoxygenases, which normally work to stimulate cells called fibroblasts to create scar tissue.
BPH is both a product of abnormal growth of the prostate and increased density of prostatic tissue secondary to increased fibroblast activity.
Pygeum significantly increases both volume and quality of prostatic and seminal gland secretions leading to more effective and copious semen. Pygeum does this by increasing both proteins and alkaline phosphatase in semen.
Alkaline phosphatase makes semen more basic or the opposite of acidic, augmenting its ability to buffer the acidic environment of the female vagina – giving sperm a more stable environment when emitted from the body. For these reasons, pygeum significantly increases male fertility.
Pygeum improves urination symptoms in men with BPH. A Cochrane meta-analysis review, the gold standard of research studies, showed pygeum modulates bladder contractility, allowing for a 25% improvement in both increasing urinary flow and decreasing bladder residual volume or amount of urine left in the bladder after urinating.
Pygeum also decreases nighttime urination by up to 20% in males.
Lab studies show significant induction of cancer cell death and blocking of signals within cancer cells to proliferate or multiply.
One study showed a 50% decrease of prostate cancer incidence with pygeum supplementation in mice – most likely via pygeum’s action of blocking androgen, or hormone, receptors on prostate cancer cells. Like BPH, prostate cancer usually begins as abnormal growth of prostate cells that is spurred on by elevated testosterone or local DHT levels.
This sounds almost too good to be true, there must be some side effects or downside to taking pygeum, right? The Cochrane review also looked to answer this question, finding few adverse effects, and determining that those that did occur were mild.
The two most reported side effects of Pygeum are nausea and abdominal pain, though Pygeum itself has never been directly linked to either effect and researchers do not think that it causes toxicity to any human organ when taken in recommended dosages.
The pygeum africanuum evergreen tree is an effective and safe supplement that addresses many male sexual and urinary health problems. It decreases abnormal growth and scarring of the prostate while decreasing prostate cancer risk and functions as a fertility booster while allowing for greater urinary control.
The increased semen volume from pygeum supplementation is significant in most men, that is why it is a leading ingredient in our flagship supplement for prostate health, sperm quality, and semen taste: Load Boost.
For more information on how you can keep your prostate healthy, check out our Saw Palmetto, Prostate, and other supplement videos.
✔️ References
1. Ejaculation Frequency and Risk of Prostate Cancer: Updated Results with an Additional Decade of Follow-up. doi: 10.1016/j.eururo.2016.03.027
2. National prevalence of urogenital pain and prostatitis-like symptoms in Australian men using the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptoms Index. doi: 10.1111/j.1464-410X.2009.08708.x
3. Prostatitis. The Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15319-prostatitis
