Efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine for benign prostatic hyperplasia: systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Ma CH, Lin WL, Lui SL, Cai XY, Wong VT, Ziea E, Zhang ZJ · Asian Journal of Andrology · 2013 June 03

DOI 10.1038/aja.2012.173

Objective

To compare the efficacy and adverse events of Chinese herbal medicine alone or used adjuvantly with Western medications for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Conclusions

Chinese herbal medicine was superior to Western medication in improving quality of life and reducing prostate volume. The frequency of adverse events in Chinese herbal medicine was similar to that of placebo and less than that of Western medication.

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Insights

Chinese herbal medicine appears to be more effective than Western medication in improving quality of life and reducing prostate volume in benign prostatic hyperplasia patients.

The method utilized in this research involved the systematic review of randomized controlled trials from diverse electronic databases. These trials were focused on comparing Chinese herbal medicine, in standalone or supplementary use with Western medication, against placebo or solely Western medication. All trials reviewed pertained to benign prostatic hyperplasia. Outcomes measured included changes in patients' urological symptoms, urodynamic measures, prostate volume and the occurrence of adverse events. The analysis revealed that Chinese herbal medicine was superior to Western medicines in terms of improving patients' quality of life as well as reducing the size of the prostate. Furthermore, the occurrence and frequency of adverse events in patients treated with Chinese herbal medicines were found to be similar to those observed in placebo groups and lesser compared to groups treated with Western medication. However, due to the limited number of trials and their methodological quality, the evidence supporting the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine remains weak.