Efficacy evaluation of Chinese herbal medicine, VGH-BPH1, for patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and crossover study
Tran DNH, Yeh HF, Huang WJ, Wu PW, Liao YJ, Hwang SJ, Kung YY, Yang JL, Wu TP, Hsu CH, Chen FP · Journal of the Chinese Medical Association · 2022 May
DOI 10.1097/JCMA.0000000000000717
Objective
To investigate whether the Chinese herbal medicine prescription VGH-BPH1 alleviates benign prostatic hyperplasia symptoms and improves quality of life when used as an add-on treatment.
Conclusions
VGH-BPH1 treatment did not outperform placebo in improving benign prostatic hyperplasia symptoms but improved several quality-of-life indicators, including joint pain and muscular ache.
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Insights
Chinese herbal medicine VGH-BPH1 alleviates joint pain, muscular ache and physical exhaustion, improving quality of life in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia.
A crossover, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was carried out. Patients with BPH were randomly divided into two groups: one group was given VGH-BPH1, while the other received a placebo for a duration of 8 weeks. Following this, a 2-week wash-out period occurred before switching the groups to the opposite treatment for another 8 weeks. As primary outcomes, the International Prostate Symptoms Score and Aging Male Symptoms Score were used to quantify any improvement in BPH and assess the patients' quality of life. Secondary outcomes were considered too, such as patients’ uroflowmetry results and postvoid residual urine volume.
Discussion of Results: Although the treatment with VGH-BPH1 did not draw any significant difference from the placebo in terms of ameliorating symptoms of BPH, it did lead to noticeable improvements in several aspects of life quality. Namely, patients noted reduction in joint pain and muscle aches, as well as less physical exhaustion. These findings suggest potential benefits in using VGH-BPH1 to treat BPH to enhance patient comfort and overall wellbeing.
