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Prostatitis

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Natural Therapies

Herbs and Supplements to Be Used With Caution

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Prostatitis is swelling of the prostate gland. It can lead to frequent urination, pain when urinating, and low back pain.

It is treated with medicine and home care. Natural treatments have been used to ease symptoms. They should not be used in place of standard care.

Natural Therapies

Likely Effective

Pollen extract comes from flowers or grass. It is likely to ease swelling. ( Note : rash and throat irritation may happen.)B1, B5

Other therapies that are likely to ease symptoms are:

AcupunctureA1-A5
Shockwave therapy C1

May Be Effective

These herbs and supplements may provide benefit:

Qian lie is a Chinese herbal formula that may ease pain and improve quality of life.B7
QuercetinB9
Traditional Chinese herbal medicineB2, B4, B6, B9
Zinc is an essential nutrient found in meat, dairy, and nuts. It may help ease swelling.B3

Other therapies that may provide benefit are:

BiofeedbackB9
Prostatic massage B9

Editorial process and description of evidence categories can be found at EBSCO NAT Editorial Process.

Herbs and Supplements to Be Used With Caution

Talk to your doctor about any supplements or therapy you would like to use. Some can interfere with treatment or make conditions worse, such as:

Toxicities and side effects of Chinese herbs vary depending on the herb and amount used.
Pollen extract can cause rash and throat irritation.

References►

Acupuncture

A1. Qin Z, Wu J, et al. Network Meta-Analysis of the Efficacy of Acupuncture, Alpha-blockers and Antibiotic on Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome. Sci Rep. 2016;6:35737.

A2. Franco JV, Turk T, et al. Non-pharmacological interventions for treating chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;5:CD012551

A3. Liu BP, Wang YT, et al. Effect of acupuncture on clinical symptoms and laboratory indicators for chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int Urol Nephrol. 2016 Dec;48(12):1977-1991.

A4. Chang SC, Hsu CH, et al. The efficacy of acupuncture in managing patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome: A systemic review and meta-analysis. Neurourol Urodyn. 2017 Feb;36(2):474-481.

A5. Posadzki P, Zhang J, et al. Acupuncture for chronic nonbacterial prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome: a systematic review. J Androl. 2012 Jan-Feb;33(1):15-21.

Herbs and Supplements

B1. Wagenlehner FM, Schneider H, et al. A pollen extract (Cernilton) in patients with inflammatory chronic prostatitis-chronic pelvic pain syndrome: a multicenter, randomised, prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study. Eur Urol. 2009;56(3):544-551.

B2. Li XD, Shao HL, et al. [Efficacy of compound xuanju capsule on type-III prostatitis-related sexual dysfunction]. Zhonghua Nan Ke Xue. 2012;18(7):665-668.

B3. Goodarzi D, Cyrus A, et al. The efficacy of zinc for treatment of chronic prostatitis. Acta Med Indones. 2013;45(4):259-264.

B4. Xia YG, Zeng WT, et al. [Yuleshu oral mixture combined with conventional therapy chronic prostatitis]. Zhonghua Nan Ke Xue. 2014;20(2):177-180.

B5. Cai T, Verze P, et al. The role of flower pollen extract in managing patients affected by chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome: a comprehensive analysis of all published clinical trials. BMC Urol. 2017;17(1):32.

B6. Jin C, Chen Z, et al. Meta-analysis of the efficacy of Ningmitai capsule on the treatment of chronic prostatitis in China. Medicine (Baltimore). 2018;97(33):e11840.

B7. Hui-Juan C, Shi-Bing L, et al. Qian lie an suppository (prostant) for chronic prostatitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Medicine (Baltimore). 2019 Apr;98(14):e15072.

B8. Cohen JM, Fagin AP, et al. Therapeutic intervention for chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS): a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2012;7(8):e41941.

B9. Chen JX, Hu LS. Traditional chinese medicine for the treatment of chronic prostatitis in China: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Altern Complement Med. 2006 Oct;12(8):763-769.

Shockwave Therapy

C1. Franco JV, Turk T, et al. Non-pharmacological interventions for treating chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;5:CD012551.

Last reviewed November 2019 by EBSCO NAT Review Board Eric Hurwitz, DC
Last Updated: 6/15/2020

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