Urtica dioicafor Treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Purpose: To determine the effects of therapy with Urtica dioicafor symptomatic relief of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Material and Methods: A 6-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, partial crossover, comparative trial of Urtica dioicawith placebo in 620 patients was conducted. Patients were evaluated using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), the maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax), postvoid residual urine volume (PVR), Serum Pros-tatic-Specific Antigen (PSA), testosterone levels, and prostate size. At the end of the 6-month trial, unblinding revealed that patients who initially received the placebo were switched to Urtica dioica. Both groups continued the medication up to 18 months. Results: Five hundred fifty-eight patients (90%) completed the study (287/305, 91% in the Urtica dioicagroup, and 271/315, 86% in the placebo group). By intention-to-treat analysis, at the end of the 6-month trial, 232 (81%) of 287 patients in the Urtica dioicagroup reported improved LUTS compared with 43 (16%) of 271 patients in the placebo group (P< 0.001). Both IPSS and Qmax showed greater improvement with drugs than with placebo. The IPSS went from 19.8 down to 11.8 with Urtica dioica and from 19.2 to 17.7 with placebo (P= 0.002). Peak flow rates improved by 3.4 mL/s for placebo recipients and by 8.2 mL/s for treated patients (P< 0.05). In Urtica dioicagroup, PVR decreased from an initial value of 73 to 36 mL (P< 0.05). No appreciable change was seen in the placebo group. Serum PSA and testosterone levels were unchanged in both groups. A modest decrease in prostate size as measured by transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) was seen in Urtica dioicagroup (from 40.1 cc initially, to 36.3 cc; P< 0.001). There was no change in the prostate volume at the end of study with placebo. At 18-month follow-up, only patients who continued therapy, had a favorable treatment variables value. No side effects were identified in either group. Conclusion: In the present study, Urtica dioicahas beneficial effects in the treatment of symptomatic BPH. Further clinical trials should be conducted to confirm these results before concluding that Urtica dioicais effective.