BPH doesn’t normally affect men before age forty, but more than half of men in their sixties and as many as 90 percent in their seventies and eighties will have some form of benign prostatic hyperplasia. The actual cause of BPH is still under review, but the consensus now is that the levels of two hormones are responsible.

Both of these hormones are produced in the testes namely, testosterone and estrogen whose levels rise in men as they age. Testosterone is converted into dihydrotestosterone or DHT. This rise in levels of these two hormones results in a non-cancerous growth (hyperplasia) of prostate cells.

As the gland gets bigger, the urethra which runs through the middle of the donut shaped prostate, is slowly gripped – a bit like putting a clamp on a hose pipe- causing difficulties with the flow of urine. Eventually, the bladder will contract and weaken, and lose its ability to empty itself which is the cause of many BPH associated problems.

Saw Palmetto has been used as an effective natural supplement as part of an enlarged prostate treatment program for many years now with excellent results, but the rediscovery of epilobium extracts is once again putting this willow herb under the spotlight. Recent scientific studies have shown that epilobium is a far more powerful treatment than saw palmetto resulting in a huge demand for the herb in America.

Its many traditional uses are listed below:

- Antibacterial
- Anti-inflammatory
- Antimicrobial
- Antioxidant
- Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)
- Bladder Health Maintenance
- Cellular Regeneration
- Cleansing
- Detoxification
- Hormonal Imbalances
- Male Health Maintenance
- Prostate Health Maintenance
- Urinary System Problems

In Europe, epilobium is fused into a rather pleasant tasting tea and drunk with no known side effects or drug interactions. So if you are proactive with your prostate health and believe that prevention is better than cure then you may want to take a look at the epilobium family of plants.