Crinum - Hope prostate and Ovarian sufferers.

Although this article can be found on many sites, I thought it may be of some interest to those who visit here. I would personally try this herb.

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Crinum Latifolium: Traditional Vietnamese Herb Shows Great Promise for Prostate & Ovarian Health
By Dr. Robert J. Rowen, M.D
Traditional Vietnamese Herb
One of Vietnam's most potent and effective medicinal herbs for prostate and ovarian health, Crinum Latifolium, has recently come into the spotlight. Used traditionally for longevity, Crinum was so revered in Vietnam, that it was reserved only for royalty, commonly referred to as the "Medicine for the King's Palace" and the "Royal Female Herb." These traditional nicknames highlight one of Crinum's most unique aspects - its ability to target both prostate and ovarian health conditions. As clinicians well know, it is quite unusual for an herb to be effective for both men and women's health conditions, but Crinum appears to be effective for both. Crinum's benefits have also been reported to extend beyond prostate and ovarian health.

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
Crinum has been shown to alleviate the symptoms of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) (enlarged prostate). BPH is one of the most common male health conditions, the main symptom of which is frequent and sometimes painful urination. There are over 500 successful case histories using Crinum for BPH. After seven years of research, the International Hospital in Vietnam reported that 92.6 percent of BPH patients had good results using Crinum (confirmed by measurements of prostate size and clinical evaluations by urologists).1 The doctors used the extract for 21 day cycles, with 7 days off in between cycles. They reported no side effects and no lethal level in animals (meaning incredible safety).

In a Vietnamese study, 158 BPH patients were given a Crinum-based herbal preparation two times per day. After 64 days, patients were evaluated by clinical and ultrasound examinations. Researchers found that prostate size returned to normal in 154 patients (97%). A three-year follow up confirmed a high rate of long-term success for those patients who completed therapy.2

In a recent report from the Vietnamese Central State News Agency (September 2005): Crinum Latifolium extract has a very good therapeutic effect on benign hyperthrophy of prostate (BHP), the National institute of Traditional Medicine, the Institute of traditional Medicine of Ho Chi Minh City, and the Institute of Aging Disorders Hanoi tested Crinum in a large number of patients (627 patients) with BHP. The results have shown a 33-93% reduction in urinary symptoms. 90% of the tested patients achieved a reduction in prostate size. Among them a significant number of patients achieved a normalization of prostate size and urinary health after three months of therapy. There were no significant adverse reactions.3

CASE HISTORIES
Case History 1:
Some patients find that their PSA levels drop on Crinum. One such case involved a 58-year-old man who had a starting PSA level of 93. He had waited so long to go to the urologist that his cancer had already spread to his bones, intestines, and lymph nodes. He was placed on an aggressive herbal protocol that included Crinum. After only four mouths, his PSA level was down to .9 and his symptoms of difficult urination, swelling in his legs, and extreme fatigue, had all completely resolved.

Case History 2:
A 52-year-old male patient who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1999, with a PSA level of 40, and cancer confirmed by biopsy. He was just about to have surgery, anti-hormone therapy and radiation, when he heard about a Crinum formula from a family member. His symptoms included frequent night-time urination and difficult and painful urination during the day. After only five days on the Crimea formula, he began to notice improvement, and continued to improve each day. He also began to sleep better. After three years of continued improvement on Crinum, he went back to his urologist and had a biopsy, which came back completely normal and free of cancer cells. Interestingly, during the three-year period his PSA level had fallen from 40 to 12, but also had risen back up to 20 - all the while feeling great and symptom free. The above case histories are just some of the many written testimonials that I have received regarding the use of Crinum. Most of my personal patients using Crinum have experienced a significant reduction in frequent nighttime urination.

The Hoang Family of Doctors
Although most of the research available on Crinum focuses on the prostate gland and men's health, much of the early research using Crinum for ovarian cysts was published by the Hoang family of medical doctors. The Hoang family is made up of three generations of progressive Vietnamese physicians who have shared their research with each other and worked together to move the uses of Vietnamese and Chinese herbs to a new and innovative level in modem alternative medicine. Dr. Kim Hoang was the grandson of the Chief Teacher for the Vietnamese royal family and was responsible for making Crinum a "national treasure" for prostate and ovarian health. In 1984, Dr. Hoang's daughter had so many ovarian cysts that she was scheduled for surgery. But instead, Dr. Huang put her on a Crinum tea protocol, and six weeks later, her cysts were gone. In all, the Hoang family of doctors have used Crinum combined with other herbs to successfully treat well over one hundred patients with varying stages of prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, ovarian cysts, and bladder cancer, and to date have reported a success rate of almost 70%.4 Biopsies have confirmed sixteen cases of advanced-stage prostate cancer resolved, regardless of Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) levels, In fact, the Hoang family reports that sometimes patients' PSA levels actually rise when taking Crinum, even though their biopsies show normal, healthy prostate cells. This is exactly what happened to Ken Malik, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Prostate Awareness Foundation, a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization that offers support, information, and resources for prostate cancer patients.

Ken's Story
In his own personal battle with prostate cancer, Ken Malik decided to take the natural approach opting for nutritional protocols and lifestyle modification. He had been using the herbal supplement PC Specs for eight years and found that it stabilized his condition. PC Specs had been marketed as an all-natural herbal formula, and had shown remarkable results for prostate conditions. But recently, it was pulled from the mar­ket after researchers found that certain PC Specs products actually contained synthetic and potentially harmful sub-lances. Ken was one of thousands of men worldwide who were negatively affected when PC Specs was pulled off the market. After discontinuing the product, Ken's PSA levels slowly be­gan to rise, so he began his search for a replacement. This is when he found Crinum.


Ken started taking Crinum, along with a number of other supplements, in Jan­uary of 2002, and over the course of ten months, his PSA levels continued to rise, however his biopsies showed his prostate to be completely free of cancer cells. (Ken's rise in PSA levels coupled with normal biopsies is just one more report that adds possible credibility to recent claims that PSA testing may not be an accurate assessment tool for diagnosing prostate cancer)


Ken was so excited about his personal results with Crinum that he organized an informal trial with ten members of The Prostate Awareness Foundation. Participants took a proprietary Crinum formula daily for three months, and all ten reported some level of func­tional improvement. (To view a recap of this informal trial go to: www.prostateawarenessfoundation.org)


The Prostate Awareness Foundation (PAF) is a 501(c)(3) educational foundation that provides men and their fam­ilies with non-biased, patient-driven information on prostate health issues and treatment options. The foundation places an emphasis on lifestyle chang­es, diet and supplements as preventative measures. They also provide free-of-charge consultations, a support group program, monthly bulletins and a men­tor program, PAF recommends an inte­grative approach to prostate problems using the best from both conventional and alternative medicine and encourag­es men to take proactive responsibility for their health and healing.



Crinum for Women
There is much less data available on the use of Crinum for women's health con­ditions. However, as Crinum becomes more popular, new data is emerging. Below are some very promising case histories from prominent doctors on the use of Crinum for polycystic ovarian disease.



Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome


Dr. Thomas Dorman, M.D.
Case History: Dr. Dorman recently had a female patient with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Her symptoms in­cluded irregular periods, decreased sex drive, weight gain, and excessive facial hair (from excess male hormones, con­firmed by a laboratory), all of which are quite common in PCOS. After only two months on a Crinum formula, as a single intervention, her menstruation and weight normalized, her facial hair diminished, and her sex drive returned. There has now been nine months fol­low-up without a deterioration in this regard.

Dr. Abram Ber, MD
"I have shared this case history to confirm the efficacy of Crinum Latifolium. I have found it to be universally effective for several other patients with ovarian cysts." – Dr. Abram Ber, MD.

Case History: C.G. is a 39-year-old woman who has polycystic ovaries as a part of the complex Syndrome X. She developed menontagia and her gyne­cologist referred her for a pelvic sonogram on 4/26/05. She subsequently had a visit in my office and I prescribed Crinum Latifolium 3 caps tid. She began to take the Crinum capsules over the Memorial Day weekend and felt twitches in the area of her right ovary. 3-4 days later, she had a fever of 103, which lasted for three days. During these days she was anorexic. After the fever, she was ten pounds lighter, This weight loss was very welcome and the weight was not regained. On June 16, 2005, a repeat pelvic ultrasound showed a complete resolution of the previously described complex cyst. She now feels wonderful and relieved of all symptoms pertaining to the cyst.


Dr. Graeme Shaw, M.D.
Case History: A 52-year-old woman in perimenopause was evaluated by her gynecologist for heavy periods and was diagnosed by pelvic ultrasound as having a uterine fibroid minor and mul­tiple bilaterial cysts. Her gynecologist suggested ovarian surgery, but she re­quested a trial on natural supplements and was placed on a Crinum compound (3 caps 2x per day), Seven weeks later, she had a repeat pelvic ultrasound and there was no evidence of any cysts, and her surgery was cancelled.

Speculations About Mechanism
The Crinum plant is a large tropical plant with lily-like flowers that is found in the tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world. Phytochemical analysis has recently yielded a vast ar­ray of compounds, including more than 150 different alkaloids of the Amaryl­lidaceae type, whose most noted effects are analgesic, anticholinergic, antitu­mour and antiviral.5 While numerous successful case studies exist, research­ers are still not sure exactly how Crinum works. Some researchers believe it may enhance the cellular communication that is responsible for maintaining the balance between cellular proliferation and apoptosis. Without this check and balance system, unhealthy cells may be left to proliferate. Recent research has shown that Crinum encourages cells to produce a substance called neopterin, which is responsible for communicat­ing with immune cells - calling them into actionagainst foreign invaders and unhealthy or proliferative cells. This suggests that Crinum may not only be valuable for prostate and ovarian con­ditions, but may also be beneficial for other conditions in which unhealthy; proliferative cells are involved. Crinum has been shown to be a strong immune stimulant based on the research of Drs. Nguyen Ngoc Tram, Do Tat Loi, D. Fuchs (Austria), Dr. Popov and Zve­kova (Bulgaria).6

Crinum Offers Protection
Another potentially valuable benefit of Crinum is that it may be used as a preventative agent, offering protection against prostate and ovarian conditions before they start.


References:
Reference to be obtained from Katy Wright at Health Science Newsletter.

Reference to be obtained from Rob Rowan.

Clinton Latifolium extract has a my good therapeutic effect on benign hyperthrophy of prostate (BHP). Vietnamese central state news agency September 22, 2005, @ www.vietnamnet.vn

Personal communication with Hoang family.

Fennell CW, van Staden J. Crinum species in traditional and modem medicine. J Ethnophar­insical. 2001 Nov;78(1):15-26.

Zvetkova E, Wirleituer B.Tram NT, Schen­nach H, Fuchs D. Aqueous extracts of Crinum Latifolium (L.) and Camellia sinensis show immunomodulatory properties in human periph­eral blood mononuclear cells. Int Immunopharmocol 2001, Nov;1(12):2143-50)