When going gets tough: 9 homeopathic remedies for enlarged prostate

Struggling with symptoms of an enlarged prostate? Homeopath David Needleman shares his top nine homeopathic remedies to ease pain and improve your flow

A condition I’m commonly consulted about as a homeopath is benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also known as an enlarged prostate. Hyperplasia is an increased number of cells, and benign means noncancerous.

Older age is a key risk factor—some 70 percent of men aged 70 or older have an enlarged prostate.¹ But dietary factors (like heavy alcohol or caffeine intake), certain medications, and obesity or diabetes can also increase the chances of BPH.²

Because an enlarged prostate can press on the bladder and urethra (the tube that transports urine from the bladder to the outside of the body), BPH can cause a long list of urinary symptoms. These include difficulty starting urination, dribbling at the end of urination, needing to urinate more frequently or urgently (especially at night), having a weak urine stream and feeling that your bladder is not fully empty.

Symptoms of BPH can overlap with those of prostate cancer (see below), and the two conditions can occur at the same time, so it’s vital to regularly get checked out by a doctor to rule this out.

Immediate medical treatment is not always needed for BPH; watchful waiting and lifestyle changes may be advised instead. But for moderate to severe symptoms, drugs like alpha-blockers and 5‑alpha-reductase inhibitors may be prescribed. These can come with a range of nasty side effects, from lack of energy and low blood pressure to loss of libido and sexual dysfunction.³

Fortunately, homeopathy can help with the symptoms of an enlarged prostate. When I started my NHS practice in 1995, my first two patients were both suffering from BPH and waiting for a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP—a surgical procedure recommended in severe cases when medications haven’t worked).

I prescribed the homeopathic remedy Sabal Serrulata, and 30 years later they still have not needed the operation.

The best way forward is early diagnosis followed by constitutional treatment with a qualified homeopath and the appropriate remedy for your particular symptom picture. Constitutional treatment requires a more intense evaluation of the patient and their symptoms, considering every detail of their individual health experience.

But here are my top nine homeopathic remedies for BPH. I often recommend them alongside the herbal remedy saw palmetto.

These remedies are intended for short-term use. Make sure you see a doctor or qualified health practitioner if your symptoms don’t resolve, or if they change or worsen.

Sabal Serrulata

This remedy is suitable if you have the following symptoms:

• A constant desire to pass water, especially at night
• Leaking with exercise, laughing or coughing
• Smarting or burning in the urethra (but it can also be painless)
• Sediment (creamy white) in the urine
• Heavy, achy pain and a sense of coldness in the bladder, extending to the genitals

Suggested dosage: 6C or 12C, raising the potency to 30C if necessary; start with a dose once a day and increase to twice a day if needed

Chimaphila

This remedy is suitable if you have the following symptoms:

• Foul-smelling urine that’s cloudy; has a thick, stringy consistency; or contains mucus and pus
• Straining before urination
• Urinary retention—when your bladder doesn’t fully empty when you urinate
• Pain, burning, stinging or itching when urinating
• Ability to urinate only with the body inclined forward and the feet apart (something many of my patients with BPH have reported).

Suggested dosage: 30C once a day, increasing to twice a day if needed; works well in conjunction with Sabal Serrulata

Conium

This remedy is suitable if you have the following symptoms:

• Interrupted urination (it stops and starts again, taking a long time to empty the bladder)
• Dribbling after urination
• Urine that feels hot
• Impotence

Suggested dosage: 200C potency is best, but 30C will also work; take one dose twice a day until symptoms are relieved

Calcarea Carbonica

This remedy, albeit not commonly used, is suitable if you have the following symptoms:

• Urine that’s dark, is brown or has a strong odor
• Blood or a white, milky sediment in the urine
• Polyps in the bladder
• Enuresis (involuntary urination) while sleeping or walking
• Increased sexual desire but problems with erections

Suggested dosage: Again, 200C is ideal, but 30C is fine, too; start with a dose once a day, increasing to twice a day if needed

Pulsatilla

This remedy is most often associated with women’s health issues, but it’s also useful for BPH with the following symptoms:

• Involuntary urination when lying down, laughing, coughing, sneezing, hearing a sudden noise, passing wind or sleeping
• The sensation of a stone in the bladder
• Poor or weak urine stream
• Interrupted urination

Suggested dosage: 30C three times a day

Baryta Carbonica

This remedy is suitable if you have the following symptoms:

• A frequent urge to urinate and difficulty retaining urine
• A burning sensation in the urethra while urinating
• Urine that’s dark brown and scanty
• Impotence

Suggested dosage: 30C three times a day

Staphisagria

This remedy is suitable if you have the following symptoms:

• A frequent urge to urinate
• Urinating in thin streams or drop by drop
• A burning sensation in the urethra while urinating
• Hemorrhoids
• Prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate)
• Suppressed anger and persistent sexual thoughts

Suggested dosage: 200C twice a day

Thuja

This remedy is suitable if you have the following symptoms:

• A scalding sensation when urinating
• Difficulty initiating urination—a feeling that the bladder is paralyzed
• Involuntary urination at night

Suggested dosage: 30C three times a day

Narayani Prostate Mix no. 93

This combination remedy covers all the issues with the prostate. Here’s a breakdown of what’s in it:

• Gunpowder, for infection
• KBS, a combination remedy that stands for “kidney, bladder, stones” and is used to treat various prostate issues
• Sabal Serrulata, for the various BPH symptoms mentioned under this remedy above
• Sarsaparilla, for pain associated with the kidneys and prostate

Suggested dosage: The remedies in this mix are all in 30C potency; take two pills six times a day, reducing to three times a day as symptoms improve.

Prostate cancer symptoms

Prostate cancer can cause symptoms similar to those seen in BPH, such as these:

• Needing to urinate more frequently, especially at night
• Needing to rush to the toilet
• Difficulty in starting to urinate
• Straining or taking a long time to urinate
• Weak urine stream
• Feeling that the bladder has not fully emptied

These are some additional symptoms of prostate cancer:

• Blood in the urine or semen
• Pain in the lower back, hips or pelvis
• Unexplained weight loss
• Feeling unusually tired or weak

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