Herbal nutraceutical treatment of chronic prostatitis–chronic pelvic pain syndrome: a literature review

Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) is the most frequent form of prostatitis, and has a serious impact on patients’ quality of life, and causes severe symptoms. The pain in the pelvic, perineal and penile areas, lower abdominal pain, and pain during urination or ejaculation are the main complaints of CP/CPPS. The underlying complex and unknown pathophysiology of this syndrome have made the management of CP/CPPS and the availability of monotherapy challenging. To identify an effective monotherapy, a plethora of clinical trials failed due to its puzzling etiology. Antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, and a-blockers have been commonly used for the treatment of CP/CPPS, but the desired and complete effects have not been gotten yet. The patients and clinicians are attracted to alternative therapies because of their multi-targeted effects. Attention toward natural compounds effectiveness and safety, supporting the development of a new nutraceutical science. In the alternative remedies for the treatment of prostatic diseases, medicinal herbs, in the form of herb parts or extracts, are getting attention due to their positive effects on prostatic diseases. At present, there is no available detailed literature review about the efficacy of medicinal herbs in the treatment of CP/CPPS. This review aimed to explore the useful medicinal herbs in the treatment of CP/CPPS from different perspectives and their possible mechanism of action in managing CP/CPPS.