African Plum / Pygeum

Prunus africana (Pygeum) bark extract from Central and East African highland forests is one of the most clinically studied African plants in Western medicine — specifically for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and increasingly for prostate cancer. Multiple randomised controlled trials (Cochrane review, 2002) demonstrate Pygeum significantly reduces urinary symptoms and nocturia. Anti-cancer mechanisms include inhibition of 5-alpha reductase (reducing DHT conversion), inhibition of IGF-1 and EGF signalling, and direct anti-proliferative effects on LNCaP prostate cancer cells. Phytosterol ferulic acid esters, docosanol, and N-docosanol are the key active constituents. The bark has been so over-harvested for the European supplement market that Prunus africana is now listed as a vulnerable species.