Herbs & Supplements:
Grass Pollen Extract
Principal Proposed Uses
•
Prostate Enlargement (BPH)
Other Proposed Uses
•
Prostate Cancer, Prostatitis, Lowering Blood Lipids and Cholesterol
Like the more famous saw palmetto, grass pollen extract is used to treat prostate enlargement (BPH). The grasses used for this preparation are 92% rye, 5% timothy, and 3% corn.1 Grass pollen has also been investigated for its potential to treat prostatitis and prostate cancer, and for reducing cholesterol.
Related grass pollen extracts are used for allergy shots. The grass pollen extracts described here have their allergenic component removed, and so can't possibly work to treat hay fever (see Safety Issues below). Grass pollen is also an entirely different product than bee pollen.
Sources
Grass pollen extract tablets for prostate disease are available in pharmacies and health food stores or can be ordered from a number of sources on the Internet.
Therapeutic Dosages
The recommended dosage for grass pollen extract tablets is between 80 and 120 mg per day.2
Therapeutic Uses
Two double-blind placebo-controlled studies tell us that grass pollen extract can help reduce symptoms of prostate enlargement (see What is the Scientific Evidence for Grass Pollen Extract below).3,4 Technically called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), this common problem of middle-aged and older men can result in difficulties with urination, ranging in severity from inconvenient to life-threatening, in the absence of treatment.
Grass pollen has also been investigated for its usefulness in treating prostatitis (inflammation or infection of the prostate) and prostatodynia (pain in the prostate with an unknown cause),5,6,7 prostate cancer,8,9,10 and high cholesterol.11 Animal studies also suggest that it may protect the liver from damage by some types of poisons.12 However, the scientific evidence for all of these proposed uses is weak to nonexistent.
What Is the Scientific Evidence for Grass Pollen Extract?
Two double-blind placebo-controlled studies found that grass pollen extract can improve symptoms of prostate enlargement. There have also been open studies that compared grass pollen to different treatments for BPH.
In the first double-blind placebo-controlled study, 103 BPH sufferers were assigned to take either placebo or 2 capsules of a standardized grass pollen extract 3 times daily for a period of 12 weeks.13 At the end of the study, 69% of the participants who had been taking the grass pollen had reduced the number of trips they had to make to the bathroom at night. In the placebo group, only 37% reported improvement in this symptom. The amount of urine remaining in the bladder following urination was reduced in the treatment group by 24 ml and by 4 ml for the placebo group. Both of these were statistically significant improvements for those taking grass pollen.
The second double-blind placebo-controlled study lasted longer but enrolled fewer participants.14 Fifty-seven men with prostate enlargement were enrolled in the study, with 31 taking 92 mg of the grass pollen extract daily for 6 months and the remaining 26 taking placebo. As with the previous study, statistically significant improvements in nighttime frequency of urination and emptying of the bladder were found with use of grass pollen extract. Additionally, 69% of the participants receiving treatment reported overall improvement, while only 29% of the group taking the placebo felt they had improved—another statistically significant difference.
An important finding in this study was that the prostates of the men taking grass pollen significantly decreased in size according to ultrasound measurements taken. Not all treatments for BPH can reduce prostate size. It may be that treatments, which shrink the prostate, can reduce the need for surgery—such is the case, at least, with the prescription drug finasteride. Whether grass pollen offers this same potential benefit is not yet known.
Two additional studies compared grass pollen to other alternative treatments for prostate enlargement, rather than to placebo.15,16 An unblinded study pitted grass pollen against pygeum.17 Although pygeum is considered a more established treatment for prostate enlargement, grass pollen appeared to work better. The pollen extract was found to be significantly more effective in improving the flow of urine, emptying of the bladder, and the participants' perceptions of relief. Those in the grass pollen group also had a significant reduction in prostate size while there was no reduction of size in the pygeum group. It appears from this that grass pollen is a more effective treatment than pygeum, but since the study was not blinded, the results are somewhat questionable.
A double-blind comparison study pitted grass pollen against an amino acid preparation and found no significant difference between the two.18 Unfortunately, since we don't know how well the amino acid medication works, the result has little meaning.
A number of animal and uncontrolled studies of grass pollen's effects on prostate enlargement and its symptoms also found it to be helpful, but such uncontrolled studies prove little.19–27
No one is certain how the grass pollen extract causes the beneficial results seen in the studies. One theory is that it inhibits the body's manufacturing of prostaglandins and leukotrienes, which might relieve congestion and act as an anti-inflammatory.28 This, however, probably would not explain the reduction in prostate size, meaning that there may be more than one mechanism at work.
Safety Issues
No serious side effects have been reported with the use of grass pollen extract. No adverse reactions were observed in any of the clinical trials discussed above, although one review author mentioned rare reports of stomach upset and skin rash.29
Although many people are allergic to grass pollen, the grass pollen products discussed in this article are processed to remove allergenic proteins.30 For this reason, it is unlikely that grass-allergic individuals will have an allergic reaction.
Maximum safe doses for young children, pregnant or nursing women, or those with liver or kidney disease are not known.
View References
Last reviewed March 2002 by Medical Review Board
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