Plant Extracts For Prostate Health.

with Sylvie Beljanski, John Hall, Ph.D.

A Summary of Preclinical and Clinical Research

Another restless night. It’s four o’ clock in the morning, and you’re up for the fourth time to urinate—or rather, to try to urinate. If the urgency was great enough to get you out of bed, then why is it so hard to go now that you’re in the bathroom? Back to bed you go—only to be once again roused from slumber by phantom calls of nature.

Sound familiar? The prostate, a walnut-sized gland that produces the prostatic fluid of semen, is the source of these symptoms. More and more men are struggling through the increased urination urgency, declining sex drive, and other problems associated with poor prostate health.

Unfortunately, most men neglect their prostate health and some even ignore symptoms for as long as possible, usually until they are well into their 50s. The prostate’s location—in a man’s pelvis, just below the bladder, where it surrounds the urethra—is a sensitive spot, leading men to states of denial and avoidance. The dreaded prostate exam, which every man should have annually after they turn 50 (40 for African-Americans and those with a family history of prostate cancer), is only preventive if it’s performed—but many men avoid it at all costs.

Like anything else, early prostate detection of prostate problems is critical, and delay only exacerbates the three main areas of concern that men are increasingly facing:

• BPH: In benign prostatic hyperplasia, the prostate swells—placing pressure on the urethra that leads to frequent, difficult urination

• Prostatitis: In prostatitis, the prostate can become inflamed and painful, which can interfere with urination and cause pelvic and lower back pain.

• Cancer: When cells in the prostate divide abnormally, they can grow into a tumor which may spread. The causes behind this growth are unknown.

Modern technology has extended our lives, but let’s face it: the prostate simply wasn’t designed for the long haul. A tricky gland, the prostate is susceptible to infection and age-related disorders, like  prostatitis and BPH. Prostate cancer, the most common cancer among men, is the worst-case scenario—and it can be deadly.

Prostate cancer is projected to strike over 218,000 men in
2007, with over 27,000 terminal prostate cancer cases. While usually associated with men over 50, distressing recent reports indicate that some kinds of prostate cancer are occurring in younger men—suggesting that the industrialized world’s increasing environmental carcinogens may be a possible cause.

At times prostate cancer is asymptomatic, but its main symptom is the difficult urination associated with other common age-related prostate conditions—making regular prostate exams and early detection all the more critical.

Side Effect Dilemma

Men’s general trepidation towards these regular prostate exams transforms to outright fear when it comes to conventional prostate cancer treatments. “Some of these well-known treatments  are associated with very negative side effects,” comments John Hall, Ph.D., the head biochemist of the New York-based supplements manufacturer Natural Source International, Ltd. “Options like hormonal therapy, surgery, and chemotherapy can all have devastating side effects.”

Without alternate recourse, men facing prostate problems have followed a long one-way road of prostate exam avoidance and prostate disease denial. All signs indicate that this one-way road leads to a dead end: conventional treatments, serious side effects, and terminal prostate cancer.

A Natural Solution to Maintaining Prostate Health

Mounting evidence suggests that prostate health can be promoted, naturally—and as a result, men can live longer. A new era of prostate health is dawning, based on scientific research that started over 20 years ago in France. This approach led to the discovery of natural extracts that deliver effective prostate support without toxicity or side effects—and American men, particularly those with prostate concerns, are eager to learn more about it.

Based on the research and discoveries of the legendary Dr. Mirko Beljanski (Pasteur Institute, France), Natural Source International’s Prostabel®—an innovative blend of
PaoPereira and Rauwolfia extracts—is emerging  in well-designed clinical trials as a natural solution to maintaining prostate health.

Recent preclinical research at Columbia University Medical Center has demonstrated that these extracts have interesting properties: they inhibit the growth of cancer cells and they shrink tumors in animals.  They have been used for decades in France—sometimes alone, sometimes in conjunction with conventional approaches.

Part of the Beljanski® Products natural supplements line, Prostabelâis backed by considerable scientific research in the laboratory and the clinic and by an excellent safety record, factors that should inspire confidence in any man who is hesitant to try an alternative approach to maintaining prostate health.

Promising Results

The Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test is one of several assays used to evaluate prostate health.  Men with elevated levels of PSA that are trending upward are more likely to have prostate cancer. An agent that helps support healthy PSA levels would be vitally important.  Dr. Aaron E. Katz, the esteemed Associate Professor of Holistic Clinical Urology at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, is currently conducting research on Prostabel® and PSA levels—research that is yielding extremely promising preliminary results.

 “Phase 1 clinical trials are now underway at Columbia University,” comments Sylvie Beljanski, CEO of Natural Source International and the daughter of the famed scientist behind the product line. “These quality studies conducted by doctors will add to the extensive experience of French men  showing that our extracts are safe and beneficial.” As Beljanski’s Prostabel® comes to prominence in the U.S., its potential health impact expands to support even more areas of well-being. “One of the things that we can’t yet quantify,” says Hall, “We get reports from men taking Prostabel® that say they simply feel better; some even enjoy enhanced sexual function.”

The PaoPereira and Rauwolfia extract blend of Prostabel® is also available in Ladybel®, a Beljanski product designed to address the health concerns of women.  “Since my father’s research focused on DNA structure,” says Beljanski, “the solutions he developed were not gene or gender specific.  However, LadyBel® has been designed with the specific needs of mature women in mind.  We are planning new studies to further document the benefits of this great product.”

SYLVIE BELJANSKI was born in New York City to French parents while her father, biochemist Mirko Beljanski, PhD, conducted research work with Nobel Prize Winner Severo Ochoa at the New York University Medical Center’s Bellevue Hospital. As her parents joined the Pasteur Institute in Paris, Ms. Beljanski returned to France with her family prior to her first birthday. She was raised and educated in Paris, when she completed her undergraduate studies at the Sorbonne.  She then went on to pursue a law degree and was admitted to the French Bar in 1995.

JOHN HALL, PhD, did his undergraduate work at Columbia University (organic chemistry) and at Sarah Lawrence College (BA, Philosophy).  He was a graduate fellow at Princeton University in the Department of Biochemical Sciences and completed his PhD at New York University in the Department of Biochemistry.

Natural Source International, Inc. can be reached directly at