Pro-5X Mens Natural Prostate Health Supplement

Small Flowered Willow Herb

The name of the genus Epilobium is from the Greek words epi (upon) and lobos (a pod), from the fact that the flowers stand upon the top of long, thin, pod-like seed-vessels, having somewhat the appearance of rather thick flower-stems. In Ireland, we find it called 'Blooming Sally,' Sally being a corruption of the Latin Salix, the Willow, really a reference to the willow-like leaves. In America, it springs up on ground recently cleared by firing, being one of the plants called 'Fireweed'.
The roots and leaves have demulcent, tonic and astringent properties and are used in domestic medicine in decoction, infusion and cataplasm, as astringents. The root contains mucilage, tannin, starch, sugar, resin, and a crystalline calcium salt. The young shoots are boiled and eaten like asparagus.

Tradition and History of Hoary willowherb (Epilobium parviflorum.):

An infusion of the leaves will be found beneficial in leucorrhoea, menorrhagia, and uterine hemorrhage; and forms an excellent local application for ophthalmia, ulcerations of the mouth and throat, and leucorrhoea. The leaves in poultice are a valuable remedy for foul and indolent ulcers. It has been recommended for its antispasmodic properties in the treatment of whooping cough, hiccough and asthma. In ointment, it has been used locally as a remedy for infantile cutaneous affections.
Epilobium has never attained a place in the front rank as a medicine. That it has not attained prominence as a remedy is not the fault of the plant. In certain cases of 'summer bowel complaints' it is without equal. It has a deserved reputation in chronic diarrhea. It is also known as a medicinal herb for disorders of the prostate gland.
Two species of Willow herb which can hardly be mistaken for the smaller species are the Rose Bay Willow herb and the Great Hairy Willow herb.
The first has large rose-purple flowers. It grows, much branched, in masses by ponds, in marshes and damp meadows and reaches a height of 150 cm. The stems and leaves are fleshy and slightly hairy.
The leaves of the Rose Bay Willow herb (Epilobium angustifolium) have been used as a substitute and adulterant of tea.
The leaves of both this species and of the Great Hairy Willow herb (Epilobium hirsutum) are largely used in Russia, under the name of Kaporie tea. The leaves are placed opposite one another on the stem, are 3 to 5 inches long, their bases clasping the stem and like it, very woolly, hence the specific Latin name hirsutum, and the common English name.

Phytochemicals of Hoary willowherb (Epilobium parviflorum.):

All willow herb species contain flavorglycosides, especially derivatives of kaempferol, quercetin, and myricetin.
Epilobium parviflorum also contains b-sitosterol, various esters of sitosterol, and sitosterol glucoside have been detected.
These are the compounds considered to be the active ingredients of Saw Palmetto, another major herb used for treating the prostate. Gallic-acid derivatives are also present. Gallic acid and ellagitannins are considered to be the actives associated with the drinking of green tea. Two of these macrocyclic ellagitannins, oenothein A and oenothein B, have been identified as the main constituents responsible for the inhibition of 5-alpha-reductase and aromatese enzymes. These enzymes are considered to play key roles in the cancer of the prostate.
Preliminary (in vitro) studies at the Prostate Center of Vancouver found that very low concentrations of an extract from small-flowered willow herb tea, in the micrograms per ml level, was among the most active ever seen against abnormal cells and growths of the prostate. Several extracts from Epilobium parviflorum, were evaluated in biochemical assays with 5-alpha-reductase and aromatase, two enzymes involved in the etiology of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Aqueous extracts displayed inhibition of these enzymes and the active compounds identified were macrocyclic ellagitannins, oenothein A1, B1 and B2, which can make up to 14% of crude plant extracts. Out of a total of 92 plant phenolic extracts tested, small-flowered willow herb was also found to have high antioxidant activity.
Small-flowered willow herb tea is also recommended for treating urinary tract infections in women. In one study, both the large-flowered willow herb (Epilobium angustifolium) and small-flowered willow herb E. parviflorum were found to reduce inflammatory prostaglandins in the carrageenin-induced rat paw edema test; in this study, E. angustifolia was found to be 5 times more powerful than E. parviflori. Antimicrobial screening of 13 phenolic substances and 29 extracts prepared from Finnish plant materials against selected microbes found that small flower willow herb (Epilobium angustifolium L.) was one of the most active plant extracts tested against bacteria.
Chemically, the plant contains an abundance of phenolic compounds, tannins and flavonoids, many of which appear to have biological activity. Willowherb extracts possess antimicrobial effects against a number of bacteria, including recently discovered activity of the Willowherb extract, along with isolated constituents, against the bacteria, Propionibacterium acnes. Myricetin 3-0-glucuronide has been identified as one of the anti-inflammatory components of willowherb. A special elagitannin, oenothein B, is present in the plant and appears to be an active anti-inflammatory component. The reported anti-cancer activity of willowherb extract may be related to the content of oenothein B, which has been found to exhibit potent anti-tumor properties, as well as cause inhibition of the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme.
This explains the antihyperandrogenic effects that may be useful in the prevention and treatment of BPH, as well it supports the use of the extract in the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer. Scientific research has revealed the potential of oenothein B or similar compounds as useful antiviral and anticancer chemotherapeutic agents. The anti-cancer and analgesic properties of willowherb extract have been the subject of recent investigations, where significant activity has been found.

Common Uses and applicatin of Hoary willowherb (Epilobium parviflorum.):

Epilobium angustifolium L. is a circumpolar member of the evening-primrose family (Onagraceae).
The plant is an abundant perennial that dominates many plant communities undergoing succession, quickly reclaiming disturbed ground such as cut or burned forest, thus explaining its common name, fireweed. It is also commonly known as rosebay willowherb and great willowherb. Willowherb is often employed as the English name for the worldwide species. Canadian Willowherb? has been used to describe the plant growing in Canada, which appears to possess distinct characteristics from the European plant.
Although sometimes considered a weed, it has a long history of use as both a food and a medicinal.
Historically, medicinal use includes oral use of the plant extracts, often in the form of an infusion or tea, as a treatment for prostate and urinary problems including benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or enlarged prostate; and for various gastrointestinal disorders such as dysentery or diarrhea. Topically the plant has been used traditionally as a soothing, cleansing and healing agent to treat minor burns, skin rashes, ulcers, and numerous other skin irritations and afflictions.
The most tangible commercial applications of Epilobium angustifolium to date appear to be those related to the topical use of the extracts for their potent anti-irritant, anti-inflammatory, and free radical-scavenging effects. Commercial extracts of the plant are widely used in cosmeceuticals and personal care products ranging from creams, lotions, and shampoos to hair tonics and baby wipes. Therapeutic products for various skin conditions such as those for eczema, psoriasis, seborrhea, fungal infections, and rosacea have incorporated willowherb as a functional active ingredient. The main nutraceutical, cosmetic and therapeutic uses of willowherb and its extracts have, over the past 20 years, received scientific support and are explainable, at least in part, by the unusual chemical make-up of the plant.

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Epilobium Parviflorum used as prostate remedy
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