CRINUM LATIFOLIUM L. AND BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA (BPH)

10/08/2005

Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tram, Director of Research Development and Manufacture CRINA Center, under National phytopharma joint-stock company No. 2 - HCMC has researched hard for 14 years, successfully formulated a specific medicine for this annoying disease from Alkaloids extracted from Crinum latifolium L.

Prostatic fibroid is also called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). As to old men, most of them can suffer from this disease. In mild level, this disease causes annoyance and discomfort with symptoms such as urinary disorders, slow, hard and frequent urination with interrupted stream. What is worth concerning is that the disease progresses silently with barely noticeable symptoms. If not detected and treated promptly, it can threaten to patients’ lives. When blood was detected in urine, the tumor grew, at this time; this disease is difficult to be treated because it can now turn into cancer.

According to Pharmacist – Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tram, for a long time, to cure this disease, patients have mainly taken very expensive imported medicines or been appointed to dissection and endoscopic surgery. Patients who are too old, physically weak, or have other diseases, are not eligible to surgery but to medical therapy. Alternatively, in folk, a remedy from Crinum latifolium L. could treat this disease. People in need of Crinum latifolium L. have been taking this fresh leaves to process. However, in many cases, Crinum latifolium L. leaves were mixed with some leaves looking like them. In the same genus with Crinum latifolium L., there are some Crinum plants which look very similar to Crinum latifolium L. but their chemical compositions and effects are different such as red-flower Crinum, sword-leaf Crinum, and “Lan hue”....(Crinum latifolium L. can be only distinguished after flowering), so using fresh leaves carelessly can threaten users’ lives.

Crinum latifolium L. is scientific name of “Royal Virgin”, belonging to broadleaf Crinum genus, Amaryllidaceae family. It is also called “broadleaf Toi loi” or “Toi Thai” in folk. Crila capsule from Crinum latifolium L. having Alkaloids extracted from Crinum latifolium L. leaves has effect on the specific treatment for BPH. Our products have been clinically tested in a number of large hospitals such as National Hospital of Traditional Medicine, Ho Chi Minh Hospital of Traditional Medicine, and VN National Institute of Gerontology. Results showed that on average, BPH patients improved with the declination from 93.3% to 33.3%, 90% of whom have the reduction of tumor volume, in which 33.3% have prostates back to normal size after 2 months of treatment.

Many patients have been cured completely thanks to this medicine. Dr. Ho Xuan Son, former Editor-in-chief of New Hanoi Newspaper suffered from BPH with 36g tumor, difficult urination, and frequent urination at night (6-7 times). After using Crila capsule from Crinum latifolium L., his disease significantly eased up, and turned back to normal urination. As to Mr. Vo Nhu Ba, 82, in An Phu Dong Ward, District 12, suffered from this disease for a long time with high PSA index (nearly 30), after taking 2 months of treatment, his PSA index fell to 14, he said, “I have a feeling that my prostate seems to return to normal with quick urination and without annoyance as before…”. Another patient, Pharmacist Tran Ba Chau – of Central Procuracy had prostatic gland enlarging 66.6% and weighing 39.8g appointed to surgery. However, after 20 days of treatment with Crila, his disease symptoms significantly eased up. After 3 months taking Crila, he felt his health was back to normal. After stopping taking Crila for 7 months later, his examination result showed that his prostate was completely normal with the weight of 25grams.

In addition to the positive treatment effect, the price of Crila from Crinum latifolium L. is low, only as 50% as that of imported medicines. Moreover, it is easy to use and has fewer side effects. Treatment time is short, just about 21 days if the disease is at mild level. On the average, it takes 42 days, 63 days if the disease at serious level and the body responds well to medicine. Especially, Crila can replace surgery method that was used long since.

Dr. Ngoc Tram said that Crila from Crinum latifolium L. also has ability to cure uterine fibroids, which was tested in 50 patients of the National Maternity Hospital. The result was that nearly 70% of patients had disease stabilized, tumor size reduced, and clinical manifestations were stable. She and her colleagues are conducting research and test on some diseases such as liver cancer and breast cancer. The first step is testing on animals; the results show that the medicine has capability of prolonging survival time of cancer-bearing animals.

After 14 years of hard study, along with the collaboration of colleagues at home and abroad such as Prof. Dr. Do Tat Loi, MA. Nguyen Nhat Thanh, Dr. in science Fuchs (Austria), Prof. Acad. Simeon Popov, E. Zvetkova (Bulgaria), her research was accepted by the Ministry of Health. Until now, Crila capsule from Crinum latifolium L. was allowed for circulation by the Ministry of Health under registration number –VNB-3391-05.

According to Dr. Harbitz (Germany), the percentage of men over 40 in Europe with the disease is 80.1%, in the United States, that of men at 40 is 25% and at 70 is 80%. In Vietnam, according to the epidemiological investigation of Prof. Tran Duc Tho and colleagues – VN National Institute of Gerontology, that of men over 50 is 59.18% and increases with age, men from 75 to 79, this percentage is 76.93 %.