Rye Pollen Extract Alternatives

African cherry bark extract that improves urinary flow and reduces nighttime urination in men with BPH — used clinically since the 1960s.

Herbal support for prostate health and urinary symptoms, often combined with saw palmetto for BPH.

Plant sterol that improved BPH urinary symptoms and urine flow in placebo-controlled trials at 60 to 130 mg a day, without shrinking the prostate. Gram doses of plant sterols for cholesterol are a separate entry.

A prescription 5α-reductase type-II inhibitor that lowers DHT to treat male pattern hair loss (1 mg, Propecia) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (5 mg, Proscar). The hair and prostate benefits are well-proven in large RCTs. The honest caveats are real and prominent: sexual side effects (erectile dysfunction, decreased libido) in a minority of men, a disputed but important 'post-finasteride syndrome' with persistent symptoms, and a depression/suicidality safety signal in pharmacovigilance data. It is NOT a longevity drug.

A dual 5α-reductase (type I + II) inhibitor approved for benign prostatic hyperplasia and used off-label for male pattern hair loss. It suppresses DHT more deeply than finasteride (which blocks only type II), and at 2.5 mg (five times the approved dose) it beat finasteride for hair count in one 24-week trial. It carries the same sexual and mood side-effect concerns as finasteride — with a much longer half-life, so any persistent effects clear more slowly. A prescription drug, not a supplement, and not a longevity drug.

A phytosterol-rich cold-pressed oil studied for prostate, hair, and cardiovascular support. The honest verdict: small RCTs show modest BPH, hair, and blood-pressure benefits — but the trials are few and tiny, and it underperforms standard drugs like tamsulosin for BPH.