TAKING PYGEUM may threaten the survival of the Red Stinkwood tree

INSENSITIVE "HARVESTING" OF PYGEUM

THE CASE

Pygeum has been heavily marketed in Australia, Europe and the United States as a herbal remedy for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), commonly called an enlarged prostate. It is claimed to reduce the swelling and inflammation of the prostate and therefore relieve discomfort by improving urine flow. The most commonly cited clinical trial of pygeum was held in the UK and was a brief and, to some reviewers, problematic. This trial showed that pygeum provided some relief, of some of the symptoms, in some men sometimes. The evidence was hardly overwhelming.

Pygeum is prepared from the bark of the African tree Prunus africana commonly called the Red Stinkwood. Over the last 20 years the collection of bark from these trees has resulted in the species becoming endangered. This is because financial attraction of the high price of pygeum has discouraged harvesters from leaving enough bark to allow the trees to survive. For example in Madagascar, Prunus africana is now only found in very inaccessible areas. A Greenpeace source estimated that during the 1990's debarking caused an annual loss of 35,000 trees.

Prunus africana

Fortunately the high price has also made it economic to cultivate these trees.

A native of high, forested regions of Africa, pygeum is an evergreen tree with leathery leaves, deeply fissured gray or dark brown bark, and small, creamy-white flowers. Mature trees can reach heights of up to 150 feet. When ripe, pygeum fruit (technically called a drupe) looks something like a cherry. In fact, as a member of the rose family, pygeum is closely related to cherries, plums, almonds and other rose family plants in the genus Prunus. More than 200 Prunus species are distributed around the world, but pygeum (also known as African prune) is the only one native to Africa. Pygeum’s natural range includes mountainous areas of South Africa, Madagascar, Cameroon, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zaire. The plant is esteemed not only for its medicinal properties, but also for its hard, durable wood, which is used in the construction of wagons, axe handles, farm tools, dwellings, and veneers and paneling for the export market.

The endangerment of Prunus africana by pygeum collections is uncannily similar to the endangerment of Hoodia gordonii by overenthusiastic collection for the preparation of weight loss treatments.

MY VERDICT

If you have been convinced by the advertising that taking pygeum is a good idea, please firstly consider the following.

1. Consult a doctor to ensure that you really have BPH. This treatment is not suitable for treating prostate cancer and it may mask some of the symptoms of cancer.

2. Ask if the pygeum you are buying comes from a sustainable source and not from illegally debarked trees growing in national parks. They'll think you are a jerk and won't be able to tell you but it's worth asking just to publicise the cause.

NOTE

The name Pygeum, comes from the original Linnean name of the plant, Pygeum africanum. The word pygeum being a latinisation of the Greek word for buttock. This is supposedly because the two lobed fruit resembles the human buttock (think of peaches). The name was changed to Prunus africana about forty years ago.