The prostate falls under the Kidney and Bladder systems in TCM. BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) corresponds to Kidney Qi deficiency with Damp-Heat and Blood Stasis in the lower abdomen. As men age, Kidney Qi naturally declines. When combined with Damp-Heat (from poor diet, alcohol, sitting) and Blood Stasis (from sedentary lifestyle), the prostate enlarges.
Frequent urination (every 1-2 hours), waking 2+ times at night to urinate, weak urine stream, difficulty starting urination, dribbling after urination, feeling of incomplete emptying, urgent need to urinate, urinary retention (in severe cases).
Pumpkin seeds: The #1 TCM food for prostate. Rich in zinc. Tomatoes (cooked): Lycopene reduces prostate enlargement. Green tea: Catechins protect prostate. Pomegranate: Anti-inflammatory. Walnuts: Omega-3. Cruciferous vegetables: Sulforaphane. Saw palmetto: Well-researched prostate herb. Avoid: Red meat (in excess), alcohol (especially beer), spicy foods, caffeine (irritates prostate).
Saw Palmetto (Western): The most researched prostate herb. Reduces BPH symptoms. Pu Gong Ying (Dandelion): Clears Damp-Heat from lower body. Che Qian Zi (Plantain Seed): Drains Damp, clears Heat from urinary tract. Dong Quai (Dang Gui): Moves Blood, reduces stasis. Ze Xie (Water Plantain): Drains Damp. Classic formula: Ba Zheng San (Eight-Herb Powder for Rectification) for Damp-Heat type.
CV3 (Zhongji): Bladder front-mu — directly over prostate area. CV4 (Guanyuan): Below navel — strengthens Kidney and bladder. BL23 (Shenshu): Kidney Back-Shu. BL28 (Pangguangshu): Bladder Back-Shu. SP6 (Sanyinjiao): Strengthens lower body. SP9 (Yinlingquan): Drains Damp from lower body. KD3 (Taixi): Tonifies Kidney. LV3 (Taichong): Moves Qi and Blood.
1. Pumpkin seeds: 1/4 cup daily. 2. Cooked tomatoes: Daily (lycopene). 3. Green tea: 2-3 cups. 4. Avoid sitting for >1 hour (stand and walk every hour). 5. Kegel exercises: 3 sets of 10 daily. 6. Don't delay urination — go when you feel the urge. 7. Reduce alcohol and caffeine. 8. Manage weight. 9. ejaculate regularly (reduces stagnation). 10. Annual PSA check after 45.
SEASONS provides men's health assessment and prostate support protocols.