To evaluate the efficacy and safety of essential oil treatment for type III chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS).
A randomized controlled trial was conducted from December 2014 to October 2015. Seventy type III CP/CPPS patients were assigned to the essential oil (35 cases) or almond oil control (35 cases) group by a random number table. The oil was smeared by self-massage on the suprapubic and sacral region once a day for 4 weeks. The National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Syndrome Index (NIH-CPSI) and expressed prostatic secretions (EPS) were examined. The primary outcome was NIH-CPSI pain domain. The secondary outcomes included other NIH-CPSI domains and laboratory examinations of EPS. Adverse events were also observed.
Sixty-six subjects completed the full 4-week treatment. There was no significant difference between almond oil control and essential oil groups in terms of the total score of NIH-CPSI, pain, quality of life and urination domain scores of NIH-CPSI and EPS examinations (P>0.05). In the essential oil group, pain between rectum and testicles (perineum) in the domain of pain or discomfort was significantly reduced at week 2 and week 4 compared with almond oil control group (P<0.01). No serious adverse events occurred.
The essential oil may reduce the pain or discomfort in the perineum region in patients with CP/CPPS. (Registration No. ChiCTR-IPR-14005448).
Chinese journal of integrative medicine. 2018 Jun 08 [Epub ahead of print]
Jian Ying, Min-Jie Zhou, Hai-Yong Chen, Lei Chen, Wei Zhang, Jun Ji, Chao Yu, Zhang-Jin Zhang
Department of Urology and Andrology, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200032, China., Shanghai Qigong Research Institute, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200030, China., School of Chinese Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China., School of Chinese Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China. .