Effectiveness Confirmed Through Human and Animal Studies
Complete Reliance on Imported Ingredients for Prostate Health Functional Foods
Rural Development Administration Expects "Import Substitution and Revitalization of Medicinal Crop Industry"
A study has found that a complex of domestic Chamdanggui and Huangqi is effective in preventing benign prostatic hyperplasia. This is expected to have an import substitution effect for prostate health functional product ingredients, which have relied entirely on imported saw palmetto fruit extract.
The Rural Development Administration announced on the 26th that through human application tests and animal experiments, it confirmed that the complex of domestic Chamdanggui and Huangqi is effective for prostate health.
Kim Myung-su, Director of the National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science at the Rural Development Administration, explained, "When the prostate enlarges, quality of life deteriorates due to symptoms such as frequent urination, nocturia (waking up at night to urinate), and residual urine sensation after urination. To scientifically prove the functionality of the complex, we conducted a two-year joint study with Kyung Hee University, Severance Hospital, Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital, and industry partners."
As Korea's aging rate rapidly increases, the number of patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia, a common disease among elderly men, is surging. According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia increased from 970,000 in 2013 to 1.53 million in 2023.
The human application test involved dividing 100 men aged 40 to 75 with prostate symptoms into two groups. One group consumed 0.6g daily of a complex made by mixing Chamdanggui and Huangqi extracts in a 2:1 ratio, while the other group took a placebo, each for 12 weeks.
As a result, the group that consumed the Chamdanggui and Huangqi complex showed improvement in major symptoms of the International Prostate Symptom Score, such as residual urine sensation and nocturia. The symptom score of the Chamdanggui-Huangqi complex group decreased by 26% compared to before intake, whereas the placebo group only saw an 11% decrease in total symptom score. A higher symptom score indicates more severe symptoms.
Based on the test results, the Chamdanggui-Huangqi complex was recognized as an individual functional health food ingredient for "prostate health" by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in November last year. The Rural Development Administration has completed domestic patent applications for the original technology and is cooperating with technology transfer companies to ensure smooth raw material supply before product production.
Director Kim said, "Most health functional products that help prostate health are developed using imported saw palmetto fruit extract. By substituting imported raw materials with purely domestic technology through the development of functional materials using native medicinal plants, it is expected to increase the economic income of Chamdanggui and Huangqi farming households and revitalize the industry."
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