Cernitin ™ Extract Throughout the ages, men have held in high regard the products from the beehive. Honey was seen as one of the finest foods, and for thousands of years was one of the only sweeteners available to use. In recent years, scientists have explored the healing power of other products from the hive, including royal jelly, propolis and pollen. Flower pollen is the male seed of flowers, and in the plant kingdom is seen as the bringer of life. In the human kingdom, it is currently the subject of research on its power as a nutritional food source. One particular extract is being studied for its physiological effects. Cernitin™ Extract is an extract of the pollen of a variety of types of plants. It is gathered in the fields and combined in standardized proportions. In the United States, the exclusive manufacturer is Graminex, which works with its European partners to support clinical research on the Cernitin compound. There are a number of active substances in Cernitin Extract. It is made through a special process from Cernitin Flower Pollen. There are two specific fractions isolated in the extraction process. T60™ is the hydrophilic, water-soluble fraction, and GBX™ is a lipophilic, fat-soluble fraction, which contains natural rancidity inhibitors. Together, these fractions contain a range of compounds including vitamins, amino acids, nucleic acids, minerals, long chain alcohols, unsaturated fatty acids, prostaglandin precursors, enzymes, plant hormones and more. Clinical research has looked at Cernitin for conditions including immune function and liver support. The primary research on the compound, however, has looked at the effect of Cernitin on prostatitis. This condition involves chronic prostate inflammation not related to conditions such as muscle strain, trauma or infection. Pollen extract has been used in the treatment of chronic prostatitis for nearly 30 years with favorable results. 1,2 One study, published in 1989, reported that researchers gave pollen extract to 15 patients, ranging in age from 23 to 63 years and who were diagnosed with chronic prostatitis or prostatodynia. 3 Duration of treatment varied from one to 18 months, in which time seven patients became symptom-free, six significantly improved and two failed to respond. Two patients had a recurrence of symptoms after cessation of treatment, which were cleared up when recommencing treatment. Researchers concluded that the pollen extract was "effective in the treatment of chronic prostatitis and prostatodynia. Its precise mode of action is not known, although experimental studies suggest that it has anti-inflammatory and antiandrogenic properties." The most recent study on Cernitin and prostatitis was published in the peer-reviewed journal, The Prostate, in 2001. 4 Researchers hoped to assess the mechanisms of the anti-prostatitis effect by pollen extract through studying the mode of action in a nonbacterial prostatitis rat model. Rats were administered estradiol after castration, which resulted in similar histologic conditions as human prostatitis. Treatments began at 17 days into the 31-day experiment; at the end of the experiment, researchers concluded that the pollen extract "can work as a potent anti-inflammatory agent against chronic prostatitis. The present findings suggest that GBX, a fat-soluble fraction ... protects the function and shape of acinar glandular epithelium and T60, a water-soluble fraction ... inhibits stromal cell proliferations in association with enhanced apoptosis." While the majority of research studies have focused on pollen extract's effect on prostatitis, other clinicals have looked at how it protects the liver from hepatotoxins and may have some role in protecting the body from cancer. In one study, researchers found that Cernitin extract protected the livers of rats from toxic actions of ethionine or galactosamine. 5 Another study explored what compound may be responsible for the ability of Cernilton to inhibit the growth of some prostate cancer cells. 6 Cernitin products are available from Graminex as raw materials or finished tablets and capsules for private labeling. The bulk powders and granulates include Cernilton® Powder 63, Cernitin T60 water-soluble, Cernitin T40 double strength water-soluble and Cernitin GBX lipid soluble. Tablets and capsules containing Cernitin include Cernilton tablets, Pollen Stark™ tablets and CERNI-Queen™ capsules. References1.Denis, L. "Chronic prostatitis." Acta Urol Belg 34:49-56, 1966. 2. Saito, Y. "Diagnosis and treatment of chronic prostatitis." Clin Exp Med 44:2-15, 1967. 3. Buck, AC, et al. "Treatment of Chronic Prostatitis and Prostatodynia with Pollen Extract." Brit J Urol 64:496-499, 1989. 4. Kamijo, T, et al. "Effect of Cernitin Pollen-Extract on Experimental Nonbacterial Prostatitis in Rats." Prostate 49:122-131, 2001. 5. Samochowiec, L, and Wojcicki, J. "The effect of pollen on the changes in the liver of laboratory rats evoked by ethionine, carbon tetrachloride, allyl alcohol and galactosamine." Arch Exp Veterinarmed 43(4):521-32, 1989. 6. Roberts, KP, et al. "Cyclic hydroxamic acid inhibitors of prostate cancer cell growth." Prostate 34(2):92-9, 1998. |
