Pine Pollen and Testosterone

Sterols(Plant Hormone) in Pine Pollen
Pine Pollen is an androgen which means that it has the ability to raise testosterone levels effectively, as a naturally derived source of testosterone. Pine Pollen raises the testosterone levels in the blood and balances the ratio of androgens to estrogen. What bring the pine pollen with such effect on the hormonal levels are the sterols it carries. The sterols are basically plant steroids to help pine tress grow, which also could benefit humans in testosterone enhancement. And based on researches conducted, the content of total sterols in pine pollen is from 0.98% to 7.67%(1st, Aug. 2010, Suzhe Dong, preliminary study on Pine Pollen Quality) after testing several types and different sources pine pollen. And also their study found that cell cracked pine pollen powder has a higher sterols content than uncracked pine pollen.

Pine Pollen is health food without any animal hormone, insect hormone, dope and toxic side-effects. Plant hormones are natural organic compounds that can regulate plant growth and belong to the steroid or simple organic acid family. Despite the use of “hormone”, they differ greatly from animal hormone in terms of the origin, biological synthesis, transmission process and effects in that it is just a growth factor for plants without any negative effect on the body.

Pine Pollen is health food without any animal hormone, insect hormone, dope and toxic side-effects. Plant hormones are natural organic compounds that can regulate plant growth and belong to the steroid or simple organic acid family. Despite the use of “hormone”, they differ greatly from animal hormone in terms of the origin, biological synthesis, transmission process and effects in that it is just a growth factor for plants without any negative effect on the body. Pine Pollen contains phyto (plant type) of the androgen (male hormone) hormones, including androstenedione, androsterone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and testosterone. These hormones are almost bio-identical to human androgen hormones and are able to promote the body’s own production of androgen hormones. This give the pine pollen a very important healing property since androgens are very reparative to the body. These phyto-androgens provide the boday healing with continuously increased testosterone.

Plant hormones or Phytohormones are organic compounds that are synthesized in a particular part of a plant and then conveyed to other parts. Even in low concentration, phytohormones are able to regulate the growth and development of plants, as well as affect their ability to differentiate cells and tissues. Phytohormones affect the plants’ ability to respond to environmental stimuli. They are also responsible for the plants’ longevity and death, time of flowering, as well as in the development and ripening of fruit. Plant hormones are abundant in embryonic plant tissues and not in mature plant cells. Like plants, the human body also produces hormones and enzymes. In people and vertebrate animals, hormones act as chemical messengers that are utilized by the endocrine, nervous, and immune systems to convey unseen electrical impulses and chemical signals that would facilitate communication within a cell or between cell and/or among system organs. Hormones and enzymes also regulate body functions, control human behavior and integrate systemic functions – nervous, immune and endocrine systems, etc.

Plants cannot benefit from human hormones; however, plant hormones can do wondrous health effects to human health. Laboratory findings show that plant hormones can stimulate human immune cells that boost the body’s natural defense against stressors and diseases. There are three types of plant hormones that have shown promising benefits to us humans – Plant Growth Hormone (PGH), Plant Stress Hormone (PSH) and Plant Immune Hormone (PIH).

In Stephen Harrod Buhner’ book, The Natural Testosterone Plan: For Sexual Health and Energy, he writes:
”……Chemistry:Pine pollen contains large quantities of sterols,  steroid-like substances,that are exceptionally potent. Many of these are brassino-steroids. One such, brassinoloide, is a powerful growth stimulant toplants. As little as one nanogram applied to a bean sprout can cause tremendous growth in response. Other brassinosteroids, such as castasterone and typhasterol, are also common in pine pollen. The pollen also contains a variety of endogenous gibberellins and a number of glutathione transferases. Endogenous gibberellins are plant hormones that affect cell enlargement and division. Glutathione transferases posess wide actions in living systems. They detoxify xenobiotics such as chemical carcinogens and environmental pollutants and inactivate unsaturated aldehydes, quinones, and hydroperoxides that occur as metabolites of oxidative stress.More importantly, for this book, they are intimately involved in the biosynthesis of testosterone and progesterone. Plants that grow ground pine forests have come to depend on this potent nutrient source for their growth.In fact, brassinosteroids regulate gene expression in many plants. The pollen that falls to the ground or into water is generally taken up very quickly as a food and nutrient growth stimulant by other plants and living organisms in the area, including insects and animals. The brassinosteroids in pollen are actually very similar in structure to many animal steroid hormones and do exhibit steroidal activity. In addition, pine pollen contains significant amounts of human male hormones such as testosterone and androstenedione and relatively large quantities of amino acids, vitamins,minerals, and other nutrients……”

“……Analysis of pollen from P.sylvestris,P.nigra, P. bungeana, and P. tabulaeformis has shown the presence of androgenic constituents, including testosterone. Pinus nigra, or black pine, pollen contains the following androgens: androstenedione(0.7-0.8 mcg per 10g,0.000009% by weight), testosterone(0.7mcg per 10g,approximately 0.000009% by weight), dehydroepiandrosterone(DHEA;about 0.1 mcg per 10g, 0.0000015 by weight), and androsterone(approx. 0.2 mcg per 10g, 0.0000022% by weight). The testosterone in Pinus bunngeana pollen runs 11 nanograms per 0.1 grams dry weight, and that in P. tabulaeformis runs 27 nanograms per 0.1 grams dry weight.

Although these amounts might seem small, recall that it takes as little as four nanograms(one-thousandth of a microgram) to chance our sex to men while we are developing in the womb.That can be represented as 0.004 micrograms. Androgens are very potent chemicals. In comparison with that amount, P. nigra pollen contains 0.7 micrograms per 10 grams of pollen. The traditional oral dose of pine pollen in China is 4.5 to 9 grams per day……”

Research on the Therapeutic Effect of Pine Pollen on Prostatic Hypertrophy (BPH) in Rats (2005,Cong Tao)
In studying the therapeutic effect of pine pollen on rats benign prostatic hypertrophy(BPH) and its mechanism. 24 SD rat were divided into 3 groups. 3 groups were fed with normal diet. The group 2 and group 3 were fed with 3 starch tablets(as placebo) and 3 pine pollen tablets per day respectively, and the group 2 and group 3 were be pari-fed with group 1. After two weeks, group 2 and group 3 were injected with testosterone propionate(4mg/kg) which was mixed with olive oil. At the same time, group 1 was injected with olive oil(1ml/kg) alone. 2 weeks later, the pathologic slices of prostate were observed, and the sex hormones contents, trace elements zinc, copper and antioxidantive enzymes of serum, prostate and liver were determined. The results showed that the prostate hyperplasia symptoms of pine pollen group are much better than those of placebo group. Testosterone level of group 3 is lower than that of group 2 and no distinct difference from control group. The estradiol level in serum of rats in group 3 is the lowest. Therefore the experiment comes the conclusion that intake of pine pollen could improve the symptoms of BPH and the preventive mechanism can regulate sex hormones balance.

At present, the index to measure the degree of BPH(Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia) is via prostate index and pathological section result. The above results shows that prostate weight, prostate index and prostate cell proliferation of pine pollen group rats are distinctly lower than placebo group rats which can clearly prove pine pollen has preventive and therapeutic effect on BPH(Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia).

Generally recognized 3 biochemical mechanism that trigger BPH are from 3 ways as male sex hormone, estrogen hormone and growth factor. Above experiment result shows that the serum testosterone content of BPH rats increase greatly which is because of the testosterone propionate injection. Testosterone level of pine pollen group rats is obviously lower than placebo group rats and the serum estrogen level is also lower than rest 2 groups. These differences show that pine pollen not only can effectively control rats serumtestosterone level but also can adjust the serum estrogen level. Above 2 ways can retract the hyperplastic prostate and own a better treating effect without side effects. And application of this plant male andro gamete(pine pollen) in treatment of sex organ diseases is also in conformity with the therapeutic principle of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

In addition, In vitro proliferation experiment is conducted on different sources of cells with pine pollen; the result shows that cells from prostate can be inhibited by pine pollen while the non-prostate sources cells are not. This means pine pollen has a selective inhibitory effect on prostatic cell proliferation, and has a better inhibitory effect on hormone insensitive cells than hormone-dependent cells.

Meanwhile, biochemical analysis showed that level of blood urea nitrogen and blood sugar of prostatic hyperplasia rats are lower than control group, creatinine level only showing a decreasing trend; which means the liver function of prostatic hyperplasia rats was affected at a certain degree thus adjusting function decreased. Weight, serum cholesterol, and triglyceride of pine pollen group rats have a distinct decrease. In conclusion, pine pollen not only can adjust the level of male and female hermone, play a therapeutic effect on BPH(Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia) but also can selectively inhibit the cells via a non-hormonal way; therefore it has a positive clinical meaning for medium-elderly men to take pine pollen in a long-term at a certain amount.