Herbal medicine for benign prostatic hyperplasia A protocol for a systematic review of controlled trials

Abstract

Background: Herbal medicine has been used to manage benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and the associated lower urinary tract symptoms, but its effects are not yet fully understood. The purpose of this review is to assess the efficacy and safety of herbal medicine as a treatment for BPH. Methods and analysis: Thirteen databases will be searched for relevant studies from inception to the present date. We will include randomized controlled trials assessing herbal medicine for the treatment of BPH. The methodological qualities, including the risk of bias, will be evaluated using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool, while confidence in the cumulative evidence will be evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval is not required, as this study is based on the review of published research. This review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and disseminated both electronically and in print.