Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.
African cherry is the bark of Prunus africana, a tall evergreen tree from Africa's mountain forests. Supplements made from the bark are sold as pygeum. Most men take it for urinary trouble caused by an enlarged prostate.
In West and Central Africa the tree is called red stinkwood. In Nigerian and Cameroonian Pidgin it is known as kanda stick. Healers used the bark for bladder trouble, fever and chest pain.
The evidence here is middling, not strong. Older trials in men point to modest relief of urinary symptoms. Those trials were small and short, and better ones have not been done.
Long traditional use is not proof that a remedy works, and it is not proof that it is safe.
No one has shown exactly how pygeum acts in the body. The main idea involves plant fats called phytosterols.
In cell and test-tube studies, these appear to calm inflammation in prostate tissue. They also seem to block an enzyme called 5-lipoxygenase, which helps drive swelling. Whether this happens in a man taking a capsule is not known.
In rodent studies, bark extracts appear to slow the growth of prostate cells. Animal results often do not carry over to people.
Pygeum does not seem to shrink the gland much. The trials measured better urine flow and fewer night-time trips, not a smaller prostate.
Pygeum is sold mostly as a capsule or softgel of fat-based bark extract.
Common forms:
- Standardised extract capsules, alone or blended with saw palmetto or nettle root. - Tablets in multi-herb prostate formulas. - Dried bark for teas or decoctions, used in traditional settings.
Tinctures are sold too, but they are less common.
The human trials used the fat-based extract. A home-made bark tea is not the same product. It has not been tested in that way.
Wild bark harvesting has pushed this tree onto a protected list. Look for suppliers who can show legal, certified sourcing.
Healers in West and Central Africa used the bark of this tree for a long time before it reached Europe. Records describe bark decoctions for bladder and urine problems in older men.
The bark was also used for fever, stomach upset, chest pain and wound care. Bark was stripped from wild trees and either dried or boiled.
European doctors took interest in the 1960s. French and Italian firms began making fat-based bark extracts for prostate symptoms. Heavy demand since then has damaged wild tree stocks.
Stop and see a doctor if you get a rash, swelling of the face or lips, or trouble breathing.
Also stop and seek advice if you have ongoing nausea, belly pain, or yellow skin or eyes.
Get urgent care, the same day, if you cannot pass urine, see blood in your urine, or have fever with pain in your back or lower belly.
If three months of use has changed nothing, book a proper prostate check instead of carrying on.
In the United States pygeum is sold as a dietary supplement, with no official approval for treating disease. In France, Italy and some other European countries, bark extracts have been registered as medicines for prostate symptoms. The tree itself is listed on CITES Appendix II, so cross-border trade in the bark is controlled.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
What it is typically used for, usual dose, cautions, and the study behind it where real trial data exists.
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