PC-SPES, PC-HOPE, PC-CARE and PC-PLUS

PC-SPES was a mixture of eight herbs. It included:

• Chrysanthemum

• Licorice

• Saw palmetto

• Baikal skullcap

• Reishi

• Chinese woad

• Himalayan ginseng

• Dong ling cao

Apart from saw palmetto, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been using all the other herbs for many years. They use it as treatments for several health conditions and prostate problems.

PC stands for prostate cancer and SPES is the Latin word for hope. PC-SPES was available over the counter in the USA from 1996. But the American Food and Drug Regulation Agency (FDA) withdrew it in 2002. The FDA found warfarin in samples of PC-SPES. 

Warfarin is a drug that helps to stop blood from clotting. It's a useful drug and many people take it to thin the blood. But it can be very dangerous and doctors prescribe it with care.

The FDA found that PC-SPES also contained a man-made drug. The drug was diethylstilbestrol (also called diethylstilboestrol). Diethylstilbestrol is a hormone therapy. Doctors used to treat prostate cancer with it. They now use other hormone drugs with fewer side effects.

PC-SPES also contained indometacin (also called indomethacin). Indomethacin is an anti-inflammatory drug. It is in the same drug family as ibuprofen (Nurofen).

PC-SPES is not legally available in the United States. The manufacturer that had a license from the patent holder is no longer in business. Other manufacturers might sell a replacement product.

PC-HOPE is a newer herbal product that's very much like PC-SPES. Manufacturers produce it in conditions where they can’t contaminate it with other medicines. PC-HOPE contains all eight herbs that are in PC-SPES. It also contains sterolin and quercetin.

The manufacturer of PC-HOPE claims that it helps with symptoms of:

• prostate inflammation (prostatitis)

• benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also known as an enlarged prostate

• all stages of prostate cancer

They also say that it:

• helps with prostate, bladder and kidney health

• reduces a protein called prostate specific antigen (PSA), made by normal and cancerous prostate cells

• slows down tumour growth in men when the cancer does not respond to hormone therapy anymore

• slows down tumour growth in men when the cancer has spread (metastatic cancer)

• increases the survival of people with pancreatic cancer

PC-CARE contains:

• Reishi

• Baikal skullcap

• Rabdosia rubescens

• Isatis indigotica

• Chrysanthemum

• Saw palmetto

• Rye

• Licorice

PC-PLUS is sold as ProstaSol™. The manufacturer suggests it as a supplement for hormone resistant prostate cancer. It contains:

• Saw palmetto

• Baikal skullcap

• Himalayan ginseng

• Reishi

• Ginger

• Stinging nettle root

• Pygeum

• Quercetin

• Sitosterol