beta-Sitosterol

Plant: Soybean (Glycine max).

• Chemical structure similar to cholesterol, white waxy substance. Plant sterol
• Initially found in wheat germ oil, corn germ oil, rye germ oil, cottonseed oil, tall oil, in soybean oil and calabar beans, and in cinchona wax and bark (hence the name cinchol).
• However, it is also found in pecans, saw palmetto (Serenoa repens), avocados (Persea americana), pumpkin seeds (Curcurbita pepo), Prunus africana (Pygeum africanum), cashews, rice bran, sea buckthorn (Hippophaë rhamnoides), and buckthorn or goji fruits, among others.
• Beta-sitosterol is used for heart diseases and high cholesterol levels
• It has a weak anti-androgenic effect, i.e. it blocks the conversion of the male sex hormone testosterone into biologically active dihydrotestosterone, thus restoring hormonal balance and reducing the typical symptoms of an enlarged prostate (when urinating).
• It also has anti-inflammatory and decongestant effects and significantly reduces the risk of developing malignant cell degeneration of the prostate.