Effects of Medicinal Plants on Nocturia: A Systematic Review

Nocturia is one of the common disorders that are associated with certain complications such as fracture and declined quality of life in addition to disrupting sleep. We, therefore, sought to review the evidence on the effects and action mechanisms of medicinal plants on nocturia.

Methods: The search terms of interest were used to retrieve relevant articles published between 2000 and 2018 and indexed in the databases Institute for Scientific Information, PubMed, and Scopus using EndNote software.

Peganum harmala and Cannabis sativa are two of the plants that have been reported to be effective on nocturia. In addition, certain plant-based derivatives such as SagaPro and certain combinations such as Gosha-jinki-gan, paladin kashaya, and PRO 160/120 from Viola odorata L. (Violaceae), C.A.Mey. From Echium amoenum Fisch. (Boraginaceae), and Physalis alkekengi L. (Solanaceae) help improve nocturia through different mechanisms.

As with other types of treatments, plants and plant-based compounds cannot be used as monotherapy in treating nocturia, and therefore should be used as a complementary therapy alongside available treatments for this disorder to induce the best therapeutic effects.