Chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) defined as the "presence of
genitourinary pain in the absence of uropathogenic bacteria detected by standard
microbiologic methodology" by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (1) The presence of
symptoms resembling that of CP/CPPS in different population fall in the range between 2.2%
and 9.7%, with a mean prevalence of 8.2%. making CP/CPPS one of the common urologic problems,
nevertheless; its etiology and pathophysiology are poorly understood, with no solid
guidelines for effective treatment (2, 3) Prolonged period of antibiotic therapy is usually
used as the first line in treatment of CP/CPPS in the first place regardless of the finding
of prostatic fluid microscopic examination and culture, when this failed, the next option in
management that have been tried and investigated include medications such as alpha-blockers,
anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants, anticonvulsants, or even hormonal manipulation,
also physiotherapy, behavioral therapy, herbal or even surgical interventions all have been
tried without conclusive evidence supporting the superiority of single treatment option over
the others for all patients, making further studying and analysis desirable to get better
understanding of the effectiveness of such options or even the trial of different treatment
option in the hope of finding effective treatment. (4) Sandalwood (lignum Santali Albi),
jasmine, and cinnamon are aromatic herbs that are traditionally used by for regulating qi,
removing blood stasis, and relieving pain. (5) Previous studies found cinnamon had an
antibacterial effect. (6) Cinnamon is the bark of trees belonging to the genus Cinnamomum.
(7) Cinnamon has well known recognizable scent due to its oil content, which has a high
concentration of the compound cinnamaldehyde in addition to several other compounds such as
cinnamyl acetate, L-borneol, caryophyllene oxide, eugenol, b-caryophyllene, L-bornyl acetate,
E-nerolidol, α-terpineol, α-cubebene, terpinolene, and α-thujene. In addition, cinnamon
contains a variety of resinous compounds, including cinnamate, cinnamic acid. (8-10) Cinnamon
has been long used in kitchens as spice and appetizer without reported serious adverse
events. The beneficial health attributes of cinnamon and its derivative and components were
reported by several researchers: these include its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory,
antioxidant action, anti-diabetic, and even anticancer actions .nevertheless; further studied
are still required to illuminate the potential health benefits of the spice. (11) The
National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptoms Index (NIH-CPSI) was developed as
a tool to assess the severity of symptoms of CPPS. (12) A reduction of six or more points in
NIH-CPSI score is considered clinically perceivable difference by the patients as confirmed
by previous studies. (13)
