Damiana
Deer Velvet
Ginseng, Korean
Grass Pollen Extract
Human Growth Hormone
Horny Goat Weed
Muira Puama
Nopal
Prickly Pear Cactus
Maca
Pycnogenol
Saw Palmetto
Tribulus terrestris
Viagra
Yohimbe

Saw Palmetto

Research supports its use for prostate problems. But you can’t be sure what you get when you buy a saw palmetto product. If you take it, tell your physician.

Originally used by Native Americans to cure urinary problems, saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) is now a popular supplement for prostate health. And for good reason. Evidence is building that this herb—extracted from the dark purple berries of the American saw palmetto plant—may help treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), the fancy name for an enlarged prostate gland.

BPH is an overgrowth of the cells in the prostate gland, possibly due to changes in hormone levels that occur with age. It affects many men over age 40, and more than half of men over 60. BPH is not cancer, nor does it cause cancer. But an enlarged prostate that presses on the urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder) can interfere with urination, causing a frequent, urgent need to urinate (often in the middle of the night), a decreased or stop-and-start urine flow, and the feeling that you haven’t completely emptied your bladder. If symptoms worsen, the first line of treatment is usually prescription drugs. Another option is saw palmetto.

Recommended Saw Palmetto Products

Support for saw palmetto

The research on saw palmetto is promising. While many studies have been small, short, and/or not well controlled, and some have shown no benefit, the herb receives high marks in several noteworthy reviews.

One review by the independent Cochrane Collaboration looked at 21 trials (including more than 3,000 men and lasting up to 48 weeks) and concluded that saw palmetto improves urinary symptoms in men with BPH as well as finasteride does—but with fewer side effects, such as reduced sexual functioning. Saw palmetto may also be as effective as some alpha blockers.

How saw palmetto works is not completely understood, but its oily compounds (fatty acids and sterols) are thought to have various hormonal and anti-inflammatory effects. It may, for instance, help block conversion of testosterone to another form (DHT), which has a stimulatory effect on prostate cells. It may also directly inhibit cell growth and promote death of excess cells in the inner lining of the prostate gland.

Buyer beware?

Because dietary supplements are unregulated in the U.S., you can’t be sure what you’re getting when you buy a saw palmetto product. There are many preparations on the market. They may not have the same effects. Most published studies have used a specific saw palmetto formula available only in Europe—and there’s no guarantee that products in the U.S. are equivalent, even if they are “standardized.” No one knows what an optimal dose is either, but the amount typically used in studies is 320 milligrams a day (in a single or split dose). Saw palmetto teas may not be effective, because the supposed active ingredients do not dissolve in water.

If you have urinary symptoms and want to try saw palmetto, talk to your doctor first. You need to make sure what you have is BPH. Be cautious about taking saw palmetto if you have a bleeding disorder or are taking blood thinners (such as warfarin), and do not take it prior to surgery—it may increase bleeding. It may also not be safe to take with finasteride or some other BPH drugs.

If you try it, be patient—as with finasteride, you may not notice a benefit for several months. By the way, contrary to earlier reports, saw palmetto apparently does not affect the results of PSA testing.

Get More Info on Prostate Dr. for Prostatitis, BPH, and Enlarged Prostate Problems

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