Saw Palmetto side effects, as a treatment or
prevention of BPH
A discussion of the role of this extract in reducing prostate
enlargement
Saw palmetto
is an herb that has been shown in clinical studies to
have beneficial effects in reducing symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Saw
palmetto (sometimes referred to as sabal in Europe) grows naturally in the southeast
United States, such as Georgia, Mississippi, and particularly Florida. Not all
studies with this herb have shown a benefit for BPH. Since the adverse effects
from the use of this herb are minimal, many men are taking saw palmetto for
prostate health and mild BPH to see if they can avoid the use of finasteride or
other medications used for an enlarged prostate gland.
For what conditions is Saw
Palmetto useful?
The best known use of saw palmetto is for the treatment of
prostate enlargement.
However, there's a possibility that substances in saw palmetto could have an
influence on a variety of body tissues, particularly skin and hair, although
there is no proof at this time that saw palmetto is involved in reducing hair
loss or restoring hair growth. It appears
that urinary symptoms resulting from mild-to-moderate prostate enlargement
respond more readily to saw palmetto than symptoms due to severe enlargement.
Saw Palmetto Extract,
Physician Formulas, formulated by Ray Sahelian, M.D., see
http://www.clubnatural.com/physicians-corner.html
Supports Healthy Prostate Function
Saw palmetto extract contains pure Saw palmetto extract guaranteed to
supply 45% fatty acids and beneficial plant sterols, which are the
herb's key active ingredients. Extraction is done using carbon dioxide,
the finished product is free of solvent residues. You can also find an
effective prostate formula called Prostate Power Rx which includes
beta sitosterol.
Supports healthy function of the prostate gland and urinary tract.
Supplement Facts
Saw Palmetto extract (Berry) - 320 mg*
Fatty Acids - 45% fatty acids
Suggested Use: As an herbal supplement, take 1 or 2 saw palmetto capsules per day.
* Saw Palmetto daily values not established.
Click here to buy Saw Palmetto product on sale
Is Saw Palmetto safe?
No significant side effects have been reported in the medical literature
regarding saw palmetto.
Saw Palmetto:
Berry or extract?
When you purchase
saw palmetto, you will find some
bottles that provide crushed berries, not the extracts. Until we learn more about the
effects of using the full contents of the berries, I recommend that you buy the extracts.
The extracts will contain the actual substances that are effective in treating BPH in a
much higher concentration. The berries will provide you with smaller amounts of the needed
active ingredients. Whether the crushed berries have compounds that provide other benefits
is not fully known at this time. If you want to take saw palmetto berries, you may need to ingest
at least one or two grams a day. The ratio of the dried berry to the lipophilic extracts
is usually about 10 to 1. Some users prefer to take both the extracts and the berries,
thinking that there are substances within the full berries that could be beneficial. We
certainly need more research in order to have a fuller understanding.
Does Saw Palmetto interfere with medications?
Limited research suggests that saw palmetto does not influence the ability of
the liver to metabolize other drugs, for instance saw palmetto does not alter
the activity of
cytochrome P450.
What about combining Saw Palmetto with other herbs?
Research shows when taken for 3 months, a combination of natural products (rye
pollen extract, saw palmetto, B-sitosterol, and vitamin E) compared to placebo
can significantly lessen nocturia and frequency and diminish overall
symptomatology of prostate enlargement. (See below for the full study.)
Saw Palmetto for prostate enlargement
The lipidosterolic extract of Serenoa repens in the treatment of benign
prostatic hyperplasia: a comparison of two dosage regimens.
Giannakopoulos X. Department of Urology, Ioannina University
School of Medicine, Ioannina, Greece.
Adv Ther. 2002 Nov-Dec;19(6):285-96.
This 6-month double-blind, randomized, parallel-group study compared two dose
regimens of Libeprosta, the lipidosterolic extract of Serenoa repens (saw
palmetto) in 100 male outpatients with lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive
of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The patients received two 80-mg tablets
twice daily or two 80-mg tablets three times daily. Baseline evaluations
included maximum and mean urinary flow rates, postvoid residual urine volume,
and International Prostate Symptom Score (I-PSS) total and quality-of-life
scores. Both regimens significantly reduced the I-PSS mean total score from
baseline values (P<.001); improvements achieved statistical significance after
month 3 and were maintained for the duration of the study. Significant
improvements from baseline also occurred in quality-of-life scores, maximum and
mean urinary flow rates, and residual urine volume (P<.05). The decrease in
residual urine with both regimens was highly significant (P<.001). No
significant differences in efficacy were noted between the two dose groups, and
no treatment-related complications or clinical adverse events occurred. In this
clinical study, the lipidosterolic extract of saw palmetto was a well-tolerated
agent that may significantly improve lower urinary tract symptoms and flow
measurements in men with BPH.
Saw Palmetto May Help Battle Prostate Cancer
Extract from the Saw Palmetto berry, a commonly used herbal supplement taken by
men with enlarged prostates, may also have anti-cancer properties, researchers
announced at a meeting of The American Society for Cell Biology.
"Since we knew that saw palmetto berry extract had some effect on the
prostate, we decided to take this a step further. We wanted to know if the saw
palmetto had any effect on prostate cancer cells," said researchers at
Children's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.
The research team analyzed the effects of saw palmetto berry extract on cancer cells. To accomplish
this, they exposed prostate cancer cells and a generic cancer cell line to
various concentrations of berry extract. The cancer cell growth in laboratory
cell cultures was then monitored.
About one-fifth the amount of berry extract was needed to decrease the cell
growth of the prostate cancer cells compared to the amount needed to slow down
the growth of the generic cancer cells.
Comments: Men who take saw palmetto for enlarged prostates now can
benefit even more by having a possibly lower risk in developing prostate cancer.
Saw Palmetto
supplement emails
Q. Is there info available re taking
saw palmetto along with
prescription meds such as high blood pressure meds?
A. As far as we know, saw palmetto does not interfere to any clinical degree with
other medicines.
Q. Have you, by perusing research, or through clinical experience
found anything to suggest that Saw Palmetto may reduce erectile efficiency ?
A. We have not come across any research nor have noticed any significant influence
of saw palmetto on erectile dysfunction.
Q. Does saw palmetto really enhance the glands in the breast tissue?
A. We haven't seen any research about the effect of saw palmetto on breast tissue,
but if you are aware of any, please let me know.
Q. I read frequently that supplements that increase testosterone
can result in unwanted prostate growth. If male testosterone levels naturally decline with
age, why does supplementing to bring these levels up to their
former values cause ill effects? Why don't 18 year old males have giant prostates?(!)
A. Good question. It's difficult to know exactly what's going
on in prostate tissue and how testosterone, in different age groups, has an effect. But,
it may be that the biochemical system within prostate tissue is quite able to handle high
androgen levels in the youth but is not able to handle these high androgen levels too well
as the person gets older thus leading to prostate enlargement.
Q. Will saw palmetto help regrow
hair loss?
A. Probably not by itself. Saw palmetto has not been shown to be an
effective hair growth herb. Finasteride is much more effective.
Saw Palmetto Summary
The results of numerous studies published over the past 15 or so years
indicate that saw palmetto improves symptoms in a reasonable number of patients
suffering from BPH. The benefits occur often without a dramatic decrease in the
size of the prostate gland. The response to saw palmetto is similar in many ways
to that of Proscar, even though they probably work in different ways. In a later
chapter I'll discuss in detail how saw palmetto influences the prostate gland.
Saw palmetto supplement questions
Q. My blood pressure increased since the last time I checked. I have High Blood
pressure now . I don't know what change led to this. Since 2 weeks I am taking
saw palmetto supplement capsule twice a day and I am eating 3 eggs a day and I
also stopped my year long habit of drinking green Tea. Do you thing that saw
palmetto had any effect on my blood pressure or cholesterol, or its due to other
reasons. Can you suggest any herbal supplement or medicine that can control
this. And also I ordered a pack of saw palmetto, Beta-Sitosterol and Prostate
Power Rx should I continue taking these supplements or not.
A. One way to tell if the blood pressure is related to the saw
palmetto intake is to stop the saw palmetto supplement and check the blood
pressure over the next few days, restart the saw palmetto and check the blood
pressure over the next few days, and do this cycle two or three times. Most
people do not notice a blood pressure increase with saw palmetto but there could
be individuals who are very sensitive to it. Also, one may consider taking one
capsule rather than two saw palmetto capsules. It is impossible to say whether
beta sitosterol or Prostate Power Rx will influence your blood pressure without
testing them on yourself.
Q. Does
maca herb help reduce symptoms
of BPH?
A. Not that we are aware of.
I am 78 yrs old and suffer from chronic
prostatitis and stable angina, otherwise I look 10 yrs younger. I cannot decide
whether having a heart condition I should take
product with saw palmetto as a company called Nature's Best in the UK advised me
that heart patients should not take saw palmetto herbal formulas.
We have not seen such research regarding not using this herb
in those with a mild or moderate heart condition but the final decision rests
with your doctor. He or she may advise a lower dosage or using it every other
day rather than daily but your doctor knows your condition best.