If you have browsed the aisles of your local health food store or searched the internet for a dietary supplement that may help treat prostate problems, you may have come across saw palmetto. This supplement is available as a powdered capsule, tablet, liquid tincture and in organic whole berry form. Before you purchase saw palmetto, you should be familiar with what it does and the normal dosing protocol. Consult your health care provider about this supplement before using or purchasing this dietary supplement.
General Information
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, saw palmetto was used for medical purposes dating all the back to the early 1900s. Saw palmetto is a plant that resembles the palm tree and is native to the United States. As a dietary supplement, saw palmetto is mainly used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH. BPH is a non-cancerous enlargement or growth of the prostate gland that is common among seniors. There is some debate about exactly how saw palmetto works, but it is thought to lower or balanced predominately male hormones, such as testosterone or dihydrotestosterone (DHT).
Normal Dosages
The University of Maryland Medical Center states the recommended doses of saw palmetto for the treatment of BPH. The normal daily dose for saw palmetto extract in a dietary supplement capsule form is 160 mg, taken 2 times a day. The supplement should contain a fat-soluble saw palmetto extract that is 85 to 95 percent fatty acids and sterol compounds. If you have a liquid version of saw palmetto, 5 to 6 ml. is the recommended daily dose. Although saw palmetto is available as a tea, legitimate saw palmetto extract is not water-soluble and may not be effective in that form.
Effective for BPH Treatment
The California State Board of Pharmacy reviewed and summarized the findings from 18 randomized clinical trials in which saw palmetto was compared to a placebo for the treatment of BPH. Patients with BPH who took saw palmetto recorded better urology scores and ease of urinating. Taking 320 mg of saw palmetto each day was found to be equally as effective as taking 5 mg of finasteride, a prescription treatment for BPH. No adverse effects from saw palmetto were seen or reported in the clinic trials. Saw palmetto, unlike finasteride, however, is not proven to reduce the size of an enlarged prostate gland.
Saw Palmetto Treatment for Hair Loss?
Finasteride is both a treatment for BPH and male pattern baldness at dosages of 5 mg and 1 mg, respectively. Since saw palmetto is similar to finasteride, it may be helping in treating male pattern hair loss. Finasteride works by decreasing your levels of DHT which is the main culprit of male pattern baldness. DHT is also responsible, in part, for the enlargement of the prostate gland. Saw palmetto is thought to reduce DHT blood levels and is even included in some non-FDA approved hair loss treatments.
Dr. William Rassman, member of the American Hair Loss Association and president of the New Hair Institute, acknowledges saw palmetto's potential to treat hair loss. Dr. Rassman, explains, however, that saw palmetto is hardly a sure thing because no scientific studies exist and the hormonal pathways of hair loss are more complex than simply negating DHT conversion.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Saw Palmetto
- California State Board of Pharmacy: Health Notes; Alternative Medicines
- American Hair Loss Association: Men's Hair Loss / Treatments
- Balding Blog; Dr. William Rassman: Is Finasteride Really That Much Different than Saw Palmetto? Oct 25 2010
- "Journal of Urology": Tissue effects of saw palmetto and finasteride: use of biopsy cores for in situ quantification of prostatic androgens.; May 2001
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