Saw palmetto, also called the American dwarf palm and the cabbage palm, is a palm tree native to the United States. The fruit of the saw palmetto is used in alternative medicine. Although people use saw palmetto to treat a number of different conditions, evidence for its use is preliminary.
Benefits
The most common use for saw palmetto, and the one for which it appears to be most effective, is to treat benign prostrate hyperplasia. Saw palmetto may be as effective in treating the symptoms of BPH as the medication finasteride, and it has fewer side effects, according to MayoClinic.com. Other possible uses include the treatment of prostate cancer, underactive bladder, male pattern baldness, chronic pelvic pain and decreased sex drive, although evidence is limited to support these uses.
Side Effects
Saw palmetto use sometimes causes side effects. These include constipation, diarrhea, dizziness, nausea, headache, bad breath, stomach pain and vomiting. More serious side effects, including chest pain, abnormal heart beat, depression, jaundice, liver damage, ulcers, insomnia, high blood pressure and difficulty breathing, have occurred in people using saw palmetto, but it isn't clear whether these effects were caused by saw palmetto.
Interactions
Always speak with your doctor before using saw palmetto, as it can interact with certain medications and may not be safe for you to use. Saw palmetto may interact with birth control medication, blood thinners, estrogen and finasteride. If you are taking any of these medications, you may not be able to take saw palmetto, or you may need your dosage adjusted for these medications.
Safety
Do not treat yourself with saw palmetto. See your doctor for a diagnosis and to make sure that saw palmetto is safe for you to take. Some people, including pregnant and breastfeeding women and people who are going to have surgery, should not take saw palmetto. Saw palmetto may interfere with iron absorption, increasing your risk for iron deficiency anemia.
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