The thyroid is a gland beneath the voice box in your neck that helps you control your energy usage, or metabolism, as well as your body's supplies of the mineral calcium. Saw palmetto is the common name for either of two species of palm tree. While saw palmetto has potential as a complementary treatment for certain ailments, it does not help your thyroid function. Consult your doctor before you use saw palmetto.
Saw Palmetto Basics
The two species identified as saw palmetto are Serenoa repens and Sabal serrulata. Other names used to identify these species include American dwarf palm and cabbage palm. The portion of saw palmetto used in herbal preparations is the ripened berry or fruit. Ingredients found in these berries include several substances classified as fatty acids and several substances classified as steroids, as well as tannins, carotenes, flavonoids, two kinds of sugar and an acid called anthranilic acid.
Body Effects
Saw palmetto berries appear to reduce tissue uptake of the male hormone testosterone, in addition to stopping the body from transforming testosterone into a related hormone called dihydrotestosterone, according to MayoClinic.com and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. In addition, the berries stop the production of two groups of substances called leukotrienes and prostaglandins known to cause inflammation. Saw palmetto also appears to have some effects on the normal activity of the female hormone estrogen, in addition to suppressing the activities of receptors in your body that respond to sex hormones.
Saw Palmetto Uses
The single scientifically supported use of saw palmetto is treatment of a condition called benign prostatic hypertrophy, or benign prostatic hyperplasia, MayoClinic.com and the U.S. National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus report. Another common term for this condition is an enlarged prostate. Symptoms of prostate enlargement that can be improved with saw palmetto use include reduced urinary flow and frequent nighttime urination. Other proposed, but unverified, uses of saw palmetto include treatment of prostate infections, prostate cancer, asthma, baldness, sore throat, migraine headache, coughs, colds and chronic bronchitis.
Considerations
Saw palmetto does not shrink the outer dimensions of an enlarged prostate, MedlinePlus notes. Rather, it appears to shrink the gland's inner lining, which can put unwanted pressure on the urine tube leading from the bladder to the penis. Saw palmetto use is safe for most people. However, some people need to avoid using the herb, including pregnant or lactating women, anyone using estrogen or birth control pills, anyone scheduled for a surgical procedure and anyone using anticoagulant medications. Reported side effects of saw palmetto use --- including dizziness, vomiting, headache and diarrhea --- appear to happen just as frequently in people given medically useless sugar pills, or placebos. Consult your doctor for more information on the uses of saw palmetto.
Member Comments