Saw palmetto plants contain leaves that fan out from the stalk in a serrated, sawlike shape. The plant grows in the southeastern United States and was both a food and a medicine of the Native Americans. Today, it is used for the treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy, or BPH, but it is also used for hair loss. If you feel you have the symptoms of BPH, do not take saw palmetto on your own. See your doctor to make certain that you do not have prostate cancer. Once you have a clean bill of health, you can take the herb to control BPH with your doctor's permission.
Extract Vs. Whole Herb
The saw palmetto plant is a small tree that can grow up to 10 feet tall that produces berries. These berries contain oils that Native Americans used for urinary problems. In the 1960s, French researchers concentrated the oils from the berries into an extract in order to harness the power of saw palmetto, according to New York University Langone Medical Center. You could use the whole berry to treat your symptoms, but you are much more likely to get a better result by using a concentrated extract.
Uses
Saw palmetto is most commonly used for the treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy, or enlargement of the prostate gland. This disease can cause urinary retention, frequent urination and trouble starting a urinary stream. In 10 double blind studies, all but three found that saw palmetto decreased signs of prostate enlargement when compared to a placebo, according to New York University Langone Medical Center. However, a review of 14 trials that looked at the results from 5,222 patients showed saw palmetto did not do much better than a placebo. More studies are currently pending into whether or not this herb is a viable treatment for this disease.
Dosages
The recommended dosages for saw palmetto are for standardized extracts in pill or capsule forms. The recommendation is 160 mg twice per day, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. The extract should contain 85 to 95 percent fatty acids and sterols. A liquid extract of 5 to 6 mL per day does not have any test results associated with it. Taking saw palmetto as a tea is not recommended because the active ingredients are not soluble in water. Choose your herbal supplier careful to ensure that you get only the highest quality saw palmetto available.
Safety Issues
Saw palmetto is generally regarded as safe with few known side effects. Stomachaches and headaches are the most commonly reported adverse effects. If you are taking a blood thinner, such as warfarin, you should not take saw palmetto as it could increase your bleeding time. It may also interact with the drug finasteride which is prescribed for benign prostatic hypertrophy. Do not take saw palmetto without consulting your doctor. Although there are no side effects from this herb, you must make sure that your symptoms are BPH and not prostate cancer. The two diseases mimic one another and only your doctor can tell for sure.
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