herbs - Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens)

What is it?

Saw Palmetto or sabal is a small palm tree native to the West Indies and the Atlantic coast of North America from South Carolina to Florida. The deep red-brown to black berries are used in herbal medicine.

Action

Saw Palmetto berries contain fatty acids, sterols and esters, which have male hormone balancing effects. Saw Palmetto is able to block an enzyme (5-alpha-reductase), which converts testosterone into hydrotestosterone (DHT), an aggressive hormone which encourages the prostate gland to grow. Saw Palmetto has been studied extensively and solely for its ability to slow down the growth of this male gland.

Saw Palmetto is also a urinary antiseptic and many herbalists consider it to have aphrodisiac properties.

Uses

Our experts recommend saw palmetto for the following disorders:

• Enlarged prostate (BPH)
• Prostatitis

Other information

Studies conclude that Saw Palmetto extract is as effective as the conventional drug (finasteride) at slowing down prostate growth in BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia). Nettle is often used with Saw Palmetto to give a gentle diuretic action. Herbalists often use Saw Palmetto for conditions of androgen excess such as in hirsutism and polycystic ovarian disease. It is available as tablets, capsules or tincture.

Cautions

• Saw Palmetto is generally regarded as safe and free of side effects.



• Recent studies conclude that Saw Palmetto does not interfere with PSA testing (a test for prostate cancer).



• When this article was written there were no well-known negative drug interactions with Saw Palmetto.

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