Saw Palmetto side effects, and hair loss, extract for prostate health

Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) is an herb that has been shown in clinical studies to have beneficial effects in reducing symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).  Saw palmetto (sometimes referred to as sabal in Europe) grows naturally in the southeast United States, such as Georgia, Mississippi, and particularly Florida.

What's in Saw Palmetto herb?
There are a variety of compounds within the saw palmetto berry. As a rule they are divided into four major categories:
1) Free fatty acids. Quite a number of fatty acids are present in saw palmetto. The ones in highest concentration include oleic acid, lauric acid, myristic acid and palmitic acid.
2) Phytosterols (plant sterols). These plant sterols (phyto means plant) have a chemical structure similar to cholesterol. The most commonly found phytosterols in saw palmetto are beta-sitosterol, campesterol, stigmasterol and cycloartenol.
3) Free fatty alcohols. These are usually made up of fatty acids joined to an alcohol molecule.
4) Monoglycerides, which are single fatty acids attached to a three-carbon glycerol molecule.

Saw Palmetto Extract, 320 mg, 60 Capsules
by Dr. Sahelian
Supports Healthy Prostate Function

Saw palmetto extract contains pure Saw palmetto extract guaranteed to supply 45% fatty acids and beneficial plant sterols, which are the herb's key active ingredients. Extraction is done using carbon dioxide, the finished product is free of solvent residues.

Supports healthy function of the prostate gland and urinary tract.

Saw Palmetto Supplement Facts
Saw Palmetto extract (Berry) - 320 mg*
     Fatty Acids - 45% fatty acids

Suggested Use: As an herbal supplement, take 1 or 2 saw palmetto capsules per day.
* Saw Palmetto daily values not established.

Click here to purchase Saw Palmetto on sale or to see details on a Prostate Power Rx, a popular herbal mix with saw palmetto, pygeum, stinging nettle, and other herbs for prostate health

Is Saw Palmetto safe?
No significant side effects have been reported in the medical literature regarding saw palmetto. For more saw palmetto information.

For what conditions is Saw Palmetto useful?
The best known use of saw palmetto is for the treatment of prostate enlargement. However, there's a possibility that substances in saw palmetto could have an influence on a variety of body tissues, particularly skin and hair, although there is no proof at this time that saw palmetto is involved in reducing hair loss or restoring hair growth. It appears that urinary symptoms resulting from mild-to-moderate prostate enlargement respond more readily to saw palmetto than symptoms due to severe enlargement. For more prostate saw palmetto research.

Saw Palmetto: Berry or extract?
When you purchase saw palmetto, you will find some bottles that provide crushed berries, not the extracts. Until we learn more about the effects of using the full contents of the berries, I recommend that you buy the extracts. The extracts will contain the actual substances that are effective in treating BPH in a much higher concentration. The berries will provide you with smaller amounts of the needed active ingredients. Whether the crushed berries have compounds that provide other benefits is not fully known at this time. If you want to take saw palmetto berries, you may need to ingest at least one or two grams a day. The ratio of the dried berry to the lipophilic extracts is usually about 10 to 1. Some users prefer to take both the extracts and the berries, thinking that there are substances within the full berries that could be beneficial. We certainly need more research in order to have a fuller understanding.

Does Saw Palmetto interfere with medications?
Limited research suggests that saw palmetto does not influence the ability of the liver to metabolize other drugs, for instance saw palmetto does not alter the activity of cytochrome P450.

What about combining Saw Palmetto with other herbs?
Research shows when taken for 3 months, a combination of natural products (rye pollen extract, saw palmetto, B-sitosterol, and vitamin E) compared to placebo can significantly lessen nocturia and frequency and diminish overall symptomatology of prostate enlargement. (See below for the full study.)

Saw Palmetto before TURP
The aim of the study conducted at Clinica Malzoni, Avellino, Italy was to evaluate the efficacy of a pretreatment with saw palmetto to reduce bleeding during transurethral resection of prostate (TURP) in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia. 108 patients received a pretreatment with a saw palmetto extract (320 mg a day) for at least 8 weeks before the TURP procedure and they were compared to a placebo group. In the group treated with saw palmetto, bleeding during and after the TURP operation was significantly lower than in the control group and the need of transfusion decreased remarkably. Moreover, in the saw palmetto group, the duration of postoperative catheterization lasted 3 days versus the placebo group who needed catheterization for 5 days.

Saw Palmetto Research Update
The lipidosterolic extract of Serenoa repens in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia: a comparison of two dosage regimens.
Giannakopoulos X. Department of Urology, Ioannina University School of Medicine, Ioannina, Greece.
Adv Ther. 2002 Nov-Dec;19(6):285-96.
This 6-month double-blind, randomized, parallel-group study compared two dose regimens of Libeprosta, the lipidosterolic extract of Serenoa repens (saw palmetto) in 100 male outpatients with lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The patients received two 80-mg tablets twice daily or two 80-mg tablets three times daily. Baseline evaluations included maximum and mean urinary flow rates, postvoid residual urine volume, and International Prostate Symptom Score (I-PSS) total and quality-of-life scores. Both regimens significantly reduced the I-PSS mean total score from baseline values (P<.001); improvements achieved statistical significance after month 3 and were maintained for the duration of the study. Significant improvements from baseline also occurred in quality-of-life scores, maximum and mean urinary flow rates, and residual urine volume (P<.05). The decrease in residual urine with both regimens was highly significant (P<.001). No significant differences in efficacy were noted between the two dose groups, and no treatment-related complications or clinical adverse events occurred. In this clinical study, the lipidosterolic extract of saw palmetto was a well-tolerated agent that may significantly improve lower urinary tract symptoms and flow measurements in men with BPH.

Saw palmetto supplement questions
Q. Does saw palmetto extract improves libido?
   A. Saw palmetto extract may have a slight effect on libido and impotence treatment, but we have found Prostate Power Rx and Passion Rx to be much more potent.

What would be the maximum mg. I can take each day for Saw Palmetto please. I'm a 72 year old man.
    This is a decision you and your doctor need to make based on your overall medical history, other supplements used, other medications that are prescribed, and overall health of your organs.

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