Saw Palmetto

Saw Palmetto is commonly found in coastal areas of Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. It has been used by native Americans for at least 12,000 years as a general tonic. Common uses of Saw Palmetto include to fight coughs, bronchitis, asthma; to stimulate appetite, balance the metabolism, and aid digestion.

Saw Palmetto is also used to enhance sexual performance for both men and women, to treat enlarged prostate, and has mild antiandrogenic effects.

Saw Palmetto and Enlarged Prostate

Enlarged prostate cause painful urination, reduced urine flow, difficulty starting or stopping the flow, dribbling after urination, and more frequent nighttime urination. Prostate enlargement is caused by an increase in testosterone to DHT. For centuries, berries of a small palm tree called Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) were used as food by Native Americans living along the southern Atlantic coast of North America. Saw palmetto is well-known for its benefits to men and has been the subject of numerous studies. Its berries are rich in sterols and fatty acids that naturally migrate to the prostate. Here they help prevent the conversion of testosterone to DHT, and accelerate the breakdown and elimination of DHT from prostate tissues. The natural phytoestrogens in saw palmetto berries also can block artificial estrogen-like compounds from accumulating in prostate tissue. In Europe, saw palmetto extract has been studied in six double-blind clinical tests. Men who were given saw palmetto extract showed consistent and statistically significant results. Saw Palmetto is believed to interfere with hormones associated with DHT production, by preventing testosterone from converting into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is thought to cause prostrate cells to multiply, leading to an enlarged prostate.

The active ingredients in Saw Palmetto are phytosterols, which are known to curb prostate cell growth. Saw Palmetto is chiefly used as a diuretic and to tone the bladder by improving urinary flow, and relieving strain. Regular use of saw palmetto may decrease urinary frequency by allowing complete bladder expulsion and reducing inflammation of the bladder and enlarged prostrate.

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled studies with 20 subjects, Saw Palmetto works very effective compared to Proscar. Saw palmetto is effective in nearly 90% of patients after six weeks of use, while Proscar is effective in less than 50% of patients. >

Research

The role of a lipido-sterolic extract of Serenoa repens in the management of lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Gerber GS, Fitzpatrick JM. Division of Urology, University of Chicago Medical School, Chicago, IL, Aug 2004.

Effect of permixon on human prostate cell growth: Lack of apoptotic action. Hill B, Kyprianou N. Division of Urology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland. Sep 2004.

Comparison of Saw Palmetto (extract and whole berry) and Cernitin on prostate growth in rats. Talpur N, Echard B, Bagchi D, Bagchi M, Preuss HG. Department of Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, Aug 2003.

Lower urinary tract symptoms/benign prostatic hyperplasia: fast control of the patient's quality of life. Djavan B. Department of Urology, University of Vienna, Austria. Sep 2003.

Sensitization to saw palmetto and minoxidil in separate topical extemporaneous treatments for androgenetic alopecia., Sinclair RD, Mallari RS, Tate B. Skin and Cancer Foundation, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Nov 2002.

Articles

A Prostate's Best Friend, Chris Kilham, www.medicinehunter.com