Saw Palmetto Is A Fact Or Fiction?

The long history of saw palmetto traces back to the Native Americans who used it for food and as treatment for nocturia, enuresis, impotence, inflammation of the prostate, atrophy of the testes, infertility, reduced sexual functionality in men, menstrual cramps, and lactation problems. The Native Americans may well be the right persons to validate if saw palmetto is a fact or fiction.

Saw palmetto, with the Latin name serenoa repens, is a dwarf palm with olive-size fruits that turn purple-black when ripe. The active constituents of saw palmetto are locked in its berries, which contain liposterolic (fat-soluble) extracts with concentrated amounts of lauric acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid, myristic acid, phytosterols (plant sterols) and polysaccharides. There's still a lack of explanation on how these essential fatty acids work in altering chemical and enzymatic actions in the prostate.

Previous studies, beginning in the mid-1980's, came up with conclusive data confirming whether saw palmetto is a fact or fiction through its efficacy in treating symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). In BPH, the urethra is blocked by an enlarged prostate resulting to frequent urination, urinary incontinence and urinary voiding. In
Germany, a three-year trial revealed whether saw palmetto is a fact or fiction. Patients who took 160mg of saw palmetto extract twice daily reduced their nighttime urination as effectively as finasteride.

Similar to the drug finasteride, the extract of saw palmetto aggressively shrinks the size of the prostate by inhibiting the actions of 5-alpha-reductase, the enzyme that signals the testosterone to convert into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT causes prostate cells to multiply abnormally. Whether any claim on saw palmetto is a fact or fiction, it is recommended as a potent alternative medicine that helps prevent prostate cancer by keeping the prostates healthy, without the undesirable side effects like loss of libido.

On the other hand, a 2006 study of 225 men who had moderate-to-severe BPH reported no improvement after one year with 320mg daily of saw palmetto versus placebo. This study was co-funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM).

Despite the clinical trials testing if saw palmetto is a fact or fiction, the herb remains unregulated by the US FDA along with other herbal supplements. The daily dosage of 320mg daily in divided doses is based on clinical trials. Saw palmetto is available in varied forms including softgel capsules, liquid extracts, tablets, as an infusion of other herbs or tea.