Saw Palmetto Supplement

Saw palmetto is a plant that grows in the southeastern United States but can be found in parts of Europe and Africa as well. For some time, American-Indians regarded this palm-like plant as a staple until the discovery of its medicinal abilities. An herb in itself, saw palmetto's uses include treatments of symptoms related to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). This condition affects men approaching old age.

While it is common for 60% of men to acquire this condition, some symptoms of BPH are similar to prostate cancer. The American Urological Association (AUA) gives a stern warning to people who resort to saw palmetto supplements as remedy for symptoms like frequent urination, voiding, overflow incontinence, and frequent nighttime urination. The continuous consumption of saw palmetto may mask the symptoms of prostate cancer, delaying medical attention. This is in the findings of several researches that revealed the effectiveness of saw palmetto in alleviating symptoms of BPH.

Currently, saw palmetto supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA nor are they accepted as therapeutic drugs. Moreover, there are no reported adverse side effects in people taking saw palmetto supplements except for mild gastrointestinal disturbance, which is alleviated when the supplement is taken with food. Consumers may not experience an overnight effect when taking 160-320mg containing 80-90% of the extract but some studies have presented data that saw palmetto provides faster results compared with finasteride in relieving symptoms of BPH.

Saw palmetto supplements
Available through Now Foods is Saw Palmetto Extract in 80mg softgels. Aside from saw palmetto extract, other ingredients are gelatin, glycerin, carob, beeswax, and water. For noticeable effects and as a dietary supplement, a recommended daily dose of 2 softgels is to be taken with meals. Retail price is $15.95 for 90 softgels but is sold at a sale price of $10.85.

Studies on the effects of higher doses of saw palmetto has not been conducted yet but manufacturers are already manufacturing doses as high as 550mg such as NOW Foods sold at a retail price of $14.99 but on sale at $9.99. Both products mentioned are available at www.global-nutrition-inc.com.

Saw palmetto supplement with Pygeum helps enhance prostate health. Extensive research supports the long tradition of the effective combination of extracts of saw palmetto and pygeum in maintaining a healthy prostate. The sterol compounds in pygeum naturally complement with the constituents in saw palmetto. Each softgel contains 100mg dried extract of pygeum and 320mg dried extract of saw palmetto. Vitamin B6 and 10mg of pyridoxineHCl are also incorporated in this saw palmetto supplement. Each bottle contains 30 softgels sold at buy one get one retail price of $29.99.