Saw Palmetto for Enlarged Prostate

Saw palmetto

The saw palmetto is a small palm tree that grows in the southeastern United States. The Seminole, a Native American nation of Florida, used the saw palmetto as part of their repertoire of traditional medicines. The saw palmetto has traditionally been used for urinary problems related to an enlarged prostate, such as inability to urinate, incomplete emptying of the bladder, dribbling at the end of urinating, incontinence, needing to get up in the night to urinate, a slowed or delayed start to urination, straining to urinate, a strong and sudden urge to urinate, or a weak urine stream. The Seminole also used the saw palmetto to increase sperm production and improve libido. However, scientists are not sure whether the saw palmetto has any effect on the prostate. Some studies suggest that it may help, but in other studies, it performs no better than a placebo.

Using Saw Palmetto to Treat an Enlarged Prostate

Method

• Saw palmetto is sold in health food stores in many forms. You can take its dried berries, or take it in capsules, tablets, liquid tinctures, or extracts.
• If you take capsules, the recommended dose is 160 mg twice a day. If you take an extract, the recommendation is five to six mL per day.
• Some men take saw palmetto in conjunction with nettle extract. Nettle is an herb that is commonly used to treat urinary tract infections.

Why It Works

Researchers think that if saw palmetto affects the prostate, it probably does so because some of its chemicals affect testosterone levels in the body, and because it may reduce the amount of an enzyme that promotes prostate growth.

Precautions

An enlarged prostate is no reason for alarm -- all men eventually develop an enlarged prostate as they get older, although more than half never develop any symptoms. But it is still important to see your doctor to rule out concerns such as prostate cancer or a urinary tract infection. Call your doctor right away if you are producing less urine than usual, develop a fever or chills, have blood or pus in your urine, or have pain in your back, side, or abdomen.

Saw palmetto is generally regarded as safe, but it should not be given to children. Side effects are rare. Some men develop stomach irritation or headaches after taking it.

Saw palmetto may interfere with the body’s ability to absorb iron, and may interact with certain drugs, especially drugs used to treat the prostate, antiplatelet and anticoagulant drugs, and oral contraceptives. Check with your doctor before taking saw palmetto if you take a regular prescription.

Saw palmetto is sometimes sold as a tea, but researchers believe that it is not likely to be effective in tea form because its active ingredients are not soluble in water.

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