Saw Palmetto

The berries of the saw palmetto plant are regarded by folk medicine as a sexual stimulant, increasing male fertility and breast size in women. Pharmacologically, saw palmetto is classified as having immune stimulating and anti-edema effects. However, saw palmetto is most prized for its ability to reduce enlarged prostate—known as benign prostatic hypertrophy or BPH—and to alleviate the pain and inflammation associated with this condition.

According to research published in the British Journal of Urology, saw palmetto is a potent inhibitor of the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) compounds, known to cause rapid multiplication of prostate cells which eventually leads to an enlarged prostate gland. In more technical terms, saw palmetto inhibits the enzyme “testosterone-5-alpha-reductase” from transforming healthy testosterone hormones into unhealthy DHT. Saw palmetto also prevents DHT from attaching to prostate cellular receptor sites and so promotes DHT’s breakdown and excretion.

Saw palmetto also acts as an antiseptic and astringent, shrinking inflamed urinary system tissues and stimulating urine flow to expel irritants and toxins. Saw palmetto is considered by many to be the herb of choice for treating cystitis, impotence, prostatitis, reduced or absent sex drive, testicular atrophy, and urinary tract infections. Perhaps less well-known is the use of saw palmetto for hirsutism—excessive body hair in a masculine distribution—and virilism— development of secondary, male sexual characteristics, also known as pseudohermaphroditism—in women.

In 1984, a double-blind study was conducted on the ability of saw palmetto berries to fight the hormone imbalance which causes prostate growth. The results, printed in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, showed saw palmetto had a very significant effect on urine flow of men with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BHP) symptoms. Further, the results showed saw palmetto proved more effective than the drug Proscar, which is commonly prescribed for prostate problems.

Due to the presence of steroidal saponins, saw palmetto is considered an anabolic agent, strengthening and building up body tissues and encouraging weight gain. Thus, saw palmetto has gained popularity with body builders and others desiring muscle size and strength, as well as those suffering from general debility, wasting diseases, or failure to thrive.

Saw palmetto also provides an apparent estrogenic action, which may explain the herb’s folk use for stimulating breast enlargement. Preliminary studies indicate saw palmetto may aid those with thyroid deficiency.