What Is Saw Palmetto?
Heather Colman
Saw Palmetto is the sole species currently classified in the
genus Serenoa family. It has been known by a number of
synonyms, including Sabal serrulatum, under which name it still
often appears in alternative medicine. It is a small palm that
is endemic to the southeastern United States, most commonly
along the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains, but also as far
inland as southern Arkansas.
Saw palmetto is a fan palm with the leaves with a bare petiole
terminating in a rounded fan of about 20 leaflets. The petiole
is armed with fine, sharp teeth or spines that give the species
its common name. The leaves are 1-2 m in length. The leaflets
50-100 cm long. The flowers are yellowish-white, about 5 mm
across, produced in dense compound panicles up to 60 cm long.
The fruit is a large reddish-black drupe and is an important
food source for wildlife.
Saw palmetto blankets forest floor in southern Highlands
County, Florida. Native Americans used the fruit for food, but
also in the treatment of a variety of urinary and genital
problems. The European colonists learned of the use of saw
palmetto. It was used as a crude extract for at least 200 years
for various conditions including asthenia (weakness), recovery
from major illness, and urogenital problems. Eclectic physician
H. W. Felter says "Saw palmetto is a nerve sedative,
expectorant, and a nutritive tonic, acting kindly upon the
digestive tract. Its most direct action appears to be upon the
reprodutive organs when undergoing waste of tissue..."
In modern times, much research has been done on extract made
from the fruits which are highly enriched with fatty acids and
phytosterols. This research has been the subject of a thorough
meta-analysis published in the medical journal JAMA and has
been shown effective for the treatment of men suffering from
enlargement of the prostate.
There are also small, positive clinical trials published on the
use of saw palmetto extracts topically and internally for
male-pattern baldness. In 2005, a long-term, placebo-controlled
trial showed that a combination of saw palmetto fruit and nettle
root extracts were effective in treating urinary tract symptoms
in older men. However, in February 2006, a large, blinded
placebo-controlled study published in the New England Journal
of Medicine showed no reduction of symptoms from enlarged
prostate by taking saw palmetto, as compared to placebo.
Other research has shown that it works by multiple mechanisms,
including inhibiting 5-alpha-reductase, interfering with
dihydrotestosterone binding to the androgen receptor, by
relaxing smooth muscle tissue similarly to alpha antagonist
drugs, and possibly by acting as a phytoestrogen.
Because the fruit is the part used and because a prolific
quantity is produced by an adult saw palmetto tree, this herbal
medicine is considered ecologically sustainable.
Though in vitro studies suggest saw palmetto has properties
that might make it useful against prostate cancer cells or to
reduce prostatitis, clinical trials are lacking.
Though men taking saw palmetto may develop mild nausea, reduced
libido, or erectile dysfunction, the rate of such problems is
clinically and statistically far less common than in men taking
drugs to treat BPH symptoms. There are no known drug
interactions. Saw Palmetto should generally be avoided in
pregnancy and lactation and in small children due to lack of
experience and knowledge in these populations and because of
the purely theoretical risk of hormonal interference.
While saw palmetto is generally considered safe, one of its
primary active ingredients, beta-sitosterol, is chemically
similar to cholesterol. High levels of sitosterol
concentrations in blood have been correlated with increased
severity of heart disease in men who have previously suffered
from heart attacks.
Disclaimer - The information presented here should not be
interpreted as or substituted for medical advice. Please talk
to a qualified professional for more information about saw
palmetto.
About The Author: Copyright © 2006, Heather Colman. Find more
Saw Palmetto resources at:
http://www.saw-palmetto-support.info/sitemap.html and
http://www.ebookpalace.com
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