Hopkins professor, Dr. H. Ballentine Carter, reviews the data on saw palmetto for BPH symptoms.
Saw palmetto, otherwise known as serenoa repens and sabal serrulata, is an over-the-counter herbal supplement made from the fruit of the American dwarf palm tree. Its manufacturers claim that saw palmetto can ease the urinary symptoms of an enlarged prostate, or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), faster and with fewer side effects than prescription treatment.
Saw palmetto is touted to help relieve BPH symptoms, including the frequent, urgent need to urinate, a decreased or stop-and-start urine flow, and the feeling that you haven’t completely emptied your bladder.
While many users swear by saw palmetto and some studies have suggested a benefit, other research has found saw palmetto doesn’t help. H. Ballentine Carter, M.D., Professor of Medicine in the Department of Urology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, says he doesn’t often recommend saw palmetto as a treatment for the lower urinary tract symptoms. Dr. Carter believes the mixed results from clinical trials can be explained by differences in study design and among the groups of men that were studied. “The most comprehensive study to date,” says Dr. Carter, “shows that saw palmetto has no benefit over placebo.”
This study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), examined 225 men. The men were randomly assigned either a 160-mg saw palmetto supplement, taken twice daily, or a placebo. After a year, saw palmetto was found to be no more effective than placebo for treating lower urinary tract symptoms. The NEJM study is notable because of its length; many earlier studies were only weeks long.
If you still want to use saw palmetto for BPH, speak with your doctor beforehand and keep in mind that the FDA does not regulate supplement production, so it’s unclear what you’re getting when you buy a saw palmetto product. Side effects of saw palmetto are mild but can include digestive upset and lack of sexual desire. In rare cases, saw palmetto can cause bleeding, so it’s not recommended for men with bleeding disorders, who take anticoagulants such as Coumadin (warfarin), or who are about to undergo surgery. It’s also not a good idea to take saw palmetto in conjunction with a prescription medication for BPH.
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It is interesting that while so many "loyal" users of Saw Palmeto swear by its effectiveness, the traditional medical community continues to down play its possible effectiveness. I for one know that it does assist me with my BPH, generally reducing my nightly trips to the bathroom by at least one! Not monumental but nevertheless one or more less trips to the bathroom at night. I wonder if the traditional medical "testors" are using the correct Saw Palmeto formula in their studies: Saw Palmeto Extract, standardized to 85% - 95% Fatty Acids?
Posted by: ffoegler | March 18, 2007
The recent Saw Palmetto study does not match my experience. Last summer I started taking Saw Palmetto and after 5 to 6 months I noticed that instead of getting up in the night to go to the bathroom 3 times, I only had to get up one time. And, the bonus for me was I was starting to grow more hair on my balding head!! Where before I had about 20 hairs on the mid front portion of my head, I now have a hundred or more, so it certainly seems to be working in that department! My wife noticed it and my barber noticed it! I note the recent study used only 160mg of Saw Palmetto but in my experience I took 540mg of Saw Palmetto twice a day. The bottle recommended 3 times a day, but I would always forget to take it at noon time. Maybe if I had taken it 3 times a day, my urinary and baldness would have improved much faster, I don't know. Anyway, I am looking forward to growing more hair on my head. I have hopes that it will fully restore the hair that I seem to have lost over the years. Only time will tell, I guess. No negative side effects so far.
Posted by: frankalexander | March 24, 2007
I have been using saw palmetto and I have developed high blood pressure and I was wondering if any one else has had this problem . Any answers would be appreciated . Thank you . Send to the email address .
Posted by: bdicky | March 29, 2007
I had "Stage 1 Hypertension" (the lower range of a high blood pressure situation) of 140-159 systolic with 90-99 Diastolic before I took Saw Palmetto and after nearly 8 months of taking it, I am still in the "Stage 1" range. It may have shifted me from a low stage 1 to the higher portion of stage 1, but I haven't really been aware of that since my readings vary within Stage 1. So basically, I haven't noticed a definite change in blood pressure because of taking 540 mg of Saw Palmetto over nearly an 8 month period.
Posted by: frankalexander | March 30, 2007
Has anyone experienced gastrointestinal side effects from using saw palmetto? Thanks for any and all replies............cyborg
Posted by: cyborg | April 20, 2007
I have not experienced any "gastrointestinal side effects" from using saw palmetto for 9 months so far. By the way, I had IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) before taking saw palmetto and have it now while taking it. My IBS did not improve nor worsen as a result. (I keep my IBS under control by taking probiotic supplements.)
Posted by: frankalexander | April 22, 2007
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