• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Herbal Resource

Information on Medicinal Herbs & Functional Medicine

  • Home
  • Herbs List
  • Herbs by Health Condition
  • Latest Posts
  • Phytochemicals
  • Our Authors

Saw Palmetto Uses and Benefits as a Medicinal Herb

Pin2K
Share20
Share
Reddit
Flip
Tweet
Share
2K Shares

Botanical Name of Saw Palmetto: Serenoa repens.

Other Common Names: Sabal, Sabal Fructus, Fructus Serenoae, Sägepalmenfrüchte, Sägepalme.

Habitat: Saw palmetto is found in sandy coastal lands or as undergrowth in pine forests in the Southeastern United States.

Description: Saw palmetto is a fan palm plant. The flowers produced by this plant are yellowish-white and the fruit is a reddish-black fleshy fruit with a pit.

Plant Parts Used: The fruit.

The Native Americans ate the fruit for nourishment but also used it for a treatment of many urinary and genital disorders. The European settlers saw this use and developed additional applications for it.

An extract from the fruit is used in herbal medicine today.

Essential fatty acids and phytosterols are found in this extract.

The fatty acids contained in saw palmetto are lauric acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid, and myristic acid. The polysaccharides; galactose, arabinose, and uronic acid, are also found in the fruit.

saw palmetto plant
Saw Palmetto Plant (Serenoa repens) – Attribution: Wikipedia

Therapeutic Uses, Benefits and Claims of Saw Palmetto

Saw Palmetto Serenoa repens
Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) – Illustration ©the herbal resource

Historically, saw palmetto has been used as a tea to treat benign enlargement of the prostate.

It was commonly used to treat frequent urinary tract infections and it was also believed it could increase sex drive in men and sperm production.

Frequent urination and excessive night urination, due to inflammation of the bladder or prostate, was a common condition treated by saw palmetto in the past.

Today many studies have been, and still are being, conducted on saw palmetto extracts to test some of the common claims.

It is commonly used today to tone the male reproductive system and boost the production of reproductive hormones in men.

It has also been used by females with fertility issues and reproductive organ problems as well. It is still being used to treat many urinary tract disorders.

In some cases it has been shown to aid thyroid function and as a herbal remedy for asthma, bronchitis and other bronchial and throat problems, especially those related to excess mucous secretions.

One of the other issues that its use has been focused on is benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH.)

Testosterone collects in the prostate and the converts to dihydrotestosterone (DHT.) This causes the cells to multiply quickly causing an enlargement of the prostate. Saw palmetto is thought to inhibit the conversion of testosterone to DHT and also the binding of DHT to receptor sites.

Saw palmetto has also been touted as an anabolic agent, contributing to muscle growth. This is also a by-product of the action of testosterone, stopping its conversion to DHT. This leads to more free-floating testosterone, which is an anabolic agent and leads to more muscle mass.

There are few, positive clinical trials published on the benefits of saw palmetto extracts both topically and internally as an herbal remedy for hair loss (baldness) in men.

saw almetto herb
Saw Palmetto – Medicinal Herb

Potential Side Effects of Saw Palmetto

This herb has been found to be relatively safe.

There have not been any contraindications or drug interactions found. The long-term effects have not been analyzed yet but it appears safe at normal doses.

It is also safe to mix with other herbs. It may be taken with damiana and gotu kola for reproductive system health. Horsetail and hydrangea can be taken with it to help slow or reverse growth in enlarged prostate glands.

Even though it has been shown to be safe in normal doses it is important not to use larger than normal doses.

It is also important to consult a physician for those how are on prescription medications or may be pregnant.

One of the primary active ingredients in saw palmetto, beta-sistosterol, is similar to cholesterol on a chemical level. In very rare cases, mild nausea, reduced libido, and erectile dysfunction may be experienced.

As with any herbal supplement, if any side effects are experienced during use, discontinue the supplement and if they do not clear up consult a physician.

The following two tabs change content below.
  • Bio
  • Latest Posts
Thordur Sturluson
My Facebook profileMy Google+ profile

Thordur Sturluson

Thor Sturluson has a BS in Biology, majoring in Botany, from the University of Maine and a masters degree in Zoology from the Open University in London. He's an experienced Biologist with a history of working in the environmental services industry. A trained scuba diver and researcher, Thor's has a keen interest in nature conservation and animal/plant protection. His work and botany passion has made The Herbal Resource what it is.
Thordur Sturluson
My Facebook profileMy Google+ profile

Latest posts by Thordur Sturluson (see all)

  • What is the Difference Between Hemp and Marijuana? - June 3, 2019
Pin2K
Share20
Share
Reddit
Flip
Tweet
Share
2K Shares

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ken says

    September 24, 2020 at 8:57 pm

    I have used 1800 mg in divided doses for 40 years.saw Palmerston used to say berries now bottle says whole herb. I now wonder if they are cutting corners to make money.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

HSR Newsletter Sign-up

loader

Email Address*

Your e-mail address is only used to send you our newsletter and information about the activities of The Herbal Resource. You can always use the unsubscribe link included in the newsletter.

Footer

  • Newsletters
  • Deals
  • Ethical Foraging – Do’s and Don’ts
  • Write for Us
  • Partner, Advertising & Commercial Relationships
  • Affiliate Agreement
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Categories

  • Functional Medicine
  • Grow Your Own Herbs
  • Herbs – General
  • Herbs – Scientific Evidence
  • Herbs for Specific Ailments
  • Medicinal Herb Profiles
  • Phytochemicals
  • Poisonous Plants
  • Sponsored Posts
  • Uncategorized

Follow

Subscribe to notifications

Contact Information

Email: herb@herbal-supplement-resource.com

Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

The Herbal Resource is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program as well as with other affiliate partners.

An affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to their products and services.

Looking for Something?

© Copyright 2018 The Herbal Resource · All Rights Reserved!