Saw Palmetto
Background
Saw
palmetto is a small palm tree native to the southeastern United States.
Its fruit was used medicinally by the Seminole Tribe
of Florida.
Currently,
saw palmetto is used as a dietary supplement for urinary symptoms
associated with an enlarged prostate gland (also called benign
prostatic hyperplasia or BPH), as well as for chronic pelvic pain,
decreased sex drive, migraine, hair loss, and other conditions.
Extracts
of the fruit of saw palmetto are used in tablets or capsules. Saw
palmetto has also been used as ground, dried, or whole berries, a
liquid extract, or a tea.
How Much Do We Know?
Rigorous,
well-conducted studies have evaluated saw palmetto for urinary tract
symptoms associated with prostate enlargement in men.
Much less
is known about the use of saw palmetto as a dietary supplement for
other health purposes or by other groups of people.
What Have We Learned?
The scientific evidence does not support using saw palmetto for any
health condition.
High-quality
scientific studies have shown that saw palmetto is no more effective
than a placebo (an inactive substance) in relieving urinary tract
symptoms caused by prostate enlargement. These studies include a 2011
NIH-funded study that tested saw palmetto in amounts up to three times
the usual dose.
What Do We Know About Safety?
Saw palmetto is well tolerated by most users. It may cause mild side
effects, including digestive symptoms or headache.
Saw
palmetto does not appear to affect readings of prostate-specific
antigen (PSA) levels, even when taken in higher-than-usual amounts. PSA
is a protein produced by the prostate gland. PSA levels have been used
to screen for prostate cancer and are also used to monitor patients who
have been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Saw palmetto has not been shown to interact with medications.
Information
on the safety of saw palmetto comes primarily from studies in men.
Little is known about the safety or side effects of saw palmetto in
women or children.
Keep in Mind
Urinary tract symptoms
can have several causes, including conditions such as prostate cancer
that need prompt treatment. If you’re having problems with urination,
it’s important to tell your health care provider.
Tell all your
health care providers about any complementary or integrative health
approaches you use. Give them a full picture of what you do to manage
your health. This will help ensure coordinated and safe care.
Key References
- Agbabiaka
TB, Pittler MH, Wider B, et al. Serenoa repens (saw
palmetto): a systematic review of adverse events. Drug Safety. 2009;32(8):637-647.
- Andriole
GL, McCollum-Hill C, Sandhu GS, et al. The
effect of increasing doses of saw palmetto fruit extract on serum
prostate specific antigen: analysis of the CAMUS randomized trial. Journal of Urology. 2013;189(2):486-492.
- Avins
AL, Lee JY, Meyers CM, et al. Safety
and toxicity of saw palmetto in the CAMUS trial. Journal of Urology. 2013;189(4):1415-1420.
- Barry
MJ, Meleth S, Lee JY, et al. Effect
of increasing doses of saw palmetto extract on lower urinary tract
symptoms: a randomized trial.JAMA. 2011;306(12):1344-1351.
- Croom
EM, Chan M. Saw palmetto. In: Coates PM, Betz JM, Blackman MR, et al.,
eds. Encyclopedia of Dietary
Supplements. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Informa
Healthcare; 2010:700-710.
- Saw
palmetto. Natural Medicines Web site. Accessed at
naturalmedicines.therapeuticresearch.com/ on April 23, 2015.
[Database subscription].
- Saw
palmetto berry. In: Blumenthal M, Goldberg A, Brinckmann J, eds. Herbal Medicine: Expanded
Commission E Monographs. Newton, MA: Integrative Medicine
Communications; 2000:335-340.
- Tacklind
J, MacDonald R, Rutks I, et al. Serenoa repens for
benign prostatic hyperplasia. Cochrane Database of Systematic
Reviews. 2012;(12):CD001423. Accessed at http://www.thecochranelibrary.com(link
is external) on
April 23, 2015.
-NIH
