Saw Palmetto: Natural Health For The Prostate

Saw Palmetto: Natural Health For The Prostate

Saw palmetto consists of the partially dried, ripe fruit of a low, bushy palm that grows from South Carolina to Florida. The saw palmetto tree grows only about two to four feet high, with stone - shaped diagonal leaves and abundant berries. Native Americans used these berries for the treatment of various urinary problems in men. Successive, European physicians began using it to relieve the symptoms of BPH ( generous prostatic hyperplasia ) by:

* Expansion urinary flow
* Progression ease of urination
* Facilitating a more complete emptying of the bladder
* Decreasing frequency of urination *

Though some recent studies report diametrically opposed results, a review of 18 randomized trouble conducted between 1983 and 1997 and involving approximately 3, 000 participants complete that saw palmetto herbal products provided some benefit in controlling lower urinary tract symptoms and flow measures in men with BPH. * The mechanism of reaction of saw palmetto is thought to be through its bent to block hormone ( testosterone and estrogen ) receptor sites and its anti - inflammatory effects.

The recommended dose is one to two grams of the herb per day or 320 mg of an alcohol extract per day. It should be noted that while most researchers believe that saw palmetto is good for peculiar relief of BPH only and that it does not shrink the size of the gangling prostate, there is some research to suggest that saw palmetto may actually cause the prostate to shrink slightly, thereby retarding prostate enlargement. *

The drug Proscar does this, too, and to a greater extent than saw palmetto, but other run-of-the-mill medications for BPH have no conclusion on prostate size. Saw palmetto may also indulgence a role in the management of non - bacterial prostatitis, but it does NOT laxity a role in the treatment of prostate cancer. *

Routine prostate screenings, including digital rectal analysis ( DRE ) and blood tests for prostate discriminative antigen ( PSA ), should be conducted on a humdrum outset, as advised by a instructed physician. Pertinent to its facility to difficulty hormone receptor sites, it should not be taken by patients taking hormone therapy, nor should it be taken by those getting anticoagulant medication.

* REFERENCES
1. Tyler VE. " Herbs of Choice: The Therapeutic Use of Phytomedicinals, " Pharmaceutical Products Press, Binghamptom, NY, 1994. p. 82.
2. Wither TJ, Ishani A, Rutks I et al. Phytotherapy for balmy prostatic hyperplasia. Public Health Nutr 2000; 2 ( 4a ): 459 - 472.
3. Braeckman J. The extract of Serenoa repens in the treatment of cordial prostatic hyperplasia: a multicenter unbarred study. Curr Ther Res. 1994; 55: 776 - 785.
4. Romics I, Schmitz H, Frang D. Practicality in treating generous prostatic hypertrophy with Sabal serrulata for one generation. Int Urol Nephrol. 1993; 25: 565 - 569.
5. Marks LS, Partin AW, Epstein JI, et al. Effects of a saw palmetto herbal blend in men with essential amiable prostatic hyperplasia. J Urol. 2000; 163: 1451 - 1456.
6. Kaplan SA, Volpe MA, Te AE. A coming, 1 - span trial using saw palmetto versus finasteride in the treatment of sort III prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome. J Urol. 2004; 171: 284 - 288.