Magazine Articles:
Saw Palmetto
for
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)

"Saw Palmetto May Halt Prostate Enlargement," Better Nutrition for Today's Living, September 1995

Excerpts:

In Natural Prescriptions, Robert M. Giller, M.D., said that saw palmetto has given many of his patients relief from BPH. He recommends 160 mg twice daily.

This same dosage, along with other suggestions, are detailed in Natural Health, Natural Medicine by Andrew Weil, M.D. "This remedy protects the prostate from the irritating effects of testosterone and, by promoting shrinkage of the gland, improves urinary function," he said. "It is nontoxic and you can stay on it indefinitely."

After such herbal remedies as saw palmetto became less popular in the 1950s, the herb—native to Southeastern United States—was discovered by European researchers, who have studied it extensively, according to Daniel B. Mowrey, Ph.D., in Herbal Tonic Therapies.

"Saw palmetto extract, concentrated and purified in the best tradition of guaranteed potency herbs, dramatically reduces the size of the enlarged prostate and restores function," Mowrey added.

He added that the herb contains an oil composed of sterols and various saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. The whole saw palmetto berry, the sterolic fraction, contained in the fat-soluble extract, makes a major contribution to the action of the extract; it is composed of beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol, sycloaretnol and other substances.

As to what causes an enlarged prostate, Mowrey said that saw palmetto prevents the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It also appears to interfere with the ability of DHT to bind to receptor sites on the membranes of prostate cells and their nuclei. Too much DHT could cause the prostate cells to divide and multiply at a rate in excess of normal, thereby leading to an enlargement of the gland.

In one double-blind study, Mowrey reported, saw palmetto was given to 100 patients suffering from BPH. The frequency of nocturnal urination decreased by over 45 percent, the rate of flow increased by over 50 percent, and the residual urine decreased by 42 percent in the treatment group.

References:

Giller, Robert M., M.D., and Matthews, Kathy. Natural Prescriptions. New York: Carol Southern Books, 1994, pp. 286-287.

Mowrey, Daniel B., Ph.D. Herbal Tonic Therapies. New Canaan, Conn.: Keats Publishing, Inc., 1993, pp. 287-288; 355-357.

Weil, Andrew, M.D. Natural Health, Natural Medicine. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1990, p. 319.

Most Recent Update:

January 13, 1996

Copyright © 1996, David Mendosa

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