| Saw Palmetto Herb & Hair Loss Indications |
| Karen Marie Shelton |
| Date: 08/23/2003, Revised 12/8/2005 |
Introduction
Saw Palmetto is a small
palm with large leaves native to the Southeastern United States. The
palm has large deep red-blackberries. The Berries have been eaten as a
staple food and used as a medicine by American Indians for thousands
of years.
The berries contain powerful phyto-nutrients shown in dozens of studies
to interrupt the hormonal mechanism that causes the prostate to be
enlarged. Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) is the best selling natural prostate remedy,
the berry outsells all other herbal prostate remedies combined.
The prostate is a walnut-sized gland that lies at the base of the
bladder and surrounds the urethra. The urethra is the tube that
carries urine from the bladder to the penis. The prostate gland
secrets about 25% of the seminal fluid that's combined with sperm
during ejaculation. This fluid acts as a lubricant to protect and
energize sperm.
Only the male of our species have a prostate. Due to hormonal changes
that take place after the age of 40, the prostate can grow to many
times its normal size. In extreme cases it can grow as large as a
grapefruit. This is normally referred to as benign prostatic
hyperplasia, or BPH. When the prostate grows, it puts pressure on and
narrows the diameter of the urethra and pushes against the bladder,
obstructing the flow of urine, resulting in a weak, often interrupted
urinary stream. Some of the symptoms of BPH are a frequent need to
urinate, feeling as if you can never completely empty your bladder,
and a loss of sexual potency.
If you have these symptoms you should immediately make an appointment
to see a urologist. If you are taking Saw Palmetto it's important to
inform your urologist as it may definitely effect test he may do.
History Of Saw Palmetto
Saw Palmetto is a
small shrub that is native to the Southeastern part of the United
States.
The berries were used
by Native Americans as both a food and a medicine. Saw palmetto was
official listed in the National Formulary from 1926-1950. The 23rd edition of
the United States Dispensatory recommended saw palmetto berries for
“the enlarged prostate of old men.” Eventually Saw Palmetto fell out of favor in the United States.
However, physicians in
Europe continued to utilize this invaluable herb. In Germany today,
it’s one of the top ten herbal medications prescribed by physicians.
Saw Palmetto is often mislabeled as a man’s herb. While it certainly
has many benefits for men, it holds an important place in this formula
for women. Traditionally considered a uterine tonic,
Saw Palmetto has long been used for painful menstruation,
and ovarian pain and inflammation.
Scientific understanding of its influence in the body also suggests
its use for the reduction of androgen (male hormones) excess in women.
Scientific Research
Saw palmetto has
been the focus of numerous clinical studies that have demonstrated its
effectiveness in relieving the symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). This condition affects 50% of men over
the age of 50. BPH is the slow, progressive enlargement of the
prostate gland. Symptoms include frequent urination, nighttime
awakening to urinate (nocturia), straining to urinate, hesitancy, weak
stream, sensation of incomplete emptying, and terminal dribbling.
One of the first
double-blind studies of saw palmetto in the treatment of symptoms
associated with BPH involved 110 patients. A significant number of
subjects showed improvement in dysuria, nocturia, flow measurement,
and residual urine. The extract was well tolerated.
An open trial with 505 subjects with mild to moderate symptoms of BPH
demonstrated similar results. After 90 days of treatment, 88% of the
patients felt the therapy was effective.
A large double-blind, randomized international study of 1,098 men
compared saw palmetto with the pharmaceutical drug finasteride. The
patients were followed for six months. Both saw palmetto and
finasteride increased urinary flow rate and improved overall quality of life.
The study showed that saw palmetto and finasteride are equally
effective in the management of symptoms associated with BPH. However,
9% of the men who received finasteride experienced a decline in sexual
function, while 6% of the men in the saw palmetto group felt their
sexual function had improved.
A recent meta-analysis of 18 randomized trials concluded that saw
palmetto improves urinary tract symptoms and urinary tract flow
measures. Compared with finasteride, saw palmetto produces similar
responses in urologic symptoms and has a much lower rate of erectile
dysfunction.
Saw Palmetto
Action
The mechanism of action of saw palmetto is not yet fully understood.
As with most herbal medicines, saw palmetto’s effectiveness is
probably the result of several differing actions. Possible
explanations include inhibition of 5-alpha reductase, antiestrogenic
activity in prostate tissue, prostate volume reduction,
alpha1adrenergic receptor antagonism, and anti-inflammatory effects.
Saw Palmetto & Hair Loss Benefits?
Since finasteride, which is marketed as
Propecia, has proven effective in some cases in slowing or halting
hair loss, Saw Palmetto, which is considered to work in a similar
fashion to finasteride, is being tested as an alternative to
Propecia.
Published studies have shown that Saw Palmetto
is definitely effective as an anti-androgen. It has been
conclusively proven to successfully treat benign prostatic
hyperplasma (BPH). Therefore, it is assumed it would also help
with hair loss issues. As a result, people suffering from
Androgenetic Alopecia which is directly tied to the production or
overproduction of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) are now experimenting
with Saw Palmetto use.
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