Botanical Index No. 909

Saw Palmetto

serenoa repens

Medicinal Actions

Narcotic, Secretolytic, Sedative, Stimulant, Tonic, Urinary Antiseptic, Uterotonic, Alpha-Reductase Inhibitor, Anabolic, Antiallergic, Antiandrogenic, Anticancer, Anticatarrhal, Anticholinergic, Antiedemic, Antiestrogenic, Antiexudative, Antihistaminic, Antiinflammatory, Antioxidant, Antiseptic, Antispasmodic, Aromatase Inhibitor, Cyclooxygenase Inhibitor, Decongestant, Digestive, Diuretic, Expectorant, Estrogenic, Immunostimulant, 3-Ketosteroid-Reductase Inhibitor, 5-Lipoxygenase Inhibitor, Mastogenic

Primary Conditions Treated

Nervine Testicular Atrophy Vasoconstrictor Adenopathy Allergy Alopecia Anorexia Asthma Bite BPH Bronchosis Cachexia Cancer Catarrh Cholecystosis Cold Congestion Cough Cramp Cystosis Debility Diarrhea Dysentery Dyspepsia Dysuria Eczema Edema Enuresis Epididymosis Frigidity Gastrosis Gonorrhea Head Cold Immunodepression Impotence Infertility Inflammation Insomnia Laryngosis Leukorrhea Mastosis Micromastia Migraine Mucososis Nephrosis Nervousness Orchosis Pain Pertussis Phthisis Polyuria Prostatosis Pulmonosis Respirosis Snakebite Sore Throat Sterility Stomachache Swelling Tenesmus Tuberculosis Tumor Ovariosis Urethrosis Uterosis UTI Vaginosis VD Water Retention Aperitif Aphrodisiac Bitter

General Dosage

2–3 tsp fresh fruit; 0.5–1 g powdered dry fruit; 1–1.5 g dry fruit; 1–2 g dry fruit; 0.5–2.0 g dry fruit, or in tea, 3 ×/day; 1.5 g dry fruit:8 ml alcohol/7 ml water; 1–60 drops fluid fruit extract; 0.6–1.5 ml liquid BPC fruit extract; 2–4 ml/day liquid fruit extract; 5–6 ml liquid whole herb extract; 320 mg/day lipophilic extract; 160 mg liposterolic extract 2 ×/day; 320 mg alcohol or hexane extract StX at 90% fatty acids/sterols; 1 capsule 2 ×/day; 1 soft gel StX/day; 2–3 capsules 3 ×/day.

Safety & Contraindications

Class 1. “Hazards and/or side effects not known for proper therapeutic dosages”. Commission E reports no contraindications or interactions for the fruit. Adverse effects: gastric complaints. As improvement is symptomatic without eliminating prostatic hypertrophy, a physician should be consulted regularly. May interact with the contraceptive pill, other hormonal therapies, and HRT. “Use during pregnancy and lactation should be avoided”. 34 of 435 patients completing a 3-year study reported 46 adverse effects, and a dropout rate of 1.8% due to adverse effects. “There are no known contraindications to saw palmetto preparations”. May interfere with PSA readings after 6 months’ treatment. If prevention of the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone is responsible for impotence as a side effect of finasteride, then this could be a concern with equivalent doses of saw palmetto.

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