Study Says - Popular Prostate Herb Works
Well Journal Staff
Saw palmetto, one of the top 10 herbal remedies in the United
States, can significantly improve symptoms of benign swelling of the prostate, a
condition that occurs in 80% of men over the age of 40 and 95% of men over 80.
"Our study provides the best evidence to
date that saw palmetto can have a beneficial effect" in treating prostatic
hyperplasia (BPH), said Dr. Glenn Gerber, an associate professor at the
University of Chicago and director of a six-month study reported in the journal
Urology.
The study was sponsored by Nutraceutical Corp., a
Utah-based manufacturer of the supplement. The study found that saw palmetto, an
herbal remedy first used by the Seminole Indians, improved symptoms of the older
men they studied, but had no significant adverse impact on the urinary flow
rates, quality of life or sexual function of the 94 subjects.
Although BPH is deemed "benign" because
it does not involve cancers, it still can cause unpleasant symptoms, including a
slow or delayed start of the urinary stream, a weak urine stream, the need to
urinate two to three times overnight, painful urination, bloody urine, urinary
retention and incontinence.
Prescribed worldwide
Saw palmetto oil is an accepted medical treatment
for BPH in New Zealand, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain and other
countries, states The Natural Pharmacist, adding: "In some countries it is
regarded as the 'gold standard' against which new prostate drugs must prove
themselves."
Even though the remedy is extracted from berries
of a plant native to the southeastern United States, American medicine has been
slow to adopt saw palmetto. However, American men have enthusiastically adopted
the herbal remedy on their own, elevating saw palmetto to one of the top 10
best-selling herbal remedies with approximately $50 million in sales annually in
the United States, according to Drug Store News.
Gerber said the next step is to compare saw
palmetto with standard medications for treating the condition. "Saw
palmetto clearly offers symptomatic benefit as compared with placebo
controls," says Gerber. "We can tell patients that this appears to be
a safe, well-tolerated substance that can produce short-term improvement of
urinary symptoms. But we also need to point out that we don't know why it works,
and that the dose can vary widely and unpredictably in over-the-counter
preparations, which may also include other untested herbal supplements."
Warning
Saw palmetto should not be used without speaking
to a physician if a person has a hormone-sensitive cancer like prostate cancer,
according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. Men should stop taking
saw palmetto and consult their practitioners if they have breathing problems,
tightness in the throat, chest pain, skin hives, rashes, or itchy or swollen
skin.
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Last modified:
July 22, 2011
