Saw palmetto: benefits, dosage, contraindications

Hair loss
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Preliminary clinical research shows that a combination of 200 mg saw palmetto extract and 50 mg beta-sitosterol taken twice daily improves subjective scores of hair quantity and quality in men with androgenetic alopecia. However, other clinical research shows that taking a saw palmetto extract at 320 mg per day for 24 months is less effective at improving hair growth in men with androgenetic alopecia than taking finasteride at 1 mg per day. nnSome earlier clinical research shows that saw palmetto lotion applied twice daily for 50 weeks improves hair density by 27% in men and women with androgenetic alopecia. However, it is not clear whether saw palmetto produced a statistically significant improvement compared with placebo.nnnnnn

Posologie

Topical, oral: fruit

200 - 320 mg

2 - years

Synergies

Benign prostatic hyperplasia
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There are many clinical studies on this subject; the smaller and shorter ones reported some slight to moderate improvements in urinary symptoms such as frequent urination, painful urination, urgency, and perineal heaviness. Some studies also show that saw palmetto decreases nocturia (the need to urinate at night), improves urinary flow, and reduces residual urine volume in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia. nnHowever, larger and longer trials found no effect. The most recent Cochrane meta-analysis also found no effect. Research results remain inconsistent. This may be due to different study methodologies, patient populations, symptom measurement methods, and the saw palmetto products used in the studies. nnMost clinical studies, including those with positive and negative results, used liposterolic extracts of saw palmetto berries containing about 80% to 90% free fatty acids. nn

Posologie

Oral: fruit

320 - 320 mg

Prostatitis
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Saw palmetto may improve prostatitis symptoms compared with no treatment in patients with nonbacterial prostatitis. Other preliminary clinical evidence suggests that daily intake of saw palmetto extract for eight weeks, in addition to prulifloxacin at 600 mg per day for 15 days, reduces pain and urinary symptoms more significantly than prulifloxacin alone in patients with bacterial prostatitis. However, other preliminary clinical research suggests that 325 mg saw palmetto taken orally for one year does not significantly improve nonbacterial prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain syndrome compared with treatment with finasteride 5 mg. Interestingly, preliminary clinical research shows that taking a complex of saw palmetto, selenium, and lycopene for 8 weeks significantly improves symptoms and peak urinary flow in patients with chronic prostatitis and/or chronic pelvic pain syndrome compared with pretreatment. However, these effects were less pronounced in patients treated with saw palmetto alone, indicating that saw palmetto may not be the only active component of this combination.

Posologie

Oral: fruit

160 - 320 mg

Synergies