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Saw palmetto is a small fan palm that grows in coastal areas and pine forests in the Southeastern US. The leaves of the palm contain very sharp spines – like saws – and the fruit are large dark red berries. These berries have long been used by Native Americans for healing.
Today, saw palmetto berry extracts are used in alternative medicine to treat conditions like enlarged prostate and hair loss, according to verywell health. That’s because several plant compounds are found in the berries like phytosterols that are plant-based steroids and flavonoids that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The berries also contain fatty acids that may reduce inflammation and aid your nervous system.
You can purchase saw palmetto extract as a supplement in a variety of forms and as an oil-based serum that can be directly applied to your hair. While most supplements contain doses of 100 to 500 mg, higher doses have been used in studies, according to Health. But check with your physician before using because palmetto may increase bleeding risk, could interfere with iron absorption, as well as affect hormone levels so it should not be used by people who are pregnant or nursing.
Here are four promising medicinal benefits of saw palmetto berries:
Helps prevent hair loss
The most common use of saw palmetto is as a natural treatment for androgenic alopecia (AGA) – hair loss – caused by an excessive response to testosterone. This is usually referred to as male-pattern hair loss but it can also affect females as well.
Saw palmetto contains an enzyme that converts testosterone into DHT, a more potent form of testosterone into a weaker form called androstanediol. Although DHT is needed for normal sexual development and other important functions in men and women, too much of it can overstimulate hair follicles and lead to shorter and thinner strands of hair as well as delayed hair replacement. Using palmetto treatments could increase hair density, growth, and prevent hair loss.
Supports prostate health
Using saw palmetto supplements is the most common form of alternative treatment for an enlarged prostate explained verywell health. That’s because compounds found in the palm fruit could improve urinary tract symptoms of frequent urination, nighttime urination, decreased flow, and incomplete bladder emptying. The phytosterols in saw palmetto – as well as the fatty acids – help to block the action of testosterone which can help ease prostate inflammation its symptoms.
Eases Chronic pelvic pain
Saw palmetto has been also used in natural medicine to treat a condition in men called chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS). This is a condition of pelvic pain from unknown origins that lasts for more than six months and is deliberating. It is believed that the fatty acid palmitoylethanolamide PEA that is found in the palm fruit has anti-inflammatory and analgesic – pain relieving – effects that can help people with CP/CPPS.
Helps regulate testosterone levels
Another benefit of saw palmetto is in helping to regulate testosterone levels that affect mood, body composition, sex drive and brain function. Since testosterone levels decrease with age, the activity of converting testosterone to DHT can help preserve the hormone's function, suggested Healthline. While there is some medical evidence that supports this, more research is needed to accurately assess the benefits of saw palmetto in male health.
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