All About Saw Palmetto
What is Saw Palmetto?
Saw Palmetto is a fan palm tree that is popularly used as a health supplement. In the realm of herbal medicines, saw palmetto easily joins the list as one of the most versatile. This is because saw palmetto extracts are known to be beneficial to a number of widely varying medical conditions.
Saw Palmetto Characteristics
Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) also known as cabbage palm and dwarf palm is the only known species under the genus “Serenoa”. Saw palmetto is a palm that is capable of reaching heights of 2 to 4 meters but is commonly observed to grow horizontally underground so only a portion of the stem will be visible. The palm grows nowhere else in the world but the south eastern United States from Texas to South Carolina, commonly seen growing along the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains even up to southern Arkansas. Central Florida is the palms biggest supplier.
Saw Palmetto has fan type palm leaves consisting of 20 leaflets, all forming a circular fan. The palm is robust and grows extremely slow. A few medium-sized specimens in Florida are thought to be 500 to 700 years old. The leaflets of each palm has a serrated edge called teeth or spines, they can easily cut through skin. This is how the palm gained the name “Saw”. The Saw Palmetto produces small yellowish white flower that are about 5mm across and turns into berries during springtime. The Palm’s fruit is a large dark red drupe which is edible and has been an important source of food for animals and early humans.
Saw Palmetto Extract
The fruit of the Saw Palmetto is berry that is rich in fatty acids and phytosterols and it is where medicinal supplements are derived from. The extracts have been used on treating benign prostatic hyperplasia, baldness, polycystic ovarian syndrome and other hyper-androgen conditions. The fruit is processed by partially drying it and then being broken down with the use of a solvent like ethanol. The ripe berries grow darker as it matures. They are picked and processed into powder.
Why Use Saw Palmetto?
• For Hair Loss
Saw Palmetto is known to reverse a type of baldness called androgenic alopecia. This hair loss affects both men and women and is the most common type of baldness. A commonly accepted cause of hair loss is the introduction of dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This hormone disrupts the proper functions of the hair follicles thereby inducing hair loss. In theory, the removal of dihydrotestosterone will allow hair to grow back again. This is where saw palmetto comes into play. The palms extract prevents the production of DHT by stopping testosterone into converting into DHT. Due to this, there have been many saw palmetto shampoos sold in the market which are safe to try.
• For Acne Treatment
Acne affects not only teenagers but also people who are into their early adulthood. Acne is usually worse in men than they are in women. This may be due to the aggressive production of hormones in men. Not only is it painful it also greatly reduces ones confidence, hugely affecting social interaction. The positive effect saw palmetto produces in minimizing hormone production led to the extracts usage as a way to lessen acne that is produced from hormonal imbalances. These hormones include dihydrotestosterone and testosterone. The results vary, some people show great improvement while the effects on others are barely noticeable. But if you want clear skin then why not try a possible cure that is all natural and has no known side effects in the treatment of acne.
• Prostate Health and Benign prostatic hyperplasia
People who suffer from an enlarged prostate may find relief in taking saw palmetto supplements. This is because saw palmetto extracts reduce the symptoms that come with an enlarged prostate. Benign prostatic hyperplasia symptoms include pain and difficulty in urinating, a weak or slow urinary stream, A feeling of bladder not being emptied, Frequent urination especially at night, a urinary stream that starts and stops, Continued dribbling of urine and Returning to urinate again minutes after finishing. There have been studies that show men aged from 40 to 90 that displayed improvement from the symptoms after being given saw palmetto extracts.
• Breast Enlargement
Breasts in women have been the source of both pride and poor self-image. Saw Palmetto provides a natural way of increasing both bust size and self-esteem. The development of breasts is directly affected by hormones like estrogen that are responsible for the development of reproductive system. Lack in these specific types of hormones results in stunted breast development. The balancing effect that saw palmetto does on the hormone levels corrects this condition allowing for the chest to develop into its fullest.
• Polycystic ovarian syndrome
Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a glandular disorder that affects women. It is one of the most common endocrine disorders and affects 5 to 10 percent of women aging from 12 to 45 years old. Women generally have low levels of testosterone as this is mainly a hormone produced by men. Women who suffer from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) show higher levels of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and testosterone. This condition is unhealthy for women. Saw palmetto helps improve the condition by inhibiting the body’s manufacture of DHT, increasing the rate of which DHT is broken down by the body and preventing the DHT to cling into parts of the body where they would do damage. Saw palmetto does wonders in combatting the disorder especially when used in combination with Vitamin D because deficiency in this vitamin contributes to the worsening of the syndrome.
Saw Palmetto Dosage
How much “saw palmetto extract” one should use depends on a lot of things. One is the type and purity of the supplement. Like most herbal supplements, there is no accepted “standard dosage” in saw palmetto. Always be sure to read the directions in each products packaging as different manufacturers will like use different formulations of the extract. People who are taking medication must consult their doctors first before taking the supplement as saw palmetto may affect the potency of other medicine.
