Saw Palmetto Flunks Prostrate Exam

Science News Online ^ | 2-24-2006 | Nathan Seppa

[blam]

Saw palmetto flunks prostate exam

Nathan Seppa

An herbal supplement used by 2.5 million men in the United States has failed to outperform a dummy capsule when taken for urinary problems.

Some men treat themselves for enlarged prostate glands by taking saw palmetto extract, which is derived from the berries of the North American scrub palm (Serenoa repens). The condition, called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), squeezes the urethra, making urination difficult and frequent. Symptoms include a need to get up at night to urinate.

Several earlier studies showed that although saw palmetto didn't shrink the prostate, it eased urinary symptoms somewhat. In one study, it relieved symptoms as well as did the drug finasteride, which doctors prescribe for BHP under the brand names Propecia and Proscar.

But in the Feb. 9 New England Journal of Medicine, scientists report that 112 men with BPH who took two capsules of saw palmetto extract daily for a year still had symptoms similar to those reported by 113 men with BPH who took inert capsules. The men weren't told the contents of their capsules during the trial.

The active ingredient in saw palmetto is unknown, and preparations vary in content. That makes it hard to know whether these new results apply to all saw palmetto supplements, says study coauthor Stephen Bent, an internist at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in San Francisco.

Nevertheless, the new study "tips the scale back toward uncertainty" about saw palmetto, he says.

[blam]

I'm beginning to have BPH.

[Magic Fingers]

"I'm beginning to have BPH."

You might want to Google search for information on beta sitosterol - reportedly the "unknown" active ingredient in saw palmetto...also reportedly 300X stronger than saw palmetto.

[pipecorp]

"An herbal supplement used by 2.5 million men in the United States has failed to outperform a dummy capsule when taken for urinary problems."

I'd be pissed!

[Uri’el-2012]

Saw Palmetto at LEF.ORG

[southernnorthcarolina]

Well, I suppose this means that saw palmettos won't become endangered.

[kingu]

also reportedly 300X stronger than saw palmetto.

Hmm. Saw palmetto is ineffective, so 300x the effect would probably be still ineffective.

This report is chasing the cow after it already went back to the barn - most people have already figured out that saw palmetto doesn't do anything. Last time I checked, the herb which was selling for around $14 a pound last year is now selling for $3.20 a pound.

The thing I never could understand - most people wouldn't wander through a drug store's prescription department randomly trying bottles of pills, but the imagine that randomly trying various herbal remedies is just the safest thing to do. I sell herbs that could easily kill a grown man if used in the wrong manner, yet people want to buy them like candy.

Best recommendation - if you want to try out any herbal supplements or remedies, go find yourself an herbalist. If their first question isn't 'what prescription drugs are you currently taking, and what herbal supplements,' run, don't walk, away. A good many drugs are derived from herbs, they have the same chemical interactions, and using them in the wrong manner or in the wrong combinations can be just as deadly as your typical hospital mistake.

[gusopol3]

prostrate? you shouldn't take this lying down

[ConorMacNessa]

Try drinking beer - my prostate is the size of a softball and I have no disuria. In fact, I piss like a racehorse, especially after a few good brews.

[originalbuckeye]

Yes. It oughtta be 'prostate', huh.

[aimhigh]

Many of these studies are done by drug companies with the goal of eliminating natural competition. As I recall, this study used 100 mg pills, whereas most commercial dosages are 300 to 500mg. One way to guarenty failure is to use too small a dosage.

[hosepipe]

Not true.. I have been using Saw Pametto for years.. it works.. When I lived in Florida I gathered it raw and natural it grows wild there(and other states)..

When I stop using it.. the prostate symptoms reappeared..
Don't work?.. DuuuH.. I don't think so..

This report is not only wrong its disinformation..
Not all herbal suppliments work, but some do.. actually many do..

Many drugs are active ingredients from some "herb".. whose to say what the active ingrediants are?.. Maybe they missed some of the active ingredients.. and just patented one of them.. Thats why most drugs have side effects.. Ya think?..

[WalterSkinner]

..it works

That and increase of zinc will help BPH.

I would also suggest a PSA test every year.

[blam]

"I would also suggest a PSA test every year."

Check. I do it twice a year.

[SunkenCiv]

Nevertheless, the new study "tips the scale back toward uncertainty" about saw palmetto, he says, "which is what the purpose of it was in the first place."

;')

[N. Theknow]

Saw Palmetto Flunks Prostrate Exam

Didn't take it lying down?

[SunkenCiv]

beta sitosterol:

Google

[laser-red-nova]

Has anybody out there tried Avodart for BPH