Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens or Sabal serulata) is a member of the Palmaceae family that is native to North America and can be found growing along the Atlantic and Caribbean coasts. It reaches a height of about 6 metres and sports ivory flowers in spring, which develop into black-olive type berries and is similar in appearance to the fan-palms of Cyprus, favouring sandy soil.
Early European settlers in Carolinas observed the native Americans using this plant to strengthen and increase muscle growth following debilitating illness and gave it to their ailing children. However, the true function of the plant was not discovered until quite recently.
Saw palmetto contains fatty acids, phyosterols, flavanoids and polysaccharides, which make it diuretic, anti-spamodic, anti-androgenic, anti-inflammatory and adaptogenic. It is recommended by herbalists for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), commonly known as prostate enlargement. It is speculated that 50 per cent of men aged between 40 and 60 have this disorder which is thought to be caused by an accumulation of testosterone in the gland, which becomes converted into a more potent hormone that stimulates the cells to multiply, eventually leading to enlargement. The consequence of this is to increase and cause difficulty in urination, most particularly at night, thereby disrupting sleep patterns and leading to exhaustion. Prescriptive drugs for this condition work well but have a number of unpleasant side effects, including a sudden drop in blood pressure which has led a number of medical practitioners to recommend Saw palmetto because it appears to have no side effects at all and give it the title of ‘the plant catheter’. The sterol compounds of the plant inhibit the cellular multiplication and have made it one of the most popular over-the-counter remedies for this condition.
In addition to the above, recent research reveals that the plant’s hormonal contents are beneficial in treating wasting diseases by increasing body weight and strength. Currently, a range of experiments are investigating claims originating in native American medicine that the plant will restore sexual potency, prevent premature ejaculation, prevent hair loss in women and will enhance breast and pelvic development.
Clearly, the hormonal compounds of this plant will make it unsuitable to those who are pregnant or breast feeding, or anyone taking hormonal based drugs or if you have a hormone-dependant cancer.
The most popular way to take Saw palmetto is to make an infusion and consume one cup a day.
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