Saw palmetto is a low-growing, multi-stemmed fan palm whose small spherical to ellipsoidal blue to black fruits grow up to three inches long. Found exclusively in the southeastern United States, the fruits of saw palmetto are used by the pharmaceutical industry to extract its constituents and market them in the form of extracts for mild prostate ailments and problems with urination (micturition problems).
Occurrence and cultivation of South Sea myrtle.
Saw palmetto is a low-growing, multi-stemmed fan palm whose small spherical to ellipsoidal blue to black fruits grow up to three centimeters long. The saw palmetto establishes its own genus as the only representative of Serenoa. The low-growing and multi-stemmed fan palm species behaves to the high-stemmed palms similar to the mountain pine to the high-stemmed pines. The trunks are low-lying or even run in the ground, so they rarely exceed a height of two meters. It owes its name to the edge of its pinnate leaves, which resemble a serrated saw blade. The saw palmetto is found exclusively in the southeastern United States, roughly from Florida to South Carolina. It prefers sandy soils and forests, where it usually forms the predominant understory, and is very well adapted to frequent brush fires, which it not only survives, but can even use for growth advantages. The white flowers of the saw palmetto are inconspicuous, measuring four to five millimeters in diameter, but give off a pleasant fragrance. The pollinated flowers develop into small spherical to ellipsoidal drupes that ripen in the fall, taking on a dark blue to almost black coloration. The valuable ingredients of the fruits are used by the pharmaceutical industry for the production of medicines and food supplements. Among other things, they help against mild prostate complaints and problems with urination.
Effect and application
The single-seeded drupes of saw palmetto contain a wide variety of health-related secondary plant compounds, most of which, however, are not water-soluble and must therefore be extracted with alcohol or comparable substances. The fruits contain essential oils, bitter substances, tannins as well as di- and triterpenes and valuable flavonoids. Unlike drugs with only one active substance that targets a specific metabolic process, medicinal plants offer a whole cocktail of ingredients that are offered to the body and the immune system, from which the immune system picks out the substances that are needed at the moment. In this case, the total effect of the ingredients in combination is greater than the summed effects of the individual components considered in isolation. Problems with frequent urination in men are usually due to mild to moderate benign hyperplasia (enlargement) of the prostate gland, which surrounds the urethra and constricts it a little due to the hyperplasia, causing problems when urinating and leaving too much residual urine in the bladder. In the development of benign hyperplasia of the prostate, the conversion of the prohormone testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which acts as a sex hormone, often plays a decisive role. The conversion is catalyzed by the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase. This is precisely where the extracted active ingredients of saw palmetto fruits take effect. They have an inhibitory effect on the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase, so that excess DHT is prevented, which is usually causally responsible for enlargement of the prostate. However, saw palmetto extracts do not only inhibit the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase. They also exert a decongestant and anti-inflammatory effect, which can help to restore conditions in the urogenital tract to normal. In addition, the extracts have an inhibitory and normalizing effect on increased leakage of fluids from the vessels, which can lead to excessive urine production and dehydration in the kidneys, for example. Typical indications for the use of saw palmetto products are benign prostatic hyperplasia, problems with urination and residual urine in the bladder, and inflammation in the genitourinary system. The intake of saw palmetto extracts can also be helpful in cases of sexual dysfunction, mainly due to prostate problems. As a guideline for daily intake, the recommended dosage is 320 milligrams of the extract in the form of tablets, capsules or as drops.
Importance for health, treatment and prevention.
Regular intake of preparations containing extracts of saw palmetto fruit in defined quantity and purity develop a long-term effect. Ultimately, the extracts provide crucial self-help assistance to one’s immune system and metabolism. On the one hand, they contain secondary ingredients that enable the metabolism to slowly improve problems around the prostate – provided it is not a malignant tumor – and around normal urination. There may also be improvements in the sexual area due to normalization of the urogenital area and due to inhibition of DHT. In addition, problems with a constricted urethra and the resulting frequent urge to urinate cause psychological problems, because the affected men must first make sure at events where a urinal can be quickly saufgesuch in case of need. The extracts of saw palmetto are used for long-term improvement of the above-mentioned problem areas, but also as a precaution against prostate enlargement and the occurrence of other urogenital complaints. The advantage of long-term use compared to drug therapy with common drugs is mainly that saw palmetto extracts show almost no side effects. Rarely, stomach complaints were observed, but these did not exceed the level that also occurred when taking ineffective placebos. However, it must be borne in mind that saw palmetto extracts may cause existing swelling of the prostate to subside, but are mainly aimed at improving symptoms. Therefore, in no case should treatment with saw palmetto extracts replace the necessary visit to the doctor.
