Saw Palmetto and Prostate Health

Did you know that after Proscar was approved by the FDA, that agency banned all nonprescription drugs for BPH including saw palmetto? 

According to Varro Tyler, Ph.D., dean and professor emeritus of pharmacognosy (natural product pharmacy) at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, the ban was initiated for two reasons. 

First, the FDA purported that there was no credible evidence to show that any over the counter (OTC) products were effective in the treatment of BPH. 

Second, the agency also expressed a viewpoint that those who used OTCs might put off getting proper treatment while their disease worsened. 

“What the FDA overlooked,” says Dr. Tyler, “was the considerable evidence in Western Europe that certain phytomedicinals (plant based medicines) are effective in treating BPH and that people using them experience an appreciable increase in their comfort level.  Perhaps the most popular of these is saw palmetto.  The beneficial effects include increased urinary flow, reduced residual urine and decreased frequency of urination.”

Saw palmetto can be found in southeastern states.  It is a small palm tree.  The Seminole Indians ate the seeds as food.  Who knows?  Maybe they found it helped their urinary problems. 

The reason it works is because it contains a compound that turns testosterone into dihydrotestosterone thus preventing the transformation of the testosterone.  It is exactly the same way that Proscar works, but in a different way.

Half a dozen studies have proven saw palmetto as an effective treatment.  In one of them, a clinical trial of more than 2000 German men with BPH received substantial easing of BPH symptoms after a daily does of one to two grams of saw palmetto seeds.

It is interesting to note, Science News reports, “30% of all American men have undiagnosed prostate cancer by age 60-but the incidence is only about 1% among Arctic Intuit men of the same age group.”  It is believed that this is a result of a diet high in fish oil.  This may be something to consider in your own diet.