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Can too much saw palmetto be harmful?

healthyeating.sfgate.com - What Are the Dangers of Saw Palmetto? - Healthy Eating | SF Gate

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Saw palmetto is used to treat a variety of conditions, including bladder disorders, enlarged prostate symptoms, hormonal imbalance, hair loss, sore throat and pelvic pain. It is derived from the leaves and berries of the sabal palm, which grows in the southeastern United states. Although some people may benefit from saw palmetto's diuretic and sedative properties, taking too much of this herb can cause health problems.

Liver Damage

Saw palmetto may damage your liver, especially if you have a history of liver problems or are at an increased risk for them. There have been reported cases of liver damage in people who took saw palmetto, although the exact cause of these rare side effects was not determined. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases adds that there is not enough information to conclude that saw palmetto caused them. According to the National Institutes of Health, symptoms are similar to those of hepatitis, with onset occurring within one to two weeks and resolving within one to three months. Symptoms of hepatitis include loss of appetite, jaundice and clay-colored stools.

Pancreatitis

Saw palmetto may cause pancreatitis, even if you only take it intermittently, according to researchers who published a paper in "Southern Medical Journal" in 2006. They cite three cases in which patients who had taken saw palmetto had contracted pacreatitis. When the patients stopped taking the saw palmetto, their illnesses subsided. The researchers concluded that natural medicinal preparations are not always safe, and that doctors should include herbal remedies in patients' medication histories when diagnosing and treating medical conditions.

Thinning Blood

Like aspirin, saw palmetto extract inhibits an enzyme called cyclooxygenase, according to researchers from a 2001 "Journal of Internal Medicine" article. This inhibition can thin your blood and delay clotting, causing cause prolonged bleeding or increased bruising. If you are taking an anticoagulant or antiplatelet medication, do not take saw palmetto, as it could overemphasize the blood-thinning properties of those drugs. People with stomach ulcers, hemophilia or other bleeding disorders should also avoid saw palmetto.

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Is saw palmetto as effective as finasteride?

Saw palmetto is an effective treatment for the symptoms of BPH. It appears to be as effective as finasteride and is better tolerated, less expensive, and less likely to decrease PSA levels. No research has evaluated the effect of saw palmetto on long-term outcomes in patients with BPH.

aafp.org - Saw Palmetto for Prostate Disorders - AAFP

Treatments for BPH can be evaluated by their effect on symptoms such as diminished urine stream, post-void dribbling, overflow incontinence, and urinary retention, or by less useful measures such as urine flow rate, changes in prostate size, and residual volume. In a Cochrane Review, investigators conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies comparing saw palmetto with placebo or other drugs.6 [Evidence level A: systematic e r view of randomized controlled trials RCTs] The review combined the results of 21 trials with durations of four to 48 weeks. The 21 studies included a total of 3,139 men with a mean age of 65 years (range: 40 to 88 years). According to the International Prostate Symptom Scale, these men had moderate symptoms, with an average urologic score of 14.4 points out of a possible 35 (moderate BPH symptoms range from eight to 19).6 In the 13 studies that reported symptom scores, saw palmetto improved symptom scores, individual symptoms, and flow measures more than placebo. Patients and physicians were more likely to report improvement in symptoms with saw palmetto treatment than with placebo. In the12 studies that reported nocturia results, saw palmetto reduced nocturia by 25 percent compared with placebo.

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