Side effects and interactions Saw palmetto may thin your blood and can cause excessive bleeding during surgery. Always tell your doctor all of the supplements you're taking before beginning any new type of treatment and before surgery. Interactions may occur between saw palmetto and some other medications.
What is saw palmetto? Saw palmetto is a type of small palm tree found in Florida and parts of other southeastern states. It has long, green, pointed leaves like many types of palm trees. It also has branches with small berries. Native Americans from the Seminole tribe in Florida traditionally ate saw palmetto berries for food and to treat urinary and reproductive problems associated with an enlarged prostate gland. They also used it to treat cough, indigestion, sleeping problems, and infertility. Share on Pinterest We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Here’s our process. How we vet brands and products Healthline only shows you brands and products that we stand behind. Our team thoroughly researches and evaluates the recommendations we make on our site. To establish that the product manufacturers addressed safety and efficacy standards, we: Evaluate ingredients and composition: Do they have the potential to cause harm?
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Saw palmetto and the prostate The prostate is part of the male reproductive system. It’s a walnut-size gland located inside the body between the bladder and urethra. Your prostate typically gets bigger with age. However, a prostate gland that grows too large can place pressure on your bladder or urethra. This can cause urinary problems. Saw palmetto works by stopping the breakdown of testosterone into its byproduct, dihydrotestosterone. This byproduct helps the body hold on to more of its testosterone and create less dihydrotestosterone, which can slow or stop the growth of the prostate gland. Saw palmetto can help alleviate some of the symptoms of BPH by stopping prostate growth. These symptoms include: frequent urination
increased urination at night (nocturia)
trouble starting a urine stream
weak urine stream
dribbling after urinating
straining while urinating
inability to completely empty the bladder Shop for saw palmetto.
Saw palmetto and libido Low testosterone levels are associated with low libido in both men and women. Saw palmetto may boost libido by stopping the breakdown of testosterone in the body. In men, sperm production is guided by testosterone. Too little testosterone results in low sperm count. Similarly, too little testosterone reduces a woman’s egg production. Saw palmetto may increase both male and female fertility by affecting the balance of free testosterone in the body.
Saw palmetto and hair loss High levels of dihydrotestosterone are associated with hair loss, while high levels of testosterone are associated with hair growth. Some men take saw palmetto so their body’s level of dihydrotestosterone decreases and the level of testosterone increases. This can reduce hair loss and sometimes promote hair regrowth.
Side effects of saw palmetto While saw palmetto is widely used, it does occasionally cause side effects in some people. These side effects can include: dizziness
headache
nausea
vomiting
constipation
diarrhea Research on the safety of saw palmetto is ongoing. However, the FDA urges pregnant and breastfeeding women to avoid using saw palmetto. According to the American Pregnancy Association, it’s probably unsafe for pregnant and breastfeeding women because it affects hormone activity in the body.
Is an enlarged prostate usually cancerous?
An enlarged prostate means the gland has grown bigger. Prostate enlargement happens to almost all men as they get older. An enlarged prostate is...
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What is the latest treatment for enlarged prostate Mayo Clinic?
And as men age, the symptoms occur more frequently. Treatment for BPH has long been medications and procedures, such as lasers or an electric loop, which burn the prostate from the inside out. But, now, a relatively new convective water therapy treatment uses steam to make the prostate smaller.
Jason Howland: It's a common problem for older men: benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH.
Toby Kohler, M.D., Urology, Mayo Clinic: " BPH is a fancy way of saying the prostate is getting larger, and we don't want it to."
Jason Howland: Dr. Toby Kohler, a Mayo Clinic urologist, says the enlarged prostate forces the urethra to narrow, causing a variety of urination problems. And as men age, the symptoms occur more frequently.
Treatment for BPH has long been medications and procedures, such as lasers or an electric loop, which burn the prostate from the inside out.
But, now, a relatively new convective water therapy treatment uses steam to make the prostate smaller.
Dr. Kohler: "For nine seconds, a steam ball is produced and that kills all that prostate tissue that we don't want or that has grown out of control."
Jason Howland: Dr. Kohler says the procedure, performed right in the doctor's office, has a very low risk for complications or sexual side effects.
Dr. Kohler: "It does not carry heat outside the prostate, and it does not carry heat to areas we don't want it."
Jason Howland: He says this next generation of BPH treatment may soon replace the need for costly medications.
For the Mayo Clinic News Network, I'm Jason Howland.
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