Saw Palmetto Lacey Fishman March 3 2008 BSCI

Saw Palmetto Lacey Fishman March 3, 2008 BSCI 493 http: //www. herbs 2000. com/images/he rbs_saw_palmetto. jpg

The Miracle Plant! • All-natural alternative to Viagra! • Reduces prostate size and alleviates all symptoms of BPH! • Makes critical phytonutrients available to the prostate gland! • Reverses hair loss! • Stops unwanted hair growth! • Increases breast size in women!

REALLY? !? !? !

Taxonomy [16] Kingdom – Plantae Phylum – Magnoliaphyta Class – Lilopsida Order – Arecales Family – Arecacea Genus – Serenoa Species – Serenoa repens L. http: //plants. usda. gov/java/profile? s ymbol=SERE 2&p hoto. ID=sere 2_00 3_avp. tif http: //plants. usda. gov/java/pr ofile? symbol=SERE 2&photo. I D=sere 2_004_avp. tif

Botanical description [8, 16] • Perennial shrub • S-L-O-W growth…only. 01 inches per YEAR • Best suited to warm, moist climates • Yellow-green leaves with white flowers and black seeds • Native to South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas

Traditional Uses [4] • • • Alcoholism Respiratory infections Appetite stimulant Bronchitis Dysentery Kidney disease Whooping cough Headaches Rheumatism Hemorrhoids Stomach ache Anti-inflammatory • • • Breast atrophy Ovarian atrophy Alopecia Sexual stimulant Sperm production Prostate enlargement Testicular atrophy Hormone regulation Infertility Incontinence Urinary tract infections Diuretic

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia • Non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate glad [15] • Pressure on urethra from enlarged prostate causes symptoms [15] – Frequent, difficult urination – Incomplete emptying, leading to chronic urinary tract infections – If left untreated, chronic urine retention can lead to renal failure

How does it help? • Exact method of action not known – One suggested cause of BPH is increase in androgens, especially dihydrotestosterone; may interfere with conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone and block the androgen binding sites [2] • Has been experimentally shown to discourage cell growth and encourage death of abnormal cells (apoptosis) [14]

Possible Actions • Defends prostate from androgens, including dihydrotestosterone [4] – Inhibition of 5 -alpha reductase – Action on alpha adrenergic receptors • Anti-inflammatory [4] – Reduce swelling of prostate gland • Interference with growth factors [4] – Prevent abnormal growth of prostate gland

What’s in it? • The active ingredient is not known, but several are hypothesized – Acylglycerides [11] • 1 -monolaurin • 1 -monomyrstin – Phytosterols [13] • Campesterol • Sigmasterol • Beta-Sitosterol http: //chemfinder. cambridg esoft. com/result. asp

Dosage • Many different recommendations [2, 4, 17] – 320 mg of liposterolic extract ~ 1 g berries – If taking dried, powdered saw palmetto: • 1350 -2250 mg • 540 mg • 320 mg – In addition to powders and extracts, can also be brewed into a tea • 3 -5 cups of tea daily

Side Effects [4, 5, 7, 12] • • • Constipation Diarrhea Nausea Breast swelling and tenderness Decreased libido All side effects supposed to be “mild, infrequent, and readily reversible”

Contraindications • Should not be used by alcoholics, as it can induce cholestatic hepatitis or acute pancreatitis. [6]

Adulterants • Unripe Saw Palmetto berries [3] – Mature berries are harvested in the fall, at the end of the growing season – Immature berries sometimes harvested and sold before the main harvest of berries is ripe – Concentrations of possible active ingredients has not been quantified in unripe berries; ripe and unripe berries have different chemical compositions and unripe berries may not be medicinally useful

How well does it work? • According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: – “Several small studies suggest that saw palmetto may be effective for treating BPH symptoms. ” [7] – “In 2006, a large study of 225 men with moderate-to-severe BPH found no improvement with 320 mg saw palmetto daily for 1 year versus placebo. ” [7]

How well does it work? • According to Chemist & Druggist Magazine: – “S. repens significantly improves urologic symptoms and flow measures compared with placebo. ”[4] – “Numerous uncontrolled trials…essentially corroborate the clinical effectiveness and safety in this condition. ”[4]

How well does it work? • According to Science News Magazine [10]: – “In the Feb. 9 New England Journal of Medicine, scientists report that 112 men with BPH who took two capsules of saw palmetto extract daily for a year still had symptoms similar to those reported by 113 men with BPH who took inert capsules. ” – “Saw Palmetto flunks prostate exam. ”

How well does it work? • We don’t really know! – Studies show varied results; some say that it is markedly more effective than other treatments, some say that it is no more effective than a placebo. • Could be due to variations in length of clinical trials, variations in amount of saw palmetto given in each trial, and variations in purity/contents of herbal supplement

Bibliography 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Beta sitosterol. (2008). Retrieved February 27, 2008 from <<http: //chemfinder. cambridgesoft. com/result. asp>> Brown, G. , Vukovich, M. , Martini, E. , Kohut, M. , Franke, W. , Jackson, D. , & King, D. (Sept 2001). Effects of androstenedione-herbal supplementation on serum sex hormone concentrations in 30 - to 59 -year-old men. International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research. 71(5), p. 293 -301. Cavaliere, C. (Jan 2008). Drought Reduces 2007 Saw Palmetto Harvest. Herbalgram. 77(1). p. 56 -57 Ernst, Edzard. (Feb 2003). Nature’s healer: saw palmetto. Chemist & Druggist, p. 21 -22 Helmer, J. (June 2006). Saw Palmetto: Find out how this dwarf plant may help stop prostate enlargement. Better Nutrition. p. 12 Jibrin, I. , Erinle, A. , Saidi, A. , & Aliyu, Z. (2006, June). Saw Palmetto-induced Pancreatitis. Southern Medical Journal, 99(6), 611 -612. Retrieved February 28, 2008, from Academic Search Premier database.

Bibliography 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. (May 2006). Saw palmetto; drug overview. Pamphlet by: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, p. 1 Ohr, L. (Jan 2003). Botanically speaking. Food Technology. v 57(1), p. 65 -67, 89. The Saw Palmetto Harvesting Company. (2008). Retrieved February 10, 2008 from <<http: //www. sawpalmetto. com/>> Seppa, N. (2006, February 25). Saw palmetto flunks prostate exam. Science News, 169(8), 126 -126. Retrieved February 27, 2008, from Academic Search Premier database. Shimada, H. , Tyler, V. , & Mc. Laughlin, J. (Apr 1997). Biologically active acylglycerides from the berries of saw-palmetto (Serenoa repens). Journal of Natural Products. 60(4), p. 417 -418 Sikov, Lopatkin et al. (Jan 2008). Clinical Trial Follow-up Evaluates Safety and Effectiveness of Saw Palmetto and Stinging Nettle Extracts in Men with BPH. Herbalgram. 77(1), p. 31

Bibliography 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. Sorenson, W. , & Sullivan, D. (2007 May-June). Determination of Campesterol, Stigmasterol, and Beta-Sitosterol in Saw Palmetto Raw Materials and Dietary Supplements by Gas Chromatography: Collaborative Study. Journal of AOAC International. 90(3), p. 670 -678. Tanner, G. (July 1996). Saw-palmetto: an Ecologically and Economically Important Native Palm. IFAS Extension. p. 1 -4. Thorpe, A. (April 2003). Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. The Lancet. 9366(361). p. 1359 -1352 USDA, NRCS. 2002. The PLANTS Database, Version 3. 5 (http: //plants. usda. gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874 -4490 USA. The Whole Truth: Prostate 5 LX. (2008). Retrieved February 10, 2008 from <<http: //www. newchapter. com/products/prostate-5 lx>>