Saw palmetto berry

Although widely used in Europe for BPH, phytotherapy with products such as saw palmetto berry (Serenoa repens), stinging nettle (Urtica dioica),... 

Gurrier, P. D. Johnston, D. A. Rana, and C.P. Sharma. Saw palmetto berry extract inhibits cell growth and Cox-2... 

Feurt, S. D., and L. E. Fox. A note on the effects of feeding saw palmetto berries, Serenoa repens (Bartram) small, to rats. J Amer Pharm Ass Sci Ed 1954 ... 

The active constituents in saw palmetto berries are not well defined. Phytosterols (eg, B-sitosterol), aliphatic alcohols, polyprenic compounds, and flavonoids are all present. Marketed preparations are dried lipophilic extracts that are generally standardized to contain 85-95% fatty acids and sterols. 

Blumenthal M, Riggins CW. Saw palmetto berry. In Popular Herbs in the US Market. Therapeutic Monographs. Austin American Botanical Council, 1997. 

Saw palmetto berries, also known as drupes, proliferate in large panicles, or clusters, of fruit along the branching spadices. 

When saw palmetto berries were taken from the wild there was little impact on the environment because harvesters mainly gathered easily accessible berries and avoided dense thickets. 

Tea formulations made from the dried berries are probably the least effective way of taking saw palmetto for prostate or polycystic ovary problems because the fatty sterols are not water soluble. However, saw palmetto tea is effective for strengthening the immune system and as a tonic to the Lung Qi. The greatest problem with saw palmetto berry tea is the rather awful taste. 

In the late nineteenth century, a carbonated beverage called Metto was made with the berries. This soft drink was sold at roadside stands in Miami. If you have ever tasted the berries, it doesn t require much imagination to understand why this product inevitably failed. Several texts mention the use of saw palmetto berries in "aromatizing" cognac. The resulting product would, I am sure, be an acquired taste. 

There is ample evidence of indigenous use of the berries for food. To the Western taste the berries are strongly disagreeable, first coming across as sweet, then having a strong acrid and pungent secondary taste. Early colonists experienced the unique taste of saw palmetto berries when they were shipwrecked on the Florida coast. 

Reed claimed that saw palmetto berries improved digestion, nutrition, and strength and relieved irritation of the mucous membranes, especially those of the nose and bronchial passages. He mentioned successful treatment of bronchial catarrh, ozena, chronic coughs, and bronchitis. He stated ... 

A herbal treatment for prostate problems called benign prostatic hyperplasia or hypertrophy [BPH] consists of the use of an extract derived from the oil of saw palmetto berries. The saw, or sawtooth, palmetto grows in the West Indies and along the Atlantic Coast of North America from Hoiida to North Carolina. Its use is an old Indian remedy, picked up by the early settlers.)... 

Scholtysek, C. et al.. Characterizing components of the Saw Palmetto Berry Extract (SPBE) on prostate cancer cell growth and traction. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 379, 795, 2009. 

It is, however, true that many of the plants that enjoy broad culinary and traditional therapeutic usage are generally safe. We can safely season our food with any number of herbs to make a meal more flavorful. We can appreciate a delicious cup of peppermint leaf or rose hips tea, or safely take an herbal supplement containing dandelion root, saw palmetto berries, or any number of other herbs. Although allergies and individual reactions have been recorded for a few herbs that are widely used in foods and supplements, such individual concerns are also seen with many other foods, and do not diminish the safety profile of the many herbs that are widely regarded as safe. 

---