Saw Palmetto for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

• Published in: The New England journal of medicine Vol. 354; no. 6; pp. 557 - 566
• Main Authors: Bent, Stephen, Kane, Christopher, Shinohara, Katsuto, Neuhaus, John, Hudes, Esther S, Goldberg, Harley, Avins, Andrew L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston, MA Massachusetts Medical Society 09.02.2006
• Subjects: Androgen Antagonists - adverse effects; Androgen Antagonists - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Double-Blind Method; Fatty acids; General aspects; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Men; Middle Aged; Nephrology. Urinary tract diseases; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts - adverse effects; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Prostate - pathology; Prostate cancer; Prostatic Hyperplasia - drug therapy; Prostatic Hyperplasia - pathology; Prostatic Hyperplasia - physiopathology; Serenoa - adverse effects; Treatment Failure; Tumors of the urinary system; Urinary tract. Prostate gland; Urodynamics; Medicine; Benign prostatic hyperplasia; Urinary system disease; Benign neoplasm; Prostate disease; Male genital diseases
• ISSN: 0028-4793; 1533-4406
• DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa053085

Extracts of the saw palmetto berry are widely used for symptoms of benign prostatic hypertrophy. This one-year randomized trial showed that saw palmetto was no more effective than placebo in ameliorating symptoms and signs of benign prostatic hypertrophy. This one-year randomized trial showed that saw palmetto was no more effective than placebo in ameliorating symptoms and signs of benign prostatic hypertrophy. Extracts of the saw palmetto berry are widely used for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia, often as an alternative to pharmaceutical agents. In a national survey conducted in 2002, 1.1 percent of the adult population in the United States, or approximately 2.5 million adults, reported using saw palmetto. 1 The herb is widely used in Europe, where half of German urologists prefer prescribing plant-based extracts to synthetic drugs. 2 Although most prior randomized trials of saw palmetto have reported small improvements in the symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia or in urinary flow rates, these studies are limited by the small numbers . . .