Prostate treatment - saw palmetto beats
pharmaceuticals
Eating plant-based foods has been recognized for years as
important for good health. But modern research has pinpointed
those chemicals in plants - "phytochemcials" or "phytomedicines"
- which are the source of their protective and disease-preventing
compounds.
Saw palmetto - among other phytomedicines to treat men's
enlarged prostate, or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) -
is one of the big success stories of this modern research.
(You can learn about BPH here.)
Other "phytomedicines" - effective in prostate treatment
have been discovered, and the blending of these with saw palmetto
can magnify their benefits.
Saw palmetto is a dwarf palm. Its medicinal properties are
found in the oily compounds in its berries. They inhibit the
actions of testosterone on the prostate which cause prostate
enlargement and the consequent interference with urinary flow.
Improvements can take from six to eight weeks to three to
four months. Further improvements may be seen throughout the
first twelve months.
A 1998 study by Harvard researchers found that saw palmetto
extract was effective in the treatment of BPH. (Wilt T.J.,
Ishani A., Stark, et.al. Saw Palmetto Extracts for treatment
of benign prostatic hyperplasia. JAMA, 380:160-169, 1998.)
Another study conducted in Germany found that taking 160mg
of Saw Palmetto twice-daily reduced night time urination in
73% of the men tested. (Bach D., Ebeling L. Long-term drug
treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia - results of a prospective
3-year multicultural study using Sabal extract IDS 89. Phytomedicine,
3:105-11, 1996.)
During the German trial involving 309 men, the use of saw
palmetto resulted in a significant increase in urinary flow
rate (6.1 ml per second). There was also a 50% decrease in
residual urine volume. Finasteride (in the USA, the pharmaceutical
drug Proscar? ) showed a 30% decrease in symptom scores over
three years, but urine flow improved only slightly, and residual
urine volume was almost unchanged.
(Residual volume is important. If too much urine remains
in the bladder it becomes infected. It may not be able to
be cleared unless the bladder is completely emptied. Bacteria
may spread to cause serious illness. If urine back ups into
the kidneys it can lead to kidney failure, which can be fatal.)
The study also showed that 10.7% of finasteride patients
discontinued treatment because of side effects, compared to
only 1.8% of those taking saw palmetto. And more than 80%
of the men involved in the saw palmetto study reported it
had made a 'good' to 'very good' difference in their quality
of life.
The approved dosage of saw palmetto is 160mg to be taken
twice a day. Saw palmetto is approved by the German government
as a treatment for BPH, as are pumpkin seeds (Cucurbita pepo
L., Cucurbitaceae). In France, it is used along with pygeum
africanum.
The main active ingredient in both saw palmetto and pygeum
africanum is beta-sitosterol. The effectiveness of 30mg of
beta-sitosterol taken twice daily in improving bph symptoms
was reported in 1995 in the UK medical journal, The Lancet.
In addition beta-sitosterol-alone and in combination with
other plant sterols (a sterol is a naturally occurring substance
found in plants) - has been found to reduce blood levels of
cholesterol.
To read about the startling benefits for prostate sufferers
of the tomato-based natural chemical lycopene, go here.
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