According to many sources on the internets, saw palmetto extract may have some benefits in treating or reducing urinary and prostate problems. Currently, I’m having some urinary problems, possibly related to an enlarged prostate. I plan to see a urologist next week, so I am not seeking medical advice. But I’d like to know if any male dopers with similar issues have used saw palmetto with any notable success.
I did use saw palmetto extract for about 6 months, until I finally went to the urologist. He kinda’ hurt my feelings (no, I’m not thinking about the infamous “gloved finger”) when he insisted that based on medical studies, the stuff was ineffective. I think “old wives tale” were his actual words.
Anyway, he gave me samples and a script for a once a day tablet that took care of prostate swelling within hours. Things were as they used to be!
Go see the doc. Get the medicine. You’ll only need to pee when you really need to pee.
Medline Plus is a website set up by the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. They have determined that, for the use in treating enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hypertrophy/BPH), saw palmetto has scientific research which merits an “A” grade. Not so for other medical conditions, which is why a trip to your urologist should be done BEFORE you start taking it (if that’s what you choose to do.) She’s the only one who can diagnose you accurately. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-sawpalmetto.html
Please read through the whole page to educate yourself, including the bits on side effects and drug interactions. Saw palmetto should absolutely be stopped a week before any planned surgery, as it can cause inhibition of clotting, like aspirin can.
Anecdotally, I’ve known many men who were helped by the use of saw palmetto, and a few who were not.
WhyNot,
herbalist
I took the stuff for about a year and basically saw no benefit.
I don’t recall dates/timespans (hell, I may still be taking it - I just swallow the pills my wife gives me each day), but after using it for a number of months I did experience improvement in urinary flow. My physician told me that it can indeed be helpful in some cases.
I’ve been taking it for about 15 years, and there’s a noticeable improvement. I still have an occasional problem, but not nearly as severe as before.