Herbal Help for Prostate Problems
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Saw palmetto berry extract helps to shrink swollen tissue, herbalists say
When a 50-plus man starts to have trouble when he urinates, most doctors will have a check for an enlarged prostate, properly called benign prostate hyperplasia.
And saw palmetto berry extract, listed by Consumer Reports in the US as a potentially helpful herb, could be just what the doctor ordered.
As many as a third of all men over 50 may suffer from benign prostate hyperplasia, experts estimate. The condition is not cancerous and simply means that the tissue of the prostate is inflamed and swollen.
Saw palmetto berry extract can help the tissue to shrink, allowing for more regular urination patterns – and with few side effects, as long as you use it with a doctor’s help, experts say.
How does it work? No one is exactly sure, but herbalists have an idea.
“It seems to affect the hormone levels in the genital area,” says Kara Dinda, director of education for the American Botanical Council in Austin, Texas.
And while the effects of the herb on men’s prostates seem fairly well documented, its effect on women is not known. Since hormones may be affected, it’s especially important that pregnant and lactating women not use the herb.
Use of this herb, which derives from the berries of the dwarf palmetto tree which is grown largely in Florida, dates back to the 1700s among Native Americans. Rigorous studies supporting use of the herb are far more recent.
According to an article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, for example, a 1996 study of 1,098 men in the US showed that saw palmetto berry extract is at least as effective as a popular prescription drug – and produces fewer side effects, including impotence. And The Daily Telegraph reports that close to 90 per cent of men in Germany with benign prostate hyperplasia are treated with plant extracts, and saw palmetto berry extract tops the list.
One concern among doctors has been that use of the herb or a product containing it might affect PSA levels, by which prostate cancer can be diagnosed. But an editorial in Urology said that US herb specialist Varro Tyler and a UCLA urologist showed that use of the herb did not affect any tests of the prostate, including the PSA.
Side effects? They’re relatively minor: stomach problems, headaches and, with large doses, diarrhea.
One caveat: A Boston Globe story reported that a 1998 review of the herb suggested that other new prostate medications may in fact be more effective than saw palmetto berry extract.
What To Do
This herb sounds promising. Men should ask their GP for further information, however. “Herbs produce chemicals,” says Erica Kipp, manager of the Plant Research Laboratory for the New York Botanical Garden. “I think people have the misconception that anything from a plant is natural and good and benign – and this is not necessarily the case.”
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