What is Saw palmetto ?

Saw palmetto comes from the fan of a palm tree like plant; the fan has thorny stems. Found mostly in warm climates in the southeast parts of the United States such as South Carolina, Mississippi or Florida. Saw palmetto directly comes from the white flowers, which turn to olive size berries, which are dark blue when ripe. Used for medical purposes when dried because their active ingredients include fatty acids, plant sterols, and flavones. Mostly used because of the affective hormone production within the substance.

When most people think of what is Saw Palmetto, they connect it to all the media hype they have heard about its effects on prostate problems. Saw palmetto is typically used to treat Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) but there are many more ailments that saw palmetto could be used for. Saw Palmetto also has been known to be an overall tonic that helps to build strengths in times of serious sickness, as well as, been used for many years in people who have been suffering from what is called wasting diseases. Some of the other areas that saw palmetto is used are in people that are suffering from hormonal imbalances, to help increase breast size in women, or to decrease the balance testosterone. Saw Palmetto is also used by herbalists as a diuretic or can be used as a sedative as well. Stimulating hair growth is also a known use for saw palmetto. Many medical professionals recommend that people use saw palmetto as an anti-inflammatory.

There are many ways that Saw palmetto can be purchased. Saw Palmetto can be bought in these forms:  as dried berries, tea, powdered capsules, tablets, liquid tinctures, and extracts. The product label should indicate that contents are standardized and contain fatty acids and sterols. Herbs should be taken only under the supervision of a medical provider and used as directed. Saw Palmetto is safe and has no known long-term side effects.