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Saw palmetto and lower urinary tract symptoms: What is the latest evidence?

Current Urology Reports volume 7, pages 260–265 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

The use of dietary supplements for treating a wide range of health conditions has grown rapidly in the United States. In the field of men’s health, the most common dietary supplement used is an extract of the berry of the saw palmetto plant, with which men commonly selfmedicate in order to treat lower urinary tract symptoms. Throughout the past two decades, substantial literature has emerged examining the biologic and clinical effects of saw palmetto extracts. Several lines of evidence suggest that saw palmetto may exert physiologic effects consistent with a beneficial clinical effect on the mechanisms of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Although most clinical studies tend to suggest a modest efficacy benefit of saw palmetto, more recent studies are less consistent and the precise clinical value of saw palmetto for treating lower urinary tract symptoms remains undefined. Overall, there appear to be few safety concerns with short-term use of this herbal medicine, although large-scale and longer-term safety studies have not been performed. Higher-quality studies are currently underway to better define the potential benefits and risks of plant-based extracts for treating symptoms related to benign prostatic hyperplasia.

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Affiliations

  1. Northern California Kaiser-Permanente Division of Research, 2000 Broadway, 3rd Floor, 94612, Oakland, CA, USA

    Andrew L. Avins MD

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  1. Andrew L. Avins MD
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  2. Stephen Bent MD
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Correspondence to Andrew L. Avins MD.

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Avins, A.L., Bent, S. Saw palmetto and lower urinary tract symptoms: What is the latest evidence?. Curr Urol Rep 7, 260–265 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11934-996-0004-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11934-996-0004-2

Keywords

  • Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
  • Lower Urinary Tract Symptom
  • Tamsulosin
  • Echinacea Purpurea
  • Benign Prostatic Hyper