Saw palmetto

The saw palmetto, also called Serenoa repens, is a palm species native to the southeastern USA.

The saw palmetto is a fan palm that grows like a bush, reaching heights of up to three metres. The stems of the plant grow underground or lying on the ground, rarely upright.

The leaves of the saw palmetto are fan-shaped, their leaf sheath enlarging into a mat of dark brown fibers. Its inflorescences stand between the foliage leaves and grow erect. The flowers are white and fragrant. They reach a size of about 5 mm. The fruit is a spherical drupe about 2 cm long.

Phytotherapy: see under Sabalis serrulatae fructus

Indication: benign prostatic hyperplasia, according to the S 2 guideline for the therapy of benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Action: antiandrogenic, inhibition of 5 alpha-reductase and aromatase, blockade of alpha-receptors, antiphlogistic by inhibition of prostaglandin and leukotriene synthesis, anti-edematous, antiexudative, antiproliferative and anticongestive.

Side effect: gastric discomfort

Dosage: 1-2 g of drug / day or 320 mg of lipophilic extract.

Serenoa repens is the parent plant of Sabalis serrulatae fructus

Cosmetics: Seronoa serrolata extract is the drug extracted from the fruits of the plant used for cosmetic purposes.

1. Niedenthal T (2017) Saw palmetto- From useful plant and food to recognized medicinal plant. Z Phytother 5; 235-239
2. https://arzneipflanzenlexikon.info/saegepalme.php