Saw Palmetto plant is a smallest member of the fan palm family that grows mainly in the southeastern United States. Saw Palmetto contains an active ingredient sitosterol , it has hormonal effects as well as anti-inflammatory activity and may directly inhibit growth of prostate cells. This plant has long been known to treat prostate problems. On a study done in 110 men with enlarged prostate, the plant extract in a dose of 320 milligrams a day worked ten times better in improving urine flow and 5x more effective in promoting emptying of the bladder than the placebo. Saw Palmetto user also experienced that they did not have to get up at night to urinate as often, and the pain due to urinating also lessen after they start taking the plant extract. Users of this plant can feel the effect of the plant working in 30days, however the benefits of this plant accumulate, so if a patient use it longer better improvement can be seen. Another reason why this plant is popular among Naturopathic doctors is because it has virtually no side effect and toxicity.

Health Benefits of Saw Palmetto Plant Extract:

• Help to decreased the prostate size to normal
• Just one month of using saw palmetto extract, men's urine flow rates increased dramatically.
• Frequency of urination at night decreased
• Pain from urination decreased

How Does Saw Palmetto works: How this plant works is not exactly clear, but the theory is that Saw Palmetto reduces levels of very active form of the male hormone testosterone known as dihydrotestosterone or DHT, it is believe to be the main thing that causes the enlargement of the prostate. This is what happens, an enzymes switches on the DHT, fooling the cells into thinking they are into puberty again and need to get going. So DHT causes an overproduction of prostate cells, causing the gland to grow bigger. That is why men with enlarged prostate have a high levels of DHT, so do men with prostate cancer. What saw palmetto does here is that it blocks the action of the enzyme that causes the production of DHT. In other words this plant act as a hormone suppressor.

Recommended Dosage: 320 milligrams of standardized extract a day, taken all at once or in two doses.

Placebo - substance containing no medication and prescribed or given to reinforce a patient's expectation to get well.