Saw palmetto study found herbal extract to be ineffective in treating enlarged prostate

In a recent e-Alert we heard from several HSI members who weighed in on a study that tested saw palmetto (species name: Serenoa repens). The study found the herbal extract to be ineffective in treating 63 men who had moderate-to-severe symptoms of enlarged prostate, caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Aside from the fact that many previous studies have found saw palmetto to be effective in managing BPH prostate enlargement, members pointed out that the dosage used in this new study was low, and the subjects had symptoms more severe than the typical symptoms that saw palmetto has been shown to successfully address.

In other words: Let’s remove the baby from the basin BEFORE we throw out the bathwater.

After reading that e-Alert, HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., sent along this insightful comment about Proscar, a popular drug that treats BPH: “Proscar is a patented version of Serenoa repens. Funny they’d do so much work to make a drug out of something that doesn’t work.”