Saw Palmetto

Florida Forest Plants

Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens)

Saw palmetto grows on a wide variety of sites, from dry and open to seasonally wet and semi-shady. Across this wide range of habitats, it most frequently occurs on sand ridges, flatwood forests, coastal dunes, and islands near marshes. Saw palmetto is the dominant ground cover in some southeastern pine forests, sometimes covering hundreds of acres. Saw palmetto often grows in clumps 20′ or more in diameter.

Saw palmetto is found in most of the southeast coastal plain, between Louisiana and Florida in the south, to South Carolina in the north.
Black bears, white-tailed deer, and feral hogs eat the fruits of saw palmetto. Native Americans also used the fruits for food. The fruits are collected today for herbal medicines that may help prevent certain forms of cancer. The flowers are an important source of honey and clumps of palmetto are often favorite hiding places of rattlesnakes, wasps, and the Florida panther. This plant got is named for the saw-toothed leaf stems that are very sharp.
Saw palmetto may be confused with dwarf palmetto (Sabal minor) because of their similar sizes and leaf shapes. Dwarf palmetto has blue-green leaves, has no spines on the leaf stems, and the circular fruits are about ½” in diameter.

Identifying Characteristics

Size/Form: Saw palmetto is a branched, hardy, fan palm that measures two to nine feet tall. Its stem usually remains below ground or runs horizontally along the surface. In some cases, it develops an upright or arching stem.

Leaves: The leaves spiral around the stem. They are circular in outline and are usually 2′ to 3′ across. They are deeply divided into many dagger-shaped segments. The leaf stems are about 2′ to 3′ long and sharply saw-toothed.

Fruit: The fruit is ovoid and drupe-like, ½” wide, and ripens from green to black on a branched cluster shorter than the leaves.

Stem: The stem is horizontal above or just below the ground, frequently branched, and sometimes has an upright or leaning portion.

Habitat: It is found on sites ranging from seaside sand dunes and dry scrub to pinelands, hammocks, moist forests, and wetlands.

Photos

Leaf	Fruit	Comparison to cabbage palm	flatwoods

Uses

The berries of the American saw palmetto plant can increase urine flow, reduce inflammation, and relieve muscle spasms.

Saw palmetto berries were a staple food among native Americans of the southeastern United States. They also used them to treat digestive problems and intestinal disease, and even to boost libido. Early in the 20th century, saw palmetto was listed in the US Pharmacopoeia as an effective remedy for bladder and urinary tract inflammation, breast disorders, bronchitis, laryngitis, and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland.

Saw palmetto may also be useful in treating the following conditions:

• Hirsutism — an excessive growth of dark, coarse body and facial hair in women
• Polycystic ovarian disease  — multiple ovarian cysts that lead to menstruation problems and possible infertility

What’s It Made Of?

Saw palmetto’s active ingredients include fatty acids, plant sterols, and flavonoids. The berries also contain high molecular weight polysaccharides, which are usually associated with either anti-inflammatory or immune-stimulant effects.

Available Forms

Saw palmetto can be purchased as dried berries, tea, powdered capsules, tablets, liquid tinctures, and liposterolic extracts. The product label should indicate that contents are standardized and contain 85 – 95% fatty acids and sterols.

How to Take It

Children

Saw palmetto is not currently recommended for children.

Adult

The recommended dosages for early stages of BPH is 160 mg, twice a day. The supplement should be a fat-soluble saw palmetto extract that contains 85 – 95% fatty acids and sterols.

Precautions

Because of the potential for side effects and interactions with medications, herbs should be taken only under the supervision of a knowledgeable healthcare provider.

Saw palmetto is a very mild herb. The American Herbal Products Association gives saw palmetto a class 1 safety rating, which means that it is safe when used as directed. Side effects are very rare, although mild stomach complaints and minor headaches may occur. One case of significant bleeding during surgery has been attributed to saw palmetto use prior to the operation.

Saw palmetto has not been studied or used in women who are pregnant or nursing.

Saw palmetto may interfere also with the absorption of iron.

Sources: http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/4h/Saw_palmetto/sawpalme.htm and http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/saw-palmetto-000272.htm

Hair Loss – Other methods

Here is another interesting article on this subject http://ezinearticles.com/?Natural-Hair-Loss-Remedies&id=7931

Fact: There is no sure-fire way to prevent all hair loss.

However, some methods that have been used work on some people. Here are some suggestions for natural remedies to hair loss.

Massage

Massaging the scalp in general for a couple of minutes a day can stimulate blood flow to the hair follicles and in mild cases stimulate some hair growth in minor cases of temporary hair loss.

There are several electric massagers on the market that have an attachment for scalp massaging as well. An oriental method called Qi Gong (pronounced Chi Kung) has been used to increase circulation to the scalp and face also.

Aromatherapy

A blend of six drops each of lavender and bay essential oils in a base of four ounces of either almond, soybean or sesame oil massaged into the scalp and allowed to sit for 20 minutes has been used by aroma therapists to stimulate the scalp.

Saw Palmetto Extract

There is a definite connection between the prostate and hair loss for men. Saw Palmetto has been found to work in fighting benign prostatic disease by lowering levels of DHT, which is a known cause of androgenetic alopecia.

Saw Palmetto extract is an effective anti-androgen and shows promise as an effective treatment for hair loss prevention. More information on Saw Palmetto for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Women on oral contraceptives or hormone therapy should not take Saw Palmetto.

Nettle Root Extract

Nettles are rich in vitamins A and C, several key minerals and lipids that can be beneficial to the hair. Nettle Root Extract has been used successfully in Europe as an inhibitor of 5-alpha reductase in treating BPH.

Rosemary and Sage

Rosemary and sage are two herbs that have shown benefit traditionally when used externally. Boil together in water rosemary, sage, peach leaf, nettle and burdock. Then strain the loose herbs from the liquid and use the liquid to wash the hair daily.

Jojoba Oil

If you are predisposed to seborrhea, eczema, psoriasis, or dandruff, you could consider using jojoba oil. Mexicans and southwestern Native American nations have used jojoba oil traditionally for centuries to promote hair growth and the control of dandruff. Jojoba oil is great for hypoallergenic skin because it is a great moisturizer and mimics the scalp’s own sebum.

Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera has been used by Native Americans, Indians and many in the Caribbean to promote healthy hair and prevent hair loss. Aloe’s can help the scalp by healing it and balancing the pH level of the scalp while cleansing the pores. A common preparation of Aloe Vera gel with a small amount of wheat germ oil and coconut milk is used as a shampoo and has traditionally shown great benefit.

Henna

Henna is a traditional Indian herb that acts as a natural conditioner and is excellent for the maintenance of healthy hair. It can help heal the hair shaft by repairing and sealing the cuticle, protecting hair against breakage and loss of shine.

Polysorbate-80

Polysorbate-80 is an FDA approved surfactant that is also approved as a food additive. Although not proven, Polysorbate-80 is said to remove deposits of DHT and cholesterol from the scalp. Polysorbate-80 is being recommended by some naturopathic practitioners as an application for the scalp approximately 15 minutes prior to shampooing.

Cleansing and Detoxification

Cleansing should be a major part of your regimen to maintain and grow hair. Many scalp related diseases are directly the result of toxemia, while toxins in the body adversely affecting the body’s systems indirectly affect other conditions. Cleansing can be performed through oral means regularly and occasionally by enema or colonic irrigation.

More remedies for detoxification

Psyllium husk

Fiber is vital to cleansing, and most North American diets are deficient in natural fiber. Psyllium husk is a bulking laxative agent that can be used to safely move waste through the colon. Psyllium is a very good substance as it gently scrubs the walls of the colon to remove waste that is stuck to the walls.
Exercise

Finally, although exercise does absolutely nothing directly to grow hair, most holistic practitioners recommend it. Exercising can improve blood flow, the delivery of oxygen to the cells of the body, and help the digestion of foods, all things that aid the health of hair follicles.

Disclaimer: The advice here is not presented from a medical practitioner. Any and all dietary and medical planning should be made under the guidance of your own medical and health practitioners. This information does not replace medical advice from a professional physician.

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Copyright 2005 Priya Shah

Hair Loss – Treatment with Saw Palmetto

Browsing Internet on this subject, I found interesting natural ways to cure hair loss. http://ezinearticles.com/?Saw-Palmetto-Hair-Loss-Treatment&id=933420

By far the most common type of baldness (alopecia) in males is called male-pattern baldness or androgenic (androgenetic) alopecia. When this condition develops, the hair is lost in a well-defined “M” pattern (hence the name.) Women also suffer from androgenic alopecia; in females this condition is known as female-pattern baldness.

Hair loss develops when the level of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the scalp is too high. Dihydrotestosterone binds itself to the hair follicles, decreasing the amount of nutrients they can extract from blood. The follicles gradually shrink and the hair growing from them becomes thinner. If nothing is done to treat this condition, the hair disappears completely.

Saw Palmetto (a palm plant native to North America), on the other hand is a herbal DHT inhibitor. It has similar mechanism of action to finasteride, but it doesn’t affect the rest of the organism and thus have no side effects associated with finasteride and other prescription drugs.

Since ancient times, Saw Palmetto has been used by Native Americans to treat urinary disorders in men. It is considered an effective alternative treatment to benign prostate gland enlargement. Only recently it was found out that Saw Palmetto can also treat hair loss! It turned out that it blocks the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme, which is responsible for converting testosterone into DHT, thus preventing and reversing hair loss.