Saw Palmetto And Pygeum Benefit Prostate
Written By: American Family Physician Journal
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Published - Jan 21, 2009
Saw palmetto is an extremely popular supplement for its ability to relieve symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), otherwise known as enlargement of the prostate.
Recent studies have demonstrated it provides relief from short-term urinary symptoms and other symptoms of BPH as well as relief from inflammation of the prostate and cell proliferation. It also promotes hair growth in men with thinning hair or baldness. It provides these benefits safely, naturally, and with no known side effects.
Naturally in the body, testosterone is converted to a more potent metabolite, dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by the enzyme 5-alpha reductase. It is believed that an excess of DHT is one of the primary causes of prostate problems as well as the cause of male pattern baldness.
According to a report in the American Family Physician Journal, saw palmetto extract can be used safely to inhibit 5-alpha reductase and pygeum relieved symptoms such as urinary hesitancy, weak stream, nocturia, incontinence, and recurrent urinary tract infections.
In a related study, saw palmetto was shown to decrease proliferation and inflammation of the prostate. Another interesting study reported in Endocrine demonstrated that animals fed pygeum showed a significant reduction in prostate cancer incidence of 35% compared to controls. Ben
The benefits of pygeum and saw palmetto for men’s health continue to be clearly demonstrated.