Berries of a small palm native to the south-eastern United States.
Why it’s used: Traditionally used to support prostate and urinary comfort in men.
Saw palmetto, Serenoa repens, is a small, slow-growing palm native to the south-eastern United States, especially Florida. Its fan-shaped leaves have saw-toothed stalks, which is where the name comes from, and it produces dark berries that ripen to blue-black in autumn.
Native Americans in the region ate the berries as food, and the berries later became a popular herbal ingredient. Saw palmetto is traditionally used to support prostate and urinary comfort in men. Researchers have studied it extensively, and a 2023 Cochrane review found it made little or no difference to urinary symptoms linked to an enlarged prostate compared with placebo. It has no authorised health claim.
On labels you will see saw palmetto, Serenoa repens berry or fruit extract, or a lipidosterolic extract, an oily extract standardised to fatty acids and sterols, often 85 to 95%. That standardised oil-based extract is the form most used in research, and it is quite different from whole dried berry powder.
3 findings behind this ingredient. Hover a card for the detail and the source.
Meta-analysis of 27 studies (15 randomised, 5,800 men) of 320 mg a day of the hexanic extract Permixon. It was linked to 0.64 fewer night-time voids than placebo, improved flow, and was well tolerated.
Meta-analysis of 12 randomised trials of Permixon. Compared with placebo it reduced nocturnal voids (-0.31) and increased maximum flow rate (+3.37 mL/s), with side-effect rates similar to placebo.
Double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 68 healthy Japanese adults aged 50 or over, without a prostate or bladder diagnosis, taking 320 mg a day for 12 weeks. Daytime frequency and bother scores improved versus placebo.
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NCCIH says saw palmetto does not appear to change PSA readings, even at higher than usual amounts. Still, tell your GP about any supplements you take, and do not use a supplement in place of getting urinary symptoms checked.
It is an oily extract of saw palmetto berries, concentrated in fatty acids and plant sterols and often standardised to 85 to 95%. It is the form most often used in research, and it differs from simple dried berry powder.
Results are mixed. A 2023 Cochrane review found saw palmetto alone made little or no difference to urinary symptoms of an enlarged prostate compared with placebo. It remains traditionally used to support prostate and urinary comfort, but it is not a treatment.
Information only, not medical advice. If you take medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding, speak to your GP or pharmacist first.
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