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An extract made from saw palmetto, a kind of dwarf palm tree, has been used for hundreds of years, first by Native Americans and now by legions of men with enlarged prostate glands. But a study published today in JAMA found that even at triple the standard dose, the herb was no better than a placebo at easing urinary problems. It's the latest in a series of disappointing results—including from our own recent survey of alternative medicine—for the once-promising, and still popular, herbal remedy.
The JAMA researchers wrote that this latest study is part of "a recent series of negative trials using different saw palmetto extract preparations [that] makes it increasingly unlikely a dose of some preparation will be identified that is better than placebo."
In our survey of Consumer Reports readers, only 17 percent of those who tried it said it helped "a lot" compared with 53 percent who said the same about taking prescription medications.
Bottom line. There's little reason to try saw palmetto supplements. Lifestyle changes can sometimes help ease urinary problems from an enlarged prostate, as can certain prescription drugs. If drugs are needed, a good first choice for many men is doxazosin, which has a long track record of being safe and effective, and is available as a low cost generic. For details, including other medications that might be better for you and lifestyle changes to try, see our Best Buy Drugs report on treating an enlarged prostate.
Source
Effect of Increasing Doses of Saw Palmetto Extract on Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms [JAMA]
—Kevin McCarthy
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