{"ok":true,"entry":{"slug":"saw-palmetto","kind":"supplement","name":"saw palmetto","aliases":["Serenoa repens"],"brands_sg":["California Gold Nutrition","NOW Foods","Micro Ingredients","Swanson Vitamins","Life Extension"],"class":"botanical","tags":["mens-health"],"use_for":"cochrane 2023: little to no benefit for urinary symptoms","use_after":null,"use_duration":"trials ran 3–6 months, and 12–17 months for the long arm","take_with":null,"pros":["nccih: well tolerated, studied safely for up to 3 years","adverse events no higher than placebo across 12 trials","27 placebo-controlled trials, 4,656 men — a big base"],"cons":["cochrane: little to no change in symptom score (ipss)","no quality-of-life gain at 3–6 or at 12–17 months","two nih trials, standard and triple dose: no benefit"],"dose_note":"the 2023 cochrane review pooled 27 placebo-controlled trials in men mostly over 50 with moderate symptoms (ipss 8 to 19) and found little to no difference at high certainty; nccih notes two nih-funded trials tested the usual dose and up to three times it, also without benefit","dosage":{"ul":null,"unit":"mg","fda_dv":null,"rda_ai":null,"ul_status":"none_established","population":"adult men","hsa_max_daily":null},"ul_status":"none_established","sg_class":null,"cautions":["pregnancy or breastfeeding — nccih: may be unsafe","on any medicine — nccih: check with your health care provider first","under 50 — trials enrolled men with a mean age of 52 to 68","ten of the 27 trials were funded by the pharmaceutical industry"],"clashes":[],"sources":[{"id":"nccih_sp","url":"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/saw-palmetto","label":"NCCIH — Saw Palmetto (what the science says)","quote":"A 2023 review of 27 studies on saw palmetto in men with BPH found that this herb, when administered alone, provides little or no benefit for BPH symptoms","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"nccih_sp_trials","url":"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/saw-palmetto","label":"NCCIH — Saw Palmetto (NIH-funded trials and doses tested)","quote":"two NIH-funded trials tested saw palmetto alone at standard and triple doses … saw palmetto did not improve BPH symptoms … increasing doses of saw palmetto, up to three times the usual dose","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"nccih_sp_safety","url":"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/saw-palmetto","label":"NCCIH — Saw Palmetto (safety and side effects)","quote":"Saw palmetto is well tolerated. It has been used safely in research studies for up to 3 years … Adverse effects are mild and infrequent; they may include digestive symptoms, dizziness, and headache","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"nccih_sp_pregnancy","url":"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/saw-palmetto","label":"NCCIH — Saw Palmetto (pregnancy and breastfeeding)","quote":"Saw palmetto may be unsafe for use during pregnancy or while breastfeeding","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"nccih_sp_meds","url":"https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/saw-palmetto","label":"NCCIH — Saw Palmetto (medicines)","quote":"If you take any type of medicine, talk with your health care provider before using any herbal product; some herbs and medicines interact in harmful ways","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"cochrane2023","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC10286776","label":"Serenoa repens for lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic enlargement (Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2023, CD001423.pub4)","quote":"We included 27 studies … involving a total of 4656 participants … Serenoa repens results in little to no difference in urologic symptoms at short-term follow-up (3 to 6 months … MD -0.90 … high-certainty evidence)","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"cochrane2023_qol","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC10286776","label":"Cochrane 2023 — quality of life and long-term follow-up","quote":"little to no difference in the quality of life at short-term follow-up (3 to 6 months) … little to no difference in urologic symptoms … at long-term follow-up (12 to 17 months) … high-certainty evidence","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"cochrane2023_ae","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC10286776","label":"Cochrane 2023 — adverse events","quote":"Serenoa repens probably results in little to no difference in adverse events (1 to 17 months; risk ratio (RR) 1.01, 95% CI 0.77 to 1.31; I2 = 18%; 12 studies, 2399 participants; moderate-certainty evidence)","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"cochrane2023_pop","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC10286776","label":"Cochrane 2023 — who was studied and who funded the trials","quote":"Most studies included men aged > 50 (mean age range 52 to 68) with moderate urologic symptoms (International Prostate Symptom Score [IPSS] range 8 to 19). Ten studies were funded by the pharmaceutical industry","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"cochrane2023_concl","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC10286776","label":"Cochrane 2023 — authors' conclusions","quote":"Serenoa repens alone provides little to no benefits for men with lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic enlargement. There is more uncertainty about the role of Serenoa repens in combination with other phytotherapeutic agents","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"hsa_prohibited_2025","url":"https://file.go.gov.sg/hsa-chp-prohibited-restricted-ing-guidelines.pdf","label":"HSA — Guidelines on Prohibited and Restricted Ingredients in Health Supplements and Traditional Medicines, GL-CHPB-1-012 Rev 001 (Oct 2025)","quote":"The objective of this guideline is to highlight the substances of concern when used in HS and TM and is not meant to be an exhaustive list [saw palmetto / Serenoa repens not listed in Annex A or B]","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"iherb_sg","url":"https://sg.iherb.com/c/saw-palmetto","label":"iHerb Singapore — Saw Palmetto category (default order)","quote":"California Gold Nutrition, Active Men's Multivitamin with … Maca, Saw Palmetto … NOW Foods, Saw Palmetto Extract, 90 Veggie Softgels … Micro Ingredients, Pumpkin Seed Oil … Swanson Vitamins, Full Spectrum® Saw Palmetto, 540 mg … Life Extension … PalmettoGuard®","accessed":"2026-08-27"}],"brand_certs":null,"updated_at":"2026-08-29T16:16:31.341231+08:00"},"disclaimer":"kozen-x is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. it lists what published sources have written down. absence of a record is not the same as safe."}