Saw palmetto
Saw Palmetto in Prostadine: What Large Trials Found
Saw palmetto is a palm berry herb, and Prostadine lists it fifth among nine ingredients with no printed amount. Two large NIH-funded trials and a Cochrane review of 32 trials found it no better than placebo for urinary symptoms from an enlarged prostate. Nobody has tested saw palmetto in Prostadine itself.
Written by the Prostadine label deskUpdated
The herb01
What is saw palmetto, and why is it in Prostadine?
Saw palmetto is the berry of a low palm, Serenoa repens, and it is the best-known herb sold for the prostate.
Saw palmetto grows in the southeastern United States. Its dried berries are pressed into extracts that are sold in capsules, teas and, here, a liquid. It is fifth on the sales page list of nine ingredients in Prostadine (Prostadine sales page).
It is probably there because shoppers already know the name. The sales page pairs it with two short claims, "Kidney supporting properties" and "Strong antimicrobial". It prints no amount, no berry part and no extract type.
That gap matters. Studies of saw palmetto name the extract and the daily amount, and results from one product do not carry over to another (LactMed, Seaweed (kelp, bladderwrack)). The table below lists what the label desk can and cannot say about the herb in this bottle.
| Name on the sales page | Saw Palmetto |
|---|---|
| What it is | Serenoa repens berry |
| Group | Plant extracts |
| Amount in 2 ml of Prostadine | Not printed |
| What the sales page claims | “Kidney supporting properties” / “Strong antimicrobial” |
| What the evidence says | Large trials: no better than placebo for BPH urinary symptoms |
| Known or traditional use | The best-studied prostate herb |
| Main caution | Side effects are mild and rare, such as stomach upset; ask before pairing it with prostate medicine. |
The trials02
Did the large trials find saw palmetto better than placebo?
No. Three of the strongest sources for BPH, two trials and a Cochrane review, found it no better than placebo.
BPH, or benign prostatic hyperplasia, is a non-cancer growth of the prostate that can slow the stream and send men to the bathroom at night (NIDDK, Enlarged Prostate (BPH)). NCCIH, the National Institutes of Health center for complementary health, says saw palmetto is probably not helpful for these urinary symptoms (NCCIH, Saw Palmetto).
| Study | Who and how long | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Bent, NEJM 2006 (Bent et al., NEJM 2006) | 225 men over 49, one year, placebo-controlled | No difference in symptom score, urine flow, prostate size or PSA |
| CAMUS, JAMA 2011 (Barry et al. (CAMUS), JAMA 2011) | 369 men aged 45 or older, 72 weeks, placebo-controlled | Placebo group improved slightly more (0.79 points); no better on any secondary measure |
| Cochrane update, 2012 (Tacklind et al., Cochrane 2012) | 32 trials, 5,666 men | Not better than placebo for symptoms, night urination, flow or prostate size |
The doses03
What dose did the saw palmetto trials use?
The trials used 160 mg twice a day, and then 320 mg rising to 960 mg a day. Prostadine prints no dose to compare.
The 2006 trial gave 160 mg of extract twice a day for a year (Bent et al., NEJM 2006). The 2011 trial started at 320 mg a day and raised it to 640 mg and then 960 mg, which is up to three times the usual amount (Barry et al. (CAMUS), JAMA 2011).
Even the triple dose did no better than placebo. The bars below show those study doses next to the empty bar for Prostadine, where the amount is not printed.
Saw palmetto
Neither dose beat placebo for BPH symptoms.
Bars compare study doses or official limits with each other, not with Prostadine: its amounts are not printed, so its bar stays empty. No trial has tested Prostadine itself.
The bars are study doses, not advice. We never state a dose for Prostadine because the sales page and bottle front do not.
PSA04
Does saw palmetto lower PSA?
No. NCCIH says saw palmetto does not appear to change PSA readings.
PSA is a blood protein made by the prostate. Doctors use it, with an exam, to look for problems such as cancer, infection or enlargement (NCI, PSA Test). A test can read high for harmless reasons, so it is a conversation starter, not a verdict.
The 2006 trial measured PSA and found no difference between saw palmetto and placebo (Bent et al., NEJM 2006). That is useful: the herb does not seem to hide a rising number the way the prescription drugs finasteride and dutasteride do (NCI, PSA Test).
Never stop or change tamsulosin, finasteride or any other prescription because you started a supplement. Tell your doctor or pharmacist about Prostadine first.
The claims05
Is saw palmetto an antimicrobial or a kidney supporter?
The sales page says so, but none of the sources we read tests either claim in people.
The page gives saw palmetto "Kidney supporting properties" and "Strong antimicrobial" (Prostadine sales page). These are the only two claims on the page for this herb, and neither names a study.
The trials above looked at urinary symptoms, flow and prostate size, not at kidneys or germs. The NCCIH summary mentions mild stomach upset, dizziness and headache as the usual side effects, and no kidney benefit (NCCIH, Saw Palmetto).
An antimicrobial claim also sits close to a medical line. Infections of the prostate or urinary tract need a doctor's diagnosis and often antibiotics (NIDDK, Prostatitis). A supplement should never stand in for that.
If you cannot pass urine at all, see blood in it, have fever or chills with painful urination, or have severe belly, back or side pain, get care the same day. Go to the emergency room if you cannot urinate.
Prostadine: from $49 a bottle2 fl oz (60 mL) dropper · 2, 3 or 6 bottles · 60-day money-back guarantee
See packsMedicines06
Can saw palmetto interact with hormone medicines?
NCCIH lists no specific interactions, but it advises talking to a provider before mixing herbs with medicines.
Finasteride and dutasteride act on prostate hormones. Saw palmetto is sometimes described as acting in a similar way, but the sources we read do not show that, and the large trials found no hormone-style effect on PSA (NCCIH, Saw Palmetto) (Bent et al., NEJM 2006).
The safe step is simple. Show your doctor or pharmacist the Prostadine bottle and the ingredient list. FDA notes that supplements can interact with medicines, affect lab tests and add risk around surgery (FDA 101: Dietary Supplements).
Read the full list on supplements and prostate medications.
Form07
Is saw palmetto in drops the same as the berry extracts studied?
Unknown. Prostadine does not say which part of the berry, which extract or how much.
The trials used a measured extract in a controlled form. Prostadine is a liquid with nine ingredients, and the liquid base is not named, so no one can say what saw palmetto form is in it (Prostadine sales page).
Two droppers are 2 ml a day. How much of that is saw palmetto is not printed, and 60 mL of liquid shared among nine ingredients leaves little room for a trial-sized amount, though we cannot show that without the numbers. Treat this as a question for the desk and for your bottle's label.
Ask the part
Is it the berry, the oil or a powder?
Ask the amount
Milligrams per 2 ml, in writing.
Ask the test
Any lab report for the lot you hold.
Use the label page as your checklist.
Verdict08
Should saw palmetto change your decision about Prostadine?
It should lower your expectations, not decide the matter.
Saw palmetto is the ingredient most men recognize, and it has the weakest record for the job it is known for. That does not make Prostadine unsafe. It means the herb should not be the reason you order.
In its favor
- Side effects are mild and infrequent in studies up to 3 years (NCCIH, Saw Palmetto)
- No change in PSA in the 2006 trial
- Backed by a 60-day money-back guarantee
Against
- No better than placebo in two large trials and a review
- Amount, extract and form not printed
- Claims about kidneys and germs have no source
If urinary symptoms are new or getting worse, book an exam. See prostate basics first, then weigh the other eight ingredients.
FAQ09
Saw palmetto questions, short answers
What is saw palmetto?
Saw palmetto is the berry of a small palm, Serenoa repens, sold as an extract for urinary and prostate support. Prostadine lists it fifth among nine ingredients and prints no amount (Prostadine sales page). NCCIH says it is probably not helpful for BPH urinary symptoms (NCCIH, Saw Palmetto).
Did the large trials find saw palmetto better than placebo?
No. A 225-man trial over one year and a 369-man trial over 72 weeks both found it no better than placebo, and a Cochrane review of 32 trials agreed (Bent et al., NEJM 2006) (Barry et al. (CAMUS), JAMA 2011) (Tacklind et al., Cochrane 2012). None tested Prostadine.
What dose did the saw palmetto trials use?
The 2006 trial used 160 mg of extract twice a day, and the 2011 trial used 320 mg a day raised up to 960 mg (Bent et al., NEJM 2006) (Barry et al. (CAMUS), JAMA 2011). Prostadine prints no saw palmetto amount, so you cannot compare your drops with those doses.
Does saw palmetto lower PSA?
No. NCCIH says saw palmetto does not appear to change PSA, and the 2006 trial saw no PSA difference from placebo (NCCIH, Saw Palmetto) (Bent et al., NEJM 2006). Tell your doctor about any supplement before a PSA test, since a reading is judged with context.
Can saw palmetto interact with hormone medicines?
NCCIH lists no specific interactions, but it advises talking to a provider before using herbs with medicines (NCCIH, Saw Palmetto). If you take finasteride, dutasteride or tamsulosin, show your doctor or pharmacist the Prostadine bottle before the first dose.
Is saw palmetto an antimicrobial?
The sales page calls it "Strong antimicrobial", but the trials we read did not test it against germs in people (Prostadine sales page). Prostate or urinary infections need a doctor's diagnosis, and fever with painful urination calls for care the same day (NIDDK, Prostatitis).
Is saw palmetto in drops the same as the berry extracts studied?
Nobody can say. The trials used a named extract in measured amounts, while Prostadine does not state the berry part, extract type, liquid base or amount. Results from one saw palmetto product do not automatically apply to another (LactMed, Seaweed (kelp, bladderwrack)).
Who wrote this10
Written and reviewed by
Pages built from the bottle front, the sales page and linked NIH, FDA, FTC and peer-reviewed sources.
Last updated . See our editorial standards and how we check reviews. This website is run by Goprostadine, a USA Authorized Prostadine Retailer, not by the manufacturer. We are paid when you buy through our order links.
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