Question

Your uncle is suffering from benign prostatic hyperplasia and is seeking alternative therapies to manage his condition. He has seen bottles of saw palmetto extract for sale in the dietary supplement section of the grocery store, but is not sure if he should spend the money to buy these supplements. In 2-3 paragraphs, answer the following questions that your uncle has about saw palmetto: Where do saw palmetto supplements come from? How is the medicine made? Do you know what compounds are found in the extract? How does it work – in other words, how does it affect my condition of benign prostatic dysplasia? Will it relieve my symptoms permanently or temporarily? What are the health benefits of me using this product? Are there any health risks associated with its use?

Answer 1

• The saw palmetto supplements are produced from Saw palmetto berries.
• The saw palmetto extracts are contains phytosterols and fattyacids . The combined effect of both these compounds are found be effective in prostate related disorders.
• It is studied that the phytosterols and fattyacids act to inhibit 5 alpha reductase which is involved in the prostate cell wall growth.
• Thus, the lining of the prostate cell wall is reduced .
• The drug is slightly effective as it is can reduce the lining only in the presence of both these components for long term that too in the person who has undergone prostate surgery.
• It is ineffective in patients with enlarged prostate.
• By taking this drug the blood clotting effect gets lower and there would be more blood loss during surgery.