Can Saw Palmetto Help Prostate Cancer?
There aren’t any studies looking at saw palmetto’s effect on prostate cancer. My view is that it would not hurt and may have some benefit as part of a comprehensive strategy. After all, saw palmetto prevents excess hormone stimulation of the prostate cells, so perhaps it minimizes the stimulus for cell growth. Fortunately, saw palmetto does not appear affect the PSA marker (test marker for prostate cancer), so there is no conflict in using it.
Prostatitis
Congestion and inflammation of the prostate results in a condition known as prostatitis. This could cause serious pain in the prostate gland-pain that could be felt in other areas of the body including the low back, abdomen, and testis. (Doctors call this “referred pain,” because it affects body areas that are separate from the actual pain site.) Saw palmetto reduces the congestion and alleviate prostatitis when used on a long-term basis. (The rye pollen extract cernilton has been shown in studies to deal with prostatitis even more effectively than saw palmetto.)