Talk:Serenoa

Split into Saw palmetto extract

There is way too much information in here on Saw palmetto extract. This part of the article should be split into that. Bastiq▼e ^demandez 00:21, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

Yes, Split out the extract portion

Agreed, for someone purchasing property desiring to create a homestead, saw palmetto management and eradication techniques are desireable information —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 67.78.84.74 (talk) 21:28, 22 March 2007 (UTC).

Cancer?

"Though in vitro studies suggest saw palmetto has properties that might make it useful against prostate cancer cells or to reduce prostatitis, clinical trials are lacking."

This is BOGUS. Saw Palmetto can actually *hide* a tumor by decreasing symptoms. It is a useful/efficacious/proven treatment, but should not be used by people at risk for prostate cancer. This should be removed due to the implications of someone thinking that saw palmetto can cure/treat their prostate cancer. The FDA even wants to yank it from the market because of this... [[TheAngriestPharmacist]] 06:53, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

WHAT? AngriestPharmacist's argument makes no sense and has even less evidence backing it up than evidence regarding treating cancer. Prostate cancer is well-known to have no symptoms until very late in the disease, and saw palmetto has never been shown to interfere with diagnosis of prostate cancer. If you are referring to the theory that saw palmetto may artificially suppress total PSA levels, this has been repeatedly studied in clinical trials and found not to be the case, unlike 5aRi drugs such as finasteride. I have extensively reviewed this issue previously at http://www.dryarnell.com/?p=274.Eric Yarnell (talk) 02:34, 30 January 2012 (UTC)Eric Yarnell

Anti-inflammatory and anti-edema

The berries inhibit cyclooxygenase. This blocks prostaglandin production thereby decreasing the inflammatory cascade/process. I would add this in somewhere, but I can't really find a good spot. Perhaps busting this up with a 'medicinal use' section would be best. Also has spasmolytic properties. [[TheAngriestPharmacist]] 09:44, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Split

I've split out the portion relating to the extract into Saw palmetto extract. It certainly merits its own article and this article should be about the plant and cultivations. Cary Bass ^demandez 19:41, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Medical text dumped

I have removed some text on the medicinal uses of Serenoa, as it is better suited to the Saw palmetto extract page, and looks suspiciously like a copyright violation.--Slashme 06:09, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

What you removed was what I personally wrote and it was all referenced and was not as far as I believe in breach of copyright. It may have looked "dumped" as I am yet to learn how to format it. I will take your suggestion and post again under extract page.--User:Cmunro

Shucks, I'm sorry! Please give it another shot, and leave a message on my talk page and I'll go through it for formatting. --Slashme 06:00, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

Height (US/Metric)

It is a small palm, normally reaching a height of around 2–4 m (3–6 ft).

Either the US figure is 50% too small or the metric figure is 100% larger than it should be. Anyone know which is right? I don't live where saw palmettos grow, but based on my memory of seeing them in North Carolina, I'm guessing the 6 foot figure is about right for their normal maximum height. 206.208.105.129 (talk) 13:56, 20 January 2011 (UTC)

I"m not 100% positive but it should probably read 1-2 m as most of these plants will not develop a trunk like the more upright Sabal palmetto. The leaves themselves can sometimes reach 1 m, and since that's pretty much all that's above ground most will be under 1 m tall but large specimens may get up to 2 m. Lime in the Coconut 18:59, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

I've certainly never seen a 4-meter-tall palmetto, or anywhere close. Sabal palmetto (common name cabbage palm), yes; just plain palmetto (this stuff), no. I'll use the numbers from another source, which are pretty a bit past the 2-meter mark. --Dan Wylie-Sears 2 (talk) 00:22, 16 September 2014 (UTC)

Updated Cochrane review on its use in BPH

I'm not a Wiki editor but would like to alert those who wrote this article that an updated Cochrane review just came out. In my view this requires some re-writing if the wiki article.

MacDonald, R., Tacklind, J. W., Rutks, I. and Wilt, T. J. (2012), Serenoa repens monotherapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH): an updated Cochrane systematic review. BJU International. doi: 10.1111/j.1464-410X.2012.11172.x

For convenience I copy-pasted the abstract.

Keywords:Serenoa repens;benign prostatic hyperplasia;phytotherapy;systematic review

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? For the past 30 years Serenoa repens has become a widely used phytotherapy in the USA and in Europe, mostly because of positive comparisons to α-blockers and 5α-reductase inhibitors.

During the last 4 years we have seen two very high quality trials comparing Serenoa repens to placebo and up to 72 weeks' duration. These trials found Serenoa repens no better than placebo, even (in one trial) at escalating doses. OBJECTIVE • To estimate the effectiveness and harms of Serenoa repens monotherapy in the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) consistent with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).MATERIALS AND METHODS • We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and other sources through to January 2012 to identify randomised trials.• Trials were eligible if they randomised men with symptomatic BPH to receive Serenoa repens extract monotherapy for at least 4 weeks in comparison with placebo, and assessed clinical outcomes and urodynamic measurements.• Our primary outcome was improvement in LUTS, based on change in urological symptom-scale scores.RESULTS • In all, 17 randomised controlled trials (N= 2008) assessing Serenoa repens monotherapy (typically 320 mg/day) vs placebo met inclusion criteria, although only five reported American Urological Association Symptom Index (AUASI) or International Prostate Symptom Scores (IPSS). Trial lengths ranged from 4 to 72 weeks. The mean age of all enrolees was 64.3 years and most participants were of White race. The mean baseline total score was 14 points, indicating moderately severe symptoms. In all, 16 trials were double blinded and adequate treatment allocation concealment was reported in six trials.• In a meta-analysis of three high quality long-to-moderate term trials (n= 661), Serenoa repens therapy was no better than placebo in reducing LUTS based on the AUASI/IPSS (weighted mean difference [WMD]−0.16 points, 95% confidence interval [CI]–1.45 to 1.14) or maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax; WMD 0.40 mL/s, 95% CI −0.30 to 1.09). Based on mostly short-term studies, Qmax measured at study endpoint were also not significantly different between treatment groups (WMD 1.15 mL/s, 95% CI −0.23 to 2.53) with evidence of substantial heterogeneity (I2 58%).• One long-term dose escalation trial (72 weeks) found double and triple doses of Serenoa repens extract did not improve AUASI compared with placebo and the proportions of clinical responders (≥3 point decrease in the AUASI) were nearly identical (43% vs 44% for Serenoa repens and placebo, respectively) with a corresponding risk ratio of 0.96 (95% CI 0.76–1.22).• Long-term, Serenoa repens therapy was no better than placebo in improving nocturia in one high-quality study (P= 0.19). Pooled analysis of nine short-term Permixon® trials showed a reduction in the frequency of nocturia (WMD −0.79 times/night, 95% CI–1.28 to −0.29), although there was evidence of heterogeneity (I2 76%)• Adverse events of Serenoa repens extracts were few and mild, and incidences were not statistically significantly different vs placebo. Study withdrawals occurred in ≈10% and did not differ between Serenoa repens and placebo. CONCLUSIONS • Serenoa repens therapy does not improve LUTS or Qmax compared with placebo in men with BPH, even at double and triple the usual dose. • Adverse events were generally mild and comparable to placebo. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.175.102.130 (talk) 08:12, 8 May 2012 (UTC)

For an editor experienced in formatting medical publication references, here is the updated 2012 study link by the same authors of the 2009 one that is currently flagged in the article for needing updating (ref 8 as I post this) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23235581. 5Q5 (talk)

The 2012 Cochrane update is incorporated here (now ref #6) and in the saw palmetto extract article. David notMD (talk) 13:55, 20 April 2017 (UTC)

Describing the stems of Serenoa repens

Thanks for the nice wiki entry on Serenoa repens. The petiole gets a clear description. But it would be helpful if you would describe the unusual stem.

Can you add a description of the stem, its unique appearance, why it is prostrate, how the overlapping and adjacent stems creates a unique ground cover, how the stems differs from the traditional view of  "trunk"  and what the appearance of the rest of the plant is below ground? 

All the best, Terrie — Preceding unsigned comment added by 47.196.174.90 (talk) 16:03, 8 November 2017 (UTC)

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Works for me

"Scientific evidence" notwithstanding, if I run out of saw palmetto (which I myself put up in capsules) for a few days, I find that I'm getting up five times a night to the bathroom. ;Bear (talk) 07:23, 21 January 2022 (UTC)