All about Saw Palmetto

Saw palmetto is an herb that comes from the Serenoa, a small palm tree indigenous to the Atlantic seaboard from South Carolina to Florida. Its therapeutic properties are sourced from the tree’s dark blue berries, which are harvested in late summer. Saw palmetto supplements have a long history of successful use throughout the world, dating back to native Americans, and now commonly prescribed in Italy, Germany, and France. In the U.S., it receives tremendous demand and is now one of the top ten best selling supplements.

The popularity of these supplements arise from the fact that more than half of men over the age of 50 suffer from BPH (benign prostatic hypertrophy) combined with the fact that this herb has been proven effective in double-blind clinical trials. BPH is a condition in which the male prostate gland becomes enlarged, exerting undue pressure on the urethra (which is the tube that carries urine from the bladder through the prostate and finally out of the penis).

The symptoms of BPH are: incomplete emptying of the bladder, dribbling, difficulty starting urination, reduced force of the stream, and frequent urination of small amounts.

Saw palmetto has been shown in numerous clinical trials to help relieve the symptoms of BPH. It acts as an anti-inflammatory and diminishes the swelling of tissues, and can regulate the levels of hormones that are responsible for causing prostate cells to multiply.

Saw palmetto is a very safe herb taken by millions of men around the world. However, although rare, some discomforting side effects can include: nausea, headaches, and dizziness. If experiencing any of these symptoms, reduce dosage until symptoms disappear, or discontinue use.

Saw palmetto supplements can be an effective and safe for BPH.

However, most men do not know that Beta Sitosterol is a nutrient that is literally thousands of times more powerful and effective than Saw Palmetto. Even the best Saw Palmetto supplements are comprised of 99% fatty acids and 1% sterols. The sterol component is where the therapeutic benefit lies (hence the name Beta Sitosterol).

In short, by taking Beta Sitosterol, you will be getting only the active component of Saw Palmetto that is responsible for its medicinal properties. It has been shown in clinical trials to outperform Saw Palmetto for the prevention of BPH--Enlarged Prostate Gland.

For this reason, we do not recommend Saw Palmetto, but instead Beta Sitosterol.

Ensure your supplement is produced at a pharmaceutical GMP facility. Such places adhere to the highest manufacturing standards to ensure that you are actually getting the amount of active ingredients you paid for. This is extremely important because the nutritional supplement industry is unregulated in the U.S., and only 1 in 5 products actually has the ingredients stated on the label.

Why not buy the best? Your health depends on it.

One company that meets the above requirements -- and more -- is Xtend-Life Natural Products from New Zealand, which has one of the strictest regulatory environments in the world for the manufacture of dietary supplements, far exceeding U.S. FDA standards.

Their Total Balance for Men contains Beta Sitosterol (and many other beneficial prostate health herbs, such as Lycopene). It also does contain some Saw Palmetto.

We here at Nutritional-Supplement-Info personally take Xtend-Life's Total Balance as the foundation of our own health regimen.

After doing countless comparisons, we strongly believe it is the best product of its kind on the market today.