If you are looking for a natural way to promote urination, you may be wondering is saw palmetto a diuretic? It is, meaning it is helpful with many problems. This herb has many other medicinal uses too, making it very useful to have.

You’ll look at all of that in this article, plus other information to keep you safe and informed.

How A Diuretic Can Help

Diuretics empty your bladder and produce urine. This is helpful when you are suffering from bladder infections, urinary tract infections and enlarged prostate. If you suffer from frequent trips to the bathroom this herb will cut that down too.

In fact, saw palmetto has gone through many rigorous tests to prove its usefulness in BPH (Prostate enlargement). All these tests have conclude it treats BPH as well, or better, than FDA approved medicines.

It costs nearly 500 million dollars to get a medicine approved by the FDA for a specific problem; it’s set up so only big pharmaceutical companies can afford this. However, in Germany herbs are regularly used as medicine, and have been more thoroughly tested and approved for certain problems.

In one German test, 2000 participants with BPH were given a daily dose of 2 grams of saw palmetto and the patients all experienced significant relief from their symptoms. The leading FDA approved medicines for BPH, Proscar and Hytrin, are WAY more expensive than saw palmetto too.

According to famed herbalist James A. Duke in his book The Green Pharmacy, saw palmetto helps BPH by “inhibting the action of the enzyme (testosterone-5-alpha- reductase) that turns testosterone into dihydrotestosterone.” He goes onto say Proscar does the same thing but saw palmetto does the job “in a different way and apparently more effective.”

Proscar has some bad effects which include erectile dysfunction and loss of sex drive. You won’t get this from saw palmetto. Many people actually regard it as a powerful aphrodisiac.

Commission E, the German FDA, approves this herb for BPH (In Europe it is more preferred than prescription drugs).

What Other Medicinal Value Does Saw Palmetto Posses? 

Besides being a diuretic, saw palmetto is:

• An antiseptic
• Sedative
• Cardiac
• Tonic

Cultures of the past used the berries for many problems. In the 1800’s white settlers in the South prescribed it for bronchitis and coughs. Apparently it was used to increase sex drive and to enlarge women’s breasts too.

According to famous herbalist Jethro Kloss, in his book Back to Eden, it is useful in “asthma and all kind of throat troubles, colds, bronchitis, whooping cough and when the throat is irritated and painful.” He goes on to claim it helps with “all diseases of the reproductive organs, testes, ovaries, prostate and is valuable in kidney disease and diabetes.”

The berries help a person regain strength and weight after a debilitating accident. Other problems it can fight are:

• Baldness (saw palmetto is a dht blocker)
• Erection problems
• Excessive mucous discharged in the sinuses and nose

As you can see there is a lot of medicinal value.

How To Take, Dosages And Dangers 

There are a few different ways to take saw palmetto and the most popular is with capsules or an extract. If you are looking to use saw palmetto for BPH you will want to take 320 milligrams a day of the extract. It’s pretty inexpensive and the much cheaper (and safer) option compared to prescription alternatives.

You can either take 160 milligram dosages twice a day or the full 320 milligrams all at once. Researchers in Belgium concluded either way eases symptoms equally. I’d suggest taking all at once because it increases the likelihood you will take the full, daily recommended dosage.

Take 2 to 3 capsules a day, if you choose that route.

There aren’t many safety concerns to worry about. Some mild side effects are upset stomach and headache. Men with hormonal issues should consult a doctor first, as these berries have hormonal actions.

You should consult a doctor before using in general, especially if you are already on BPH medication.

Give Herbs A Shot

There’s a natural cure for every problem and saw palmetto can help with many issues. Prescription medicines are the 5th leading cause of death in America. Herbs rarely result in death and in general, have very limited side effects.

The only downside is they take more time than synthetic medicines. It’s worth the wait though, as herbs fix the underlying problems, not just the symptoms (saw palmetto actually works just as fast as Proscar).

Talk to your doctor. Don’t be turned off because it isn’t FDA approved. It’s approved by Commission E in Germany which is well respected. Their recommendations can be trusted. Test after test proves saw palmettos effectiveness and worth. History proves it too.

If you are looking to purchase saw palmetto I would like to recommend Starwest Botanicals. They are a great online supplier and where I personally purchase my herbs. They have EXTREMELY high quality products and many saw palmetto options. You won’t be disappointed.

Learn More About Starwest Botanicals

If you have any additional questions please comment below and I’ll respond as fast as possible. Also, if you believe in the power of herbs share on social media for friends and family to see.

Thanks for reading!