Hey Guys who used propecia should be happy that did not use SP. I am unfortunate one though
reade the following links.
Saw Palmetto may actually be Harmful to your Prostate
Three recent scientific studies, surprisingly indicated that saw palmetto may actually harm your prostate health! These studies, which were investigating the effect of saw palmetto on prostate tissue all came to the same conclusion: Saw palmetto has an effect similar to chemotherapy on prostate cells - it kills both unhealthy and healthy cells!
One study published in Prostate (2000 Nov) examined the effect of saw palmetto on stroma cells (the framework cells that build supportive tissue) and on epithelial cells (those which line the glands and ducts of the prostate). The study was done on normal prostate tissue and on BPH tissues from patients treated with and without the saw palmetto. The conclusion was that saw palmetto damages the nuclear and mitochondrial membranes, and causes cellular death in the epithelium and stroma.
Another study published in the Journal of Urology (2000 Nov) investigated the effects of saw palmetto on primary cultures of fibroblasts (cells that produce connective tissue), and epithelial cells from the prostate, epididymis (the tube that provides for the storage, transmission and maturation of sperm), testes, kidney, skin and breast to determine if the action of saw palmetto is selective and specific to prostate tissue. This study concluded that saw palmetto caused damage and death in prostate tissue, though there were no similar changes observed in other types of cells.
A third study published in Prostate (1999 Sep) examined the effect of saw palmetto on benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Again, the results showed there was widespread damage of intracellular membranes, including mitochondrial and nuclear membranes in both healthy and overgrown prostate tissue.
In light of this new information, it seems prudent to avoid saw palmetto as a treatment for BPH. It is possible that research may eventually show saw palmetto to be an effective way to kill prostate tumor cells, but its toxicity to healthy prostate cells is reason enough to be concerned about taking saw palmetto daily as a either a treatment or preventative measure for BPH.