S
(f; APA; FEL); Gastrosis (f; BGB); Gonorrhea (f; FEL; MAD); Head Cold (f; CRC; FAD);
Immunodepression (1; APA; CAN; CRC); Impotence (f; APA; EB52:381); Infertility (f;
EB52:381); Inflammation (2; APA; CRC; FAD; HHB; MAB; PH2; SHT); Insomnia (f; CRC;
FAD; EB52:381); Laryngosis (f; FEL); Leukorrhea (f; MAD); Mastosis (f; PH2); Micromastia
(1; CRC; HAD; JAD; EB52:381); Migraine (f; FAD); Mucososis (f; CRC; FAD; EB52:381);
Nephrosis (f; EB52:381); Nervousness (f; CRC; FAD; EB52:381); Orchosis (f; CAN; MAB;
PH2); Pain (f; FEL; MAD); Pertussis (f; FEL); Phthisis (f; FEL; MAD); Polyuria (f; SHT);
Prostatosis (2; APA; FAD; PHR; SHT); Pulmonosis (f; FEL); Respirosis (f; CRC); Snakebite (f;
CRC); Sore Throat (f; CRC); Sterility (f; APA); Stomachache (f; BGB; CRC); Swelling (1; HH2;
MAB; SHT); Tenesmus (f; FEL); Testicular Atrophy (f; BGB); Tuberculosis (f; FEL); Tumor (f;
CRC; JLH); Ovariosis (f; FEL); Urethrosis (2; CAN); Uterosis (f; MAB); UTI (1; PH2); Vaginosis
(f; FAD); VD (f; FEL); Water Retention (f; APA; BGB; PNC).
Dosages (Saw Palmetto) — 2–3 tsp fresh fruit (PED); 0.5–1 (2) g powdered dry fruit (PNC; SKY);
1–1.5 g dry fruit (PED); 1–2 g dry fruit (APA; PH2); 0.5–2.0 g dry fruit, or in tea, 3 ×/day (CAN;
SKY); 1.5 g dry fruit:8 ml alcohol/7 ml water (PED); 1–60 drops fluid fruit extract (FEL); 0.6–1.5
ml liquid BPC fruit extract (CAN; PNC); 2–4 ml/day liquid fruit extract (1:2) (45–90%) (MAB);
5–6 ml liquid whole herb extract (SKY); 320 mg/day lipophilic extract (PH2); 160 mg liposterolic
extract 2 ×/day (ca. = 2–4 g/day dry fruit) (MAB); 320 mg alcohol or hexane extract StX at 90%
fatty acids/sterols (APA); 1 (320 mg) capsule (StX with 160 mg certified potency fruit extract with
at least 85–95% fatty acids and biologically active sterols in a base of pumpkin seed oil) 2 ×/day
(NH); 1 (320 mg) soft gel StX/day; 2–3 (600 mg) capsules 3 ×/day (JAD; NH).
Contraindications, Interactions, and Side Effects (Saw Palmetto) — Class 1 (AHP). “Hazards
and/or side effects not known for proper therapeutic dosages” (PH2). Commission E reports no
contraindications or interactions for the fruit. Adverse effects: gastric complaints (rarely). As
improvement is symptomatic without eliminating prostatic hypertrophy, a physician should be
consulted regularly (AEH). May interact with the contraceptive pill, other hormonal therapies,
and HRT. “Use during pregnancy and lactation should be avoided” (CAN). 34 of 435 patients
completing a 3-year study reported 46 adverse effects, and a dropout rate of 1.8% due to adverse
effects. “There are no known contraindications to saw palmetto preparations” (SHT). May
interfere with PSA readings after 6 months’ treatment (JAD). If prevention of the conversion of
testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is responsible for impotence as a side effect of
finasteride, then this could be a concern with equivalent doses of saw palmetto.
Extracts (Saw Palmetto) — Alcoholic extract is estrogenic, probably due to the known estrogenic
compound, beta-sitosterol. Hexane extracts competitively inhibits the binding of DHT to cytosolic
and nuclear androgen receptor sites. It also inhibits 5-alpha-reductase converting testosterone to
DHT and 3-ketosteroid-reductase from converting testosterone to an androgen derivative. It also
inhibits edema by inhibiting histamine-induced increase in capillary permeability. Even small doses
of aqueous extracts inhibited edema. Antiinflammatory activity accrues to a high molecular weight
polysaccharide. An immunostimulating polysaccharide is rich in glucuronic acid (CAN). LD50
StX = >10,000 mg/kg orl gpg mus & rat (MAB).
SCARLET ELDER
(Sambucus racemosa L. subsp. pubens (Michx.) House) +Synonyms: S. pubens Michx., S. pubens f. xanthocarpa (Cockerell) Fernald, S. pubescens Pers.,
S. racemosa f. xanthocarpa Cockerell.
Activities (Scarlet Elder) — Diaphoretic (f; HHB); Diuretic (1; HHB); Emetic (f; HHB); Laxative
(f; HHB); Poison (1; HHB).