How to Eat Saw Palmetto

The saw palmetto plant has been widely used as an herbal remedy to treat conditions such as an enlarged prostrate, prostrate cancer, asthma, chronic bronchitis, sore throat and migraine headaches. Although the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database states that saw palmetto is possibly effective for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), or enlarged prostate, there is insufficient evidence to prove its effectiveness for other physical ailments. Individuals who wish to try saw palmetto should first consult their physicians and understand the risks and benefits associated with the herbal remedy.

Instructions

• 1

  Eat dried saw palmetto berries that you purchased from a health store or herbal retailer. The dried berries can be ingested as dried fruit or steeped in tea, though you will likely lose some of the health benefits in the tea since the active ingredients are not water soluble. If you choose to eat the saw palmetto berries, you should consume between 1 and 2 grams per day to achieve the desired health benefits.

• 2

  Purchase a saw palmetto herbal supplement in capsule form that contains between 85 and 95 percent fatty acids and sterols. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, the capsules are the most common and effective method of eating saw palmetto.

  When taken as a capsule, the University of Maryland Medical Center recommends a dosage of 160 mg of saw palmetto twice a day or 320 mg of saw palmetto once a day for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Depending on your condition, your physician may recommend twice daily dosages of up to 400 mg.

• 3

  Ingest between 5 and 6 mL of liquid saw palmetto extract per day. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, there is no information regarding the effectiveness of the liquid extract because there have been no formal studies conducted.