What Is the Difference between Saw Palmetto Extract & Saw Palmetto Organic?

Saw palmetto is a small brush plant that is native to the coastal plains in the state of Florida. It takes its name from the saw-tooth edges found on its fronds, and its berries have served as both a food source and as a medicinal herb.

Features

• Saw palmetto plants, which go by the scientific name of Serenoa repens, produce a vast amount of berries that average about 2 cm in length. It is the berry that is used medicinally, after it has been dried and then crushed or ground.

Function

• Saw palmetto is used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also known as benign enlargement of the prostate. Specifically, it is purported to help deal with many of the symptoms associated with BPH; including frequent urination and urinary tract infections.

Sources

• Saw palmetto cannot be cultivated, which means that it must be harvested as a wild-crafted herb. The term wild-crafted implies that no harmful chemicals were used for pest control, fertilizer or to treat the soil for any other conditions, because the herbs grow naturally in the wild.

Implications

• Because saw palmetto only grows in the wild, there is not a significant difference between standard wild-crafted saw palmetto capsules or extracts and organic saw palmetto. While some companies have had plots of land where the plant grows certified as organic, the inability of the plant to be cultivated commercially means it is always grown without chemicals. The only difference is whether the ingredients for the capsule itself, or the alcohol used to preserve a tincture or liquid extract, were sourced organically.