The Therapeutic Potential of Saw Palmetto Extract in Urological Disorders

Saw palmetto extract (SPE) has been widely used as a therapeutic remedy for urinary dysfunction in western countries. Furthermore, as an herb drug, it can be used as an alternative therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) due to its safety and minimum adverse effects. Reportedly, SPE improves the urinary symptoms, which mainly depend on anti-androgenic effects and effects on autonomic receptors in the lower urinary tract. However, the mechanisms of action responsible for the therapeutic roles of SPE have not been fully elucidated. Relevant studies indicate that SPE has some positive effects on the treatment of urological diseases in animals, and clinical trials are ongoing. In this review, we summarize the pharmacological properties and discuss the possible therapeutic mechanisms of SPE in urological diseases, including anti-androgenic effects, effects on autonomic receptors in the lower urinary tract, anti-inflammatory activity, anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects, and highlight a potential therapeutic approach in the clinical treatment of patients with BPH, prostate cancer, chronic prostatitis (CP) and erectile dysfunction (ED).

Drug interactions between herbal medicines and oral contraceptives

The use of herbal medicines has grown considerably in recent years, due to the erroneous thought that products of plant origin are harmless, and therefore do not cause adverse effects or have drug interactions. The use of these drugs with oral contraceptives can bring risks to patients. The potential negative clinical effects that can be caused by these drug interactions must be emphasized to prevent risks and ensure the effectiveness of this contraceptive method that is one of the most used by women seeking to prevent pregnancy. The users of herbal medicines usually believe that herbal medicine is a therapeutic alternative free of adverse effects and/or incapable of causing drug interactions, but herbal medicines are composed of several chemical compounds, which, in turn, may be responsible for antagonistic and/or synergistic effects with other drugs. The main interactions that can occur with contraceptives are with popularly used herbal medicines such as licorice, alfalfa, cannabis, cimicifuga, St. John's wort, ginseng, kava-kava, saw palmetto, sene, and soy. The herbal medicines have several chemical compounds, among which we highlight the secondary metabolites, responsible for the pharmacological actions and mechanism of action of drug interactions, which are often similar in plants that have in their composition the same metabolites, as in the case of saponins and isoflavones that reduce the speed of biotransformation of oral contraceptives.

Serenoa repens (saw palmetto) for Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS): The Evidence for Efficacy and Safety of Lipidosterolic Extracts. Part I.

Given the extent of this global analysis, this report will be presented in three sections. Part I will introduce LUTS. What are the demographics of LUTS? What symptoms are assessed by LUTS and how do we quantify LUTS? Why would a non-prescription item be a valuable consideration in LUTS treatment versus other treatment options? What is basic information about Serenoa repens and what defines a standardized LSESr product? What are the published trials that have affected the acceptability of Serenoa repens in the treatment of LUTS? Finally, a major portion of Part I will discuss the four major reviews of Serenoa repens versus LUTS that have influenced how it is accepted in the USA, in Europe, and other parts of the world. Part I, therefore, lays the groundwork and is foundational for the important findings relating to LUTS and Serenoa repens that will be presented in Parts II and III.