Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens)
Quick answer: Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) is a hair & nails ingredient. A dark berry from the American south-east, long used in traditional hair and prostate preparations. Take daily with food. The berry oil is fat-soluble, so a meal helps.
- Role
- Hair & nails
- Origin
- Wild-harvested from palmetto scrub along the coastal plains of Florida and Georgia.
- Form
- Supercritical CO2 extract of the berry, 85 to 95% fatty acids
- Evidence
- Traditional use, Long traditional and clinical use, but the largest independent review found no benefit over placebo for urinary symptoms. Hair evidence is small and mostly open-label. We list it because the tradition is real, not because the trials are settled.
- Citations
- 2 peer-reviewed references
Worth knowing
Saw palmetto can lower PSA readings, the marker used in prostate screening, so it is worth telling a doctor you take it before that blood test. Also worth a conversation if you take hormonal medication or blood thinners.
Origin
Wild-harvested from palmetto scrub along the coastal plains of Florida and Georgia.
Sourcing
Saw palmetto berries are still gathered largely by hand from wild stands, on land where harvest permits and picker pay vary a great deal. We ask for harvest region, permit status and lipid profile on every batch, and we would rather say what we do not yet know than imply a cleaner chain than exists.
How it works
The berry's fatty acids and sterols have been studied in relation to 5-alpha-reductase, the enzyme that converts testosterone to DHT. The clinical picture is genuinely mixed: some trials report benefit, the largest reviews do not, and we would rather present it that way than overstate it.
How to take it
Take daily with food. The berry oil is fat-soluble, so a meal helps.
Form & standardisation
Supercritical CO2 extract of the berry, 85 to 95% fatty acids
Research
- Tacklind et al. 2012 · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Large systematic review found saw palmetto did not outperform placebo for urinary symptoms, an honest counterweight to the traditional reputation.
- Wessagowit et al. 2016 · Australasian Journal of Dermatology, Small open study of topical saw palmetto in androgenetic alopecia reported measurable changes in hair density.
Frequently asked questions
What is Saw Palmetto?
Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) is a hair & nails ingredient. A dark berry from the American south-east, long used in traditional hair and prostate preparations.
How does Saw Palmetto work?
The berry's fatty acids and sterols have been studied in relation to 5-alpha-reductase, the enzyme that converts testosterone to DHT. The clinical picture is genuinely mixed: some trials report benefit, the largest reviews do not, and we would rather present it that way than overstate it.
How should I take Saw Palmetto?
Take daily with food. The berry oil is fat-soluble, so a meal helps.
Where is Clekina's Saw Palmetto sourced?
Saw palmetto berries are still gathered largely by hand from wild stands, on land where harvest permits and picker pay vary a great deal. We ask for harvest region, permit status and lipid profile on every batch, and we would rather say what we do not yet know than imply a cleaner chain than exists.