Form Comparison

Saw Palmetto Berry Powder vs Saw Palmetto Extract

How saw palmetto berry powder and saw palmetto extract differ in potency, absorption, tolerance, and cost.

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Quick verdict. Choose the liposterolic extract. It is the form used in every major trial, standardized to 85-95% fatty acids and sterols at 320 mg a day, while whole berry powder contains a small, unknown share of that lipid fraction. Know that the large STEP and CAMUS trials found no benefit over placebo for urinary symptoms with CO2 and ethanol extracts, so even the right form may not help.

Side by Side

Whole Berry Powder Liposterolic Extract (85-95% Fatty Acids and Sterols)
Absorption Low Variable
How it is absorbed Dried, ground berry with a small fraction of the fatty acid content per gram. Lipid extract of the berry made with hexane, ethanol, or supercritical CO2. The fatty acid fraction carries the 5-alpha reductase activity, and composition differs by solvent and manufacturer.
Typical dose 1-2 g daily 320 mg daily
Common uses traditional use BPH urinary symptoms, male pattern hair loss
Side effects GI upset. Mild GI upset, headache.
Cost Low Low
Also called dried saw palmetto berry Permixon, hexane extract, CO2 extract

When to Choose Whole Berry Powder

There is rarely a reason to choose saw palmetto berry powder. Not what the trials used, and the lipid dose is unknown.

Whole Berry Powder

Unconcentrated, untested, and not equivalent to the extract.

What to look for: Skip it; the lipid dose per capsule is unknown.

Find on iHerb Affiliate link

When to Choose Liposterolic Extract (85-95% Fatty Acids and Sterols)

Choose saw palmetto extract when you want the form all the trials used. The STEP and CAMUS trials used CO2 and ethanol extracts and found no benefit; some European guidelines treat the hexane extract separately.

Liposterolic Extract (85-95% Fatty Acids and Sterols)

The only form worth considering, and the form that failed in the two largest independent trials.

What to look for: Liposterolic extract, 85-95% fatty acids and sterols, 320 mg daily.

Find on iHerb Affiliate link

Products on Titrate

2,112 of the 214,745 labels in the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database list saw palmetto as an active ingredient (1,015 on market). 641 are sold as saw palmetto products by name.

Open supplement search

Saw Palmetto does not have its own search category yet. Each product above links to its full label in the NIH database.

Related

References

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Saw Palmetto.

Marks LS, Partin AW, Epstein JI, et al. Effects of a saw palmetto herbal blend in men with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia. J Urol. 2000;163(5):1451-1456.

Bent S, Kane C, Shinohara K, et al. Saw palmetto for benign prostatic hyperplasia. N Engl J Med. 2006;354(6):557-566.

Barry MJ, Meleth S, Lee JY, et al. Effect of increasing doses of saw palmetto extract on lower urinary tract symptoms: a randomized trial. JAMA. 2011;306(12):1344-1351.

Tacklind J, MacDonald R, Rutks I, Stanke JU, Wilt TJ. Serenoa repens for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012;12(12):CD001423.

Rossi A, Mari E, Scarno M, et al. Comparative effectiveness of finasteride vs Serenoa repens in male androgenetic alopecia: a two-year study. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2012;25(4):1167-1173.