Saw Palmetto 550mg | 100 Capsules | NOW Foods

Saw Palmetto 550mg by NOW Foods

Saw palmetto, as the name suggests, is a small palm tree native to the southeastern United States. These capsules by NOW Foods contain the ground berries of this palm, 550mg per capsule. It is not an extract, but the whole berry. This makes this saw palmetto interesting for men who prefer the plant in its natural state, in a simple plant-based capsule.

What saw palmetto actually is

Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) grows low to the ground in Florida and Georgia. It gets its name from its leaf stalks, which are covered in sharp teeth, like a saw. In the autumn, it produces dark purple berries, about the size of an olive. The original inhabitants of Florida had been eating these berries for centuries. What many people do not know is that the berry is rich in fatty acids, such as lauric acid, myristic acid, and oleic acid, and in plant sterols such as beta-sitosterol. Saw palmetto is a source of fatty acids that help maintain reproductive function.* In the Netherlands, the plant is also known as saw palmetto or sabal palm. It is worth knowing that saw palmetto is difficult to grow on plantations. The majority of the berries are still harvested by hand in the wild in late summer, when they are ripe and dark. They are then dried and ground into the powder found in these capsules. Because the harvest depends on the weather and nature, the yield varies considerably from year to year. A hurricane or a dry summer in Florida can halve an entire harvest.

Saw palmetto in capsule form

Saw palmetto helps men aged 45 and over maintain normal urinary function.*

Whole berry or extract: the difference

The difference between ground berries and an extract lies in the concentration. An extract is standardized to a fixed percentage of fatty acids, usually 85 to 95 percent. Therefore, a smaller amount is sufficient, often 320mg per day. Ground saw palmetto berries contain the whole berry, including fiber and other plant compounds. You therefore take a larger amount: NOW Foods recommends two capsules, two to three times a day. This amounts to 2.2 to 3.3 grams of berry per day. Some people deliberately choose the whole berry because it is closer to the traditional way of using it. The capsule itself is made of plant-based cellulose, with only stearic acid and silicon dioxide as excipients.

In short: this is saw palmetto in its simplest form. Ground berries, a cellulose capsule, with no yeast, gluten, soy, or milk. For those who prefer the whole plant over a concentrated extract.

*Health claim awaiting European approval.