Common symptoms include frequent need to urinate, a delay before you are able to urinate, dripping after urinating, and having to get up numerous times throughout the night to urinate. If you think you have BPH and your health care provider has suggested that you try saw palmetto, try to keep track of how it affects you. It shouldn't take long for you to notice whether it's helping you. The recommended dosages for Stages I and II BPH is 160 mg, two times a day, of a fat-soluble saw palmetto extract, which has been standardized to contain 85 to 95 percent fatty acids and sterols. Precautions Saw palmetto is a very mild herb.
Side effects are very rare and mild stomach complaints are the only recorded reactions.
The American Herbal Products Association gives saw palmetto a class 1 safety rating, which means that it is safe when used as directed. Saw palmetto only relieves the symptoms of BPH, despite the fact that it alters DHT production and testosterone levels. It will not shrink the prostate. Saw palmetto should not be used during pregnancy or breast-feeding. No harmful drug interactions have been reported.