9 replies to this topic

[FSAS]

im sure there is a ton of posts on saw palmetto and the likes but wanting to post a question.
is it something like other herbs that only work for a certain amount of time before the body gets used to it? i know people say if you drink herbal teas to rotate every 2 or so weeks. is that similar to saw palmetto, i wanted to give it a go, im not sure how long it usually takes to take affect but if anything im more wondering if after like a month or something if it becomes in-affective? i assume of course if you stop taking it the affects will go away and if it has helped acne it will come back.
How safe is paw palmetto taken long term (years)?
does anyone here at the moment have an experiences with paw palmetto? or opinions/facts I might need to consider?
I hear of vitex (i think its called?) being used also but in another post on the boards someone mentioned saw palmetto was more for the anti-androgen approach(?)
thanks guys :3

[chunkylard]

Saw palmetto is a decent DHT inhibitor, but may cause some digestive upset and non-permanent impotency issues in males.

I've also read that if you get the gelcaps of SP and pop it open (warning: it smells HORRIBLE. Having smelled it, it's honestly one of the most foul odors I've ever smelled. I'd rank it just below feces. No exaggeration.) to apply it topically.

I personally wouldn't recommend most people take SP for those reasons. If you're thinking about SP, you might as well just buy a pine-derived Beta Sitosterol (part of the reason why SP is a DHT inhibitor) supplement, which does essentially the same thing. Just seek out a pine-derived one and not one from soy.

[FSAS]

Saw palmetto is a decent DHT inhibitor, but may cause some digestive upset and non-permanent impotency issues in males.

I've also read that if you get the gelcaps of SP and pop it open (warning: it smells HORRIBLE. Having smelled it, it's honestly one of the most foul odors I've ever smelled. I'd rank it just below feces. No exaggeration.) to apply it topically.

I personally wouldn't recommend most people take SP for those reasons. If you're thinking about SP, you might as well just buy a pine-derived Beta Sitosterol (part of the reason why SP is a DHT inhibitor) supplement, which does essentially the same thing. Just seek out a pine-derived one and not one from soy.

thanks for your reply would you be able to tell me more about pine-derived Beta Sitosterol? why perhaps it would be a better option over SP and what exactly it does? I'm fairly sure my health shop wont have pine-derived Beta Sitosterol, they actually barely have much besides the obvious 'vitamins'. do you know of a good brand perhaps that i could buy over the net?
i was also still curious if you knew if taking something like this, if the effects of it last? or are they usually short lived? thanks again

[FSAS]

Saw palmetto is a decent DHT inhibitor, but may cause some digestive upset and non-permanent impotency issues in males.

I've also read that if you get the gelcaps of SP and pop it open (warning: it smells HORRIBLE. Having smelled it, it's honestly one of the most foul odors I've ever smelled. I'd rank it just below feces. No exaggeration.) to apply it topically.

I personally wouldn't recommend most people take SP for those reasons. If you're thinking about SP, you might as well just buy a pine-derived Beta Sitosterol (part of the reason why SP is a DHT inhibitor) supplement, which does essentially the same thing. Just seek out a pine-derived one and not one from soy.

i googled some brands and the only one that i could find that didnt contain/involve soy was a brand called 'best prostate'. not sure they even ship to australia but im curious if these would even be okay for me to take as im a woman and all things beta sitosterol seems to involve men and prostate issues.
would you be able to suggest a brand name that doesnt contain soy. there are so many on ebay and around yet all are saying they contain soy :S
thanks

[chunkylard]

Swanson has a brand that's not from soy that's from their own brand. I think they also sell another brand which is pine-derived, but I'm not sure if Swanson ships to AU either. I imagine the SP side effects would last until you stop taking it.

[FSAS]

Swanson has a brand that's not from soy that's from their own brand. I think they also sell another brand which is pine-derived, but I'm not sure if Swanson ships to AU either. I imagine the SP side effects would last until you stop taking it.

i had a look on their website and i cant tell which one doesnt contain the soy as it doesnt mention anything about be pine-derived :/
wow this is crazy, i cant believe how hard it is to find a product that is pine-derived yet any information coming up on beta sitosterol state the difference (soy/pine) so there cant really only be one brand. none of the products that have been coming up on the search actually say.
went to the health food shop and she didnt even know what beta sitosterol was >.<
hm. would the soy version be detrimental? considering im female with obviously decent hormonal acne, would soy be a huge no go?
have you ever taken beta sitosterol and if so which one did you take?

[alternativista]

You can look for men's prostate health formulas. And cholesterol formulas. And it doesn't need to be pine derived. Beta sitosterol is in all plant oils. Pumpkin seed is a common source. Avocados contain quite a bit.

You should have asked me a few years ago. I used to know more about this.

Of course, if you are female and if by 'obviously hormonal acne' you mean you have breakouts that coincide with your cycle, you might want to focus on estrogen dominance rather than inhibiting androgens. See the Hormone section in the Good Things link below in my signature. There should be info on both.

Edited by alternativista, 06 January 2012 - 09:57 AM.

[FaceValues]

LONG LIVE PROGESTERONE

[jaydeec]

I am tripping out because i started taking Saw Palmetto two days ago and I don't know if iT's a coincidence or not but my face is not as oily as it normally is. I washed my face two hours ago and normally half an hr after washing my face I can feel the oil creeping up but its been two hours and my skin is pretty ''clean'' hmmmmmmm. Let's see what tomorrow brings

[LoveGreenSmoothies]

I am tripping out because i started taking Saw Palmetto two days ago and I don't know if iT's a coincidence or not but my face is not as oily as it normally is. I washed my face two hours ago and normally half an hr after washing my face I can feel the oil creeping up but its been two hours and my skin is pretty ''clean'' hmmmmmmm. Let's see what tomorrow brings

There's a good chance it's the SP. Androgens cause oil and acne, and SP is one form of blocking them.