* May Help Regulate Testosterone Levels : Saw palmetto is often used by men looking to boost testosterone levels naturally. Regulating testosterone levels can impact several aspects of health, including body composition, sex drive, mood, and cognition (17). Testosterone levels decline with age, and some research shows that low levels of testosterone could contribute to conditions like heart disease (18). Saw palmetto works by decreasing the activity of 5α-R — an enzyme responsible for converting testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), another sex hormone, to help preserve testosterone levels in the body (19). One test-tube study found that the effectiveness of saw palmetto extract was comparable to finasteride in preserving testosterone levels. Finasteride is a medication used to treat hair loss and BPH by reducing the activity of 5α-R (20). Another study in 40 men observed that treatment with saw palmetto decreased levels of DHT by 32% after 6 months, suggesting that saw palmetto was effective at maintaining testosterone levels (21).
==References==
''1) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28925637/<br>''''2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2840915/<br>''''3) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12006122/<br>''4) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20497844/<br>''5) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18082217/<br>''6) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11744467/<br>''7) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27245504/<br>''8) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11913955/<br>''9)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17671686/<br>''10) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25683150/<br>''11)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16467543/<br>''12) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16965237/<br>''13) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3100666/<br>''14)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25230777/<br>''15) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3614697/<br>''16)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26104840/<br>''17)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2686330/<br>''18)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4707424/<br>''19)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1476047/<br>''20)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4847595/<br>''21)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11337315/<br>''23)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2518869/<br>''24)https://americanpregnancy.org/healthy-pregnancy/is-it-safe/herbs-and-pregnancy/<br>''25)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5237684/<br>''26)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2831618/<br>''[[Category:Treatments]]
[[Category:herbal medicine]]
[[Category:Aphrodisiac]]
[[Category:Diuretic]]
[[Category:Sedative]]