Malaysian Herbs-SAW PALMETTO-(87)Serenoa repens

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Serenoa repens

 saw palmetto plant



saw palmetto plant contains a compound that may reduce the symptoms of Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which is a noncancerous enlargement of the prostate gland.

 Symptoms of an enlarged prostate include dribbling after urination and getting up many times during the night to urinate.

SAW PALMETTO
A very small type of fan palm, protected in the wild, now famous for extracts from its fruits which are used in treatments of prostate and urinary problems.
Description:
A very slow growing and very short palm, growing to 10-12ft, but often not exceeding 2-4ft. Part of the fan palm group, it has fan-shaped leaves composed of up to 20 leaflets. The common saw palmetto has green leaves but there are some silvery-green leaved types as well. Saw Palmetto's are also long-lived with many wild specimens believed to be well over 500 years old.

Serenoa repens.
 commonly known as saw palmetto, is the sole species currently classified in the genus Serenoa. It has been known by a number of synonyms, including Sabal serrulatum, under which name it still often appears in alternative medicine. It is a small palm, normally reaching a height of around 2–4 m (3–6 ft). Its trunk is sprawling, and it grows in clumps or dense thickets in sandy coastal lands or as undergrowth in pine woods or hardwood hammocks. Erect stems or trunks are rarely produced but are found in some populations. It is endemic to the southeastern United States, most commonly along the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal plains, but also as far inland as southern Arkansas. It is a hearty plant; extremely slow growing, and long lived, with some plants, especially in Florida where it is known as simply the palmetto, possibly being as old as 500–700 years.]

Saw palmetto is a fan palm, with the leaves that have a bare petiole terminating in a rounded fan of about 20 leaflets. The petiole is armed with fine, sharp teeth or spines that give the species its common name. The teeth or spines are easily capable of breaking the skin, and protection should be worn when working around a Saw Palmetto. The leaves are light green inland, and silvery-white in coastal regions. The leaves are 1–2 m in length, the leaflets 50–100 cm long. They are similar to the leaves of the palmettos of genus Sabal. The flowers are yellowish-white, about 5 mm across, produced in dense compound panicles up to 60 cm long. The fruit is a large reddish-black drupeand is an important food source for wildlife and historically for humans. The plant is used as a food plant by the larvae of someLepidoptera species such as Batrachedra decoctor, which feeds exclusively on the plant. This plant is also edible to human beings, but the more green it is the more bitter tasting it would be.

The generic name honors American botanist Sereno Watson.

 GERMINATION
 By seeds, which should be soaked in warm water for 24 hours prior to planting. Seeds germinate slowly and may take several weeks or months to sprout.

Uses: Grown as an ornamental for its fan-shaped leaves. The fruits were once an important food source for local inhabitants.

 Today the fruits are used to prepare extracts which reportedly help in the treatment of some prostate and urinary problems. There are also a variety of other medicinal applications for the fruits which are under investigation, such as anabolic use, anti-impotence as an oestrogenic agent.

Native Range: Native to the southeastern United States, from Florida north to South Carolina and parts of Southern Arkansas.

Herbs contain many powerful antioxidants that act to clear free radicals and toxins from the body.

Historically, saw palmetto has been used as a tea to treat benign enlargement of the prostate. It was commonly used to treat frequent urinary tract infections and it was also believed it could increase sex drive in men and sperm production. Frequent urination and excessive night urination, due to inflammation of the bladder or prostate, was a common condition treated by saw palmetto in the past.

  

 This Medicinal Plant helps :

To help build and strengthen tissue and increase metabolism.

As a diuretic which improves urinary flow.

As an expectorant to relieve chronic bronchitis, asthma and chest congestion.

In thyroid disorders.

To stimulate appetite, digestion and absorption of nutrients.

physicianpackiam

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