The conversation of Testosterone into Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) may give you some sorts of harmful medical conditions. Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) and Androgenetic Alopecia are two known health problems which are linked to DHT hormone.
The BHP is a medical condition which is caused by the swelling of your prostate gland. The enlargement will cause your urethra to be squeezed and may disturb the urine flow.
Meanwhile, Androgenetic Alopecia is also commonly known as male pattern baldness. This condition also affects women too despite its name. According to American’s National Institute of Health, this condition is one of the most common causes of baldness.
Both of these medical conditions often occur at the same time, due to the DHT hormone. These conditions are also associated with aging. Naturally, the DHT increases as you get older. In general, BPH and male pattern baldness are not considered to be life threatening.
Saw Palmetto vs Propecia
The BHP’s symptoms are usually subtle at the early phase, so you will not notice unless you are actively examining your body periodically. The BPH often disturbs your urinary system. It causes you to need to urinate more often, but you will experience difficulties when emptying your bladder. It can be quite annoying.
The male pattern baldness is quite harmless. However, losing your hair may cause insecurities toward your appearance. This can often lead to stress which may accelerate your hair loss further. The spiraling effect may cause mental health problems such as depression which can reduce your quality of life.
This condition affects 50 million male Americans. Your hairline will recede into an M shape and your head crown will start thinning. Overtime, it may cause total baldness. In women, male pattern baldness rarely causes complete baldness.
There are many medicines which are considered to be able to treat BPH and Male Pattern Baldness. Among them, Palmetto vs Propecia are the two options which are commonly known.
Saw Palmetto Overview
Saw Palmetto is an herbal medicine which is used as a supplement. Saw palmetto is a palm-like plant which usually can be found in the southern part of the United States. It is also sometimes known as dwarf palm tree.
This medicine is marketed as herbal supplement which can block hormones which may cause problem and it also has an anti-inflammatory property. It is an alternative medicine which can be taken to ease the effect of post prostate surgery.
Saw Palmetto is sometimes used by people to treat BPH and male pattern baldness. However, the effectiveness of this herbal supplement is still up to debate.
In America, this herbal supplement is not FDA approved. It means that the effectiveness of this herbal medicine is not yet proven by official government’s body. It is not recommended to use such medicine to replace prescribed drugs.
Propecia Overview
Propecia or Finasteride is a pharmaceutical medicine which is FDA approved to treat BPH and male pattern baldness. See also: Proscar vs Propecia.
This medicine contains selective inhibitor type 1 which belongs to 5a-reductase class. Simply speaking, this chemical compound prevents the conversion of your testosterone into DHT hormone. Remember that DHT is one of the possibly cause of BHP and hair loss problem.
In order to treat BPH symptoms, you will need 5mg of this drug into your system. If you are using Propecia to stop hair loss, you will only need to take 1mg.
The Effectiveness of Saw Palmetto vs Propecia
The most important question is how effective Saw Palmetto and Propecia to treat BHP and hair loss. If you are suffering from these medical conditions, you may need to choose you medicine wisely.
In a medical research journal by National Institutes of Health, Saw Palmetto has a potential to treat BPH. However, more research is needed to be done so that clinical tests can be performed to see how effective Saw Palmetto is to treat BPH.
In terms of hair loss treatment, there have been several researches which acknowledge the effectiveness of Saw Palmetto to treat hair loss problem. However, these researches have several shortcomings such as low sample and lack of placebo effect.
Moreover, the FDA does not approve of this herbal supplement for BPH and male pattern baldness treatments. The lack of manufacturing standard when it comes to this herbal supplement is quite alarming.
Propecia, on the other hand, is a well-tested medicine which is proven to be very effective against BHP and hair loss. In a study, Propecia is able to block 70% of DHT. This medicine is also able to promote hair growth up to 68% over the span of 2 years. In the same study, the Saw Palmetto is only able to promote 38% hair growth.
There is no question for Propecia’s safety standard due to FDA’s approval. This medicine is safe to take, granted that you follow your prescription.
In terms of ease of use, the herbal Saw Palmetto comes in various forms. You can take this supplement in the form of liquid extract, powdered capsule or tablet. Some people made tea using dried berries of saw palmetto. However, it may not be effective because the chemical property is not soluble.
The Propecia comes in the good old tablet form which you can take orally. The chemical compound generally stays inside your body for 7.9 hours.
Side Effect of Saw Palmetto and Propecia
In terms of side effects, many people thought that herbal medicine is the safer option. Natural medicine is often perceived to be healthier compared to artificial medicine. However in reality Propecia and Saw Palmetto shares similar side effect.
Both medicines may cause sexual problems. You may experience impotency and decrease in sexual desire. It is reported that 10% of men taking Propecia have this problem. The two medicines may also cause nausea and dizziness. There are less common side effects which can be severe, including bleeding, which you should look into before taking the medicine.
Saw Palmetto vs Propecia
| Saw Palmetto | Propecia |
|---|---|
| - Hair loss | - Hair loss on the vertex and the anterior mid-scalp area |
| - Bladder infections | - This results in a receding hairline and/or balding on the top of the head. |
| - Decreased sex drive | - Use by men only and should not be used by women or children. |
Conclusion of Saw Palmetto and Propecia Comparison
Saw Palmetto is an herbal supplement which is not approved by the FDA to treat BPH and male pattern baldness. Propecia is an artificial medicine which is more trustworthy to treat these two medical conditions due to its approval.
In the end, if you decide to take the alternative herbal option or the trusted Propecia, it is wiser to consult with your doctor first.