Saw Palmetto Berries Are Available Online

The Latin name for the plant that produces saw palmetto berries is Serenoa repens. The Serenoa repens, which is also commonly known as Sabal serulata, cabbage palm, palmetto berry and American dwarf palm, is a short fan palm that only reaches six feet in height. It grows in sandy coastal areas of the southeastern United States, and particularly in Florida. Some of the Serenoa repens can live a very long time; certain of these plants are estimated at 500-700 years old. The stem of the plant has sharp spines, and this is where it gets the common name of "saw." The yellow-white flowers produce large reddish-black berries, known as saw palmetto berries.

The saw palmetto berry, from which saw palmetto extract is produced, has several common uses. Saw palmetto berry may help with urinary tract infections, as well as with the respiratory mucous membrane. This may be due to saw palmetto berries containing phytosterols and fatty acids. Phytosterols have been used in foods as a substances that causes the body to not absorb as much cholesterol from food substances, such as butter. They may help to lower total cholesterol levels, but more testing needs to be done to ascertain this. Essential fatty acids are used by the body in part to regulate blood pressure, as well as the immune and inflammation responses. Saw palmetto extract and berry may help as a diuretic to increase urine flow, as a sedative to calm, and as a tonic to generally and slowly improve health.

The saw palmetto berry is available in several different forms. These include capsules, standardized extract capsules, cut and sifted form, powdered form as well as a standardized saw palmetto extract form.

This berry from the Serenoa repens is just one of several different types of medicinal herbs available from herb sellers online. In addition to medicinal herbs, herb merchants make available a vast array of top-quality culinary dried herbs and bulk herbs, as well as teas, aromatherapy oils made from herbs, and other herbal products for body care and household care. Herbs that are dried can also be used for craft projects and for making potpourri. Because dried herbs are easily found online, you can discover herbs that may not be common in your region, yet are made available from suppliers the world round.

The Serenoa repens berry has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration, and thus cannot be classified as a medicine. If you feel that you may be having a medical problem or condition, you should consult with your health care provider without delay.

In this article Anne Harvester writes about medicinal herbs.