Saw palmetto
Saw palmetto is Serenoa repens, a fan palm native to the southeastern US; nearly all supply is berries wild-harvested in Florida. The dried berries are sold whole or powdered, but most supplement brands buy a lipophilic extract made with supercritical CO2, ethanol or hexane. The extract is an oily liquid specified by total fatty acid content, and is also sold absorbed onto a carrier as a powder.
Suppliers sell different products under the same name. Specify the one you need.
Supercritical CO2 extract of the berry, an amber oil typically specified at a high percentage of total fatty acids; used in softgels.
Solvent-extracted oil with a similar fatty acid profile; the solvent should be stated on the spec.
Liquid extract absorbed onto a carrier such as silica or maltodextrin for tablets and capsules, with a lower fatty acid percentage per gram.
Whole dried berries milled to powder, unstandardized.
Compare each result with your own specification when the lot arrives.
Keep the oil in full, sealed, light-blocking containers, cool, with nitrogen headspace if the supplier provides it. Powders on carriers should be kept dry and sealed. Shelf life or retest date comes from the supplier, and peroxide value is a useful check on older stock.
Wild-harvest volume and quality change year to year with weather, which moves price and supply. Keep the fatty acid profile for each lot to spot dilution, and record harvest year and extraction solvent.
Facts from regulators and standards bodies, each linked to its source.
Health Canada's natural health product monograph for saw palmetto lists the dried fruit of Serenoa repens as source material, including a saw palmetto liposterolic extract.
Source: webprod.hc-sc.gc.ca (opens in a new tab)This is general information, not regulatory advice. Status differs by country and by how the ingredient is used, so check the rules for your product and market.
Manufacturers and distributors whose own websites say they sell it.
Manufacturer · Mollet del Vallès, Spain
Sells it as Prosterol
Euromed is a Spanish producer of standardized botanical extracts for pharmaceutical, supplement, food and cosmetic companies, with plants near Barcelona and in Murcia. It is part of the Dermapharm Group.
Manufacturer · Eustis, FL
Sells it as USPlus
Florida producer of CO2-extracted botanical and algae ingredients, including natural astaxanthin, saw palmetto extract, and organic spirulina and chlorella.
Suppliers are in alphabetical order and none pays to appear. Each claim is checked against the supplier’s own website on the date shown. Ask for the specification sheet and a recent COA before you order, and confirm details with the supplier.
Common forms include cO2 extract (oil), ethanol or hexane extract, extract powder and dried berry powder. Ask each supplier for the specification sheet of the exact grade they quote.
Expect fatty acid profile (GC), sterols (GC), residual solvents, oxidation, heavy metals and microbiology, each with its method, specification and result for that lot.
Keep the oil in full, sealed, light-blocking containers, cool, with nitrogen headspace if the supplier provides it. Powders on carriers should be kept dry and sealed. Shelf life or retest date comes from the supplier, and peroxide value is a useful check on older stock.
Health Canada's natural health product monograph for saw palmetto lists the dried fruit of Serenoa repens as source material, including a saw palmetto liposterolic extract.
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