I have been wondering what the difference is in these two, and I wondered why the whole berry was always cheaper so I've been researching it and this is what I found. I saw some other ladies asking about the difference so I figured I would post what I found here. Now I will be sticking to the extract, even if it is a bit pricier.
Quote:
The standardized extract of saw palmetto is two capsules daily of 160 mg (or one capsule of 320 mg) containing 85-95% sterols and lipids. The non-standardized extract can be any amount of sterols and lipids—invariably a lot less. Basically the non-standardized extract is almost always the raw powder of saw palmetto. That's why there is usually a lot more of it than in the standardized extract—in order to try to make up for its weak concentration.
In a nutshell the difference is this: with a standardized extract you know what you are getting, very much like you do with pharmaceutical drugs. With the non-standardized extract you don't. If you use a raw saw palmetto product instead of an extract, you will need to compensate for its reduced potency by taking larger dosages, but there is no easy way to figure out exactly how much of the raw product is equivalent to the extract. On the basis of my research to date I think that the best recommendation is to take one 320 mg daily of a standardized saw palmetto extract containing from 85% to 95% fatty acids and sterols.
Obviously go with what works for you! But loooong ago when my PCOS first begain flaring up again and the hairloss started I tried the "extract" (looked like yellowish oil in gelcaps to me) form of Saw Palmetto. I couldn't even hack it long enough to see if it had any effects on my hair as all kinds of crazy things started happening: a)I got AF for a month and she didn't abate until I went back on BCP (could have been totally unrelated, but did start a week after I started taking the SP), b)zits, zits, ZITS, c) my HS got markedly worse, and d) my skin became so oily it was truly disgusting. I managed to take them for a month and gave them away to BIL. This could all be explained by hormones, but the fact that it started right after I began taking the SP and abated after I stopped taking it, even while on the highest androgenic BCP available in the US makes me go hmmmm.
My PCOS aunt recently tried Saw Palmetto extract and had similar skin experiences. She's post-menopausal, so thankgoodness no AF problems!
I only tried Saw Palmetto this time again out of desperation and actually wanted the extract, in fact I didn't even KNOW they sold the berry form, but berries is what partner brought home. With one particular brand I have great success... nearly the exact opposite of my experience with the extract, oddly enough. The GNC brand was worthless though. Can we say "placebo"? I do have to take 4-6 capsules a day however, as opposed to the convenience of just two a day of the extract. It's definitely worth it to me however!
Some things are very much YMMV and I think this may be one of them. I react poorly to anything oily or in an oil base and I think I might have to sadly have to cut out Alpha Lipoic Acid for that reason as well, if I don't find an oil free version. Mine's in soybean oil and my skin hasn't been the same since. I'm one of those freaks that can't eat fried foods without a breakout, either.
Thanks for the info!
Dana
__________________ Me (33)/Michael (3o) Together for almost nine long, happy years!
First PCOS dx: 1989 Supplements: One A Day Weight Smart, B Complex, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid (B5), B12, Saw Palmetto, Vit C, Vit D3, NAC, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Chromium Piconolate, Cinnamon, Magnesium, EPO, Zinc Gluconate, Green Tea Diet: "Modified" Zone plan
"You don't love a woman because she is beautiful, but she is beautiful because you love her" -Anon.
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Well like the study says, and I have researched it quite a bit now is that its the same exact thing you are getting in berry form just at a lower dose.. so maybe that is why you arent having the reactions now because you arent putting as much pure extract into your body. Thats interesting that you cant take in oil, I havent ever had a problem with it. But in general I just wanted to let people know that the standardized extract is the way to go if they want the highest potency. These vitamins and herbs are getting so darn expensive!
Perhaps the one I took did... frankly it was so long ago I don't even remember the brand! Perhaps it did and didn't list it in the ingredients. You never know. With an unregulated industry anything could happen.
Remember, that sadly with supplements we often don't know just WHAT it is that we are getting. Studies have been done on herbs and supplements and found NONE of the stated ingredient in them One just never knows. To know for sure, the industry would have to be regulated and we know what happens when the buearocracy gets their paws on anything...
So for now I just feel safer with my berries. I haven't worked out the price per mg, but they are much, much cheaper than the extract so I might break even. Plus I know this particular brand works, and that's more than half the battle! Sadly I have to go through all the side effects again, as Saw Palmetto gives me headaches when I first start. That makes me think even more that the GNC was crap!
Dana
__________________ Me (33)/Michael (3o) Together for almost nine long, happy years!
First PCOS dx: 1989 Supplements: One A Day Weight Smart, B Complex, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid (B5), B12, Saw Palmetto, Vit C, Vit D3, NAC, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Chromium Piconolate, Cinnamon, Magnesium, EPO, Zinc Gluconate, Green Tea Diet: "Modified" Zone plan
"You don't love a woman because she is beautiful, but she is beautiful because you love her" -Anon.
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what brand do you take Dana? There is a study that they did scientifically testing on many saw palmetto brands and they listed the brands that were true to 85-95% sterols, it was on the page I got the info above on...but now I lost the link lol. I am afraid to take the berries because with anything powder, the amount isnt regulated and you dont know how much potency you are getting, I suppose the same is true for the extract unless you pick a brand that is qualified like in that study.
The brand of berries I take is (ironically!!) the generic "Origin" brand from Target and is 450mg per capsule. No guarantee of potency or anything. It looks like a brown, slightly grainy substance inside. This stuff has definitely worked for me in the past at a dosage of 3-5 capsules a day. I have to work up to it as it gives me whoppers of stress-type headaches at first. Once I'm used to it, it's no problem at all though.
The GNC capsules I WAS taking (feh!) were 540mg per capsule. Still no guarantee of potency. These capsules contained a light green powder. Definitely different looking! I think it was chopped parsely or something!
As I said, I sadly cannot remember the brand of SP extract I took lo those many years ago, as it was about 1999. I would probably remember the bottle if I saw it again... it had a green screw on top, a white bottle, and a label with a color picture of a palm with, of course, SAW PALMETTO EXTRACT written on it, and I believe a few purplish berries for good measure. Sure wish I could remember the brand, but I can't even remember where I bought it (sigh).
I know there is a website out there that tests various herbs/vitamins/supplements for their content, potency and the like. They do give some free info, but you have to pay a subscription fee for all the good stuff. If I had more money I'd do it, as it sounds like a good investment!
Keep up the research!
Dana
__________________ Me (33)/Michael (3o) Together for almost nine long, happy years!
First PCOS dx: 1989 Supplements: One A Day Weight Smart, B Complex, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid (B5), B12, Saw Palmetto, Vit C, Vit D3, NAC, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Chromium Piconolate, Cinnamon, Magnesium, EPO, Zinc Gluconate, Green Tea Diet: "Modified" Zone plan
"You don't love a woman because she is beautiful, but she is beautiful because you love her" -Anon.
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Aw crap.. forgot the important thing I wanted to say!
So sorry, with this med change my brain is moosh!
I'd definitely pay the extra scratch if you have access to an impartial study on what brands contain the best potency. The monetary difference probably isn't all that much and at least this way you know you aren't wasting your money. In fact, on that one website that tests herbs and such, some of the cheaper brands nearly always seemed to come out on top... so who knows?
I'll try to find that website, but I have a feeling we are looking at the same one!
Dana
__________________ Me (33)/Michael (3o) Together for almost nine long, happy years!
First PCOS dx: 1989 Supplements: One A Day Weight Smart, B Complex, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid (B5), B12, Saw Palmetto, Vit C, Vit D3, NAC, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Chromium Piconolate, Cinnamon, Magnesium, EPO, Zinc Gluconate, Green Tea Diet: "Modified" Zone plan
"You don't love a woman because she is beautiful, but she is beautiful because you love her" -Anon.
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This is the Saw Palmetto page, obviously. They apparently found one brand adulterated with oil as I feared:
"Among the ten remaining products that were tested ,one was found to contain an unusually high amount of fatty acids and sterols, suggesting that undisclosed oils may have been added and that the product was mislabeled. The other nine products met the requirements of this review."
Plus if you click on "Ingredients" you'll notice that most of the extract capsules contain oil... mostly olive. Oy! No wonder my poor skin freaked
Most of those products that passed the reviews are cheap. Spring Valley is even Wal-Mart's brand, if I recall correctly. Puritan's Pride offers great deals in their catalogs and NOW is a good quality, affordable brand. Hooray!
I'm not sure how up to date those results are, but there ya are!
Dana
__________________ Me (33)/Michael (3o) Together for almost nine long, happy years!
First PCOS dx: 1989 Supplements: One A Day Weight Smart, B Complex, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid (B5), B12, Saw Palmetto, Vit C, Vit D3, NAC, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Chromium Piconolate, Cinnamon, Magnesium, EPO, Zinc Gluconate, Green Tea Diet: "Modified" Zone plan
"You don't love a woman because she is beautiful, but she is beautiful because you love her" -Anon.
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oh yes! that is the site! too funny hehe..actually I did find another one that had a bigger list but who knows how I got there ( I tend to search and click and click and click different links constantly) but I remember 2 of the ones that were garunteed were Nature Made and the cheapy brand Walmart/CVS sells.
how long did you have to take the saw palametto before you see results, It is supossed to help with excess hair
__________________ Age 30 DH 36
Evelyn(DD) 8/25/04 To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
how long did you have to take the saw palametto before you see results, It is supossed to help with excess hair
Missdoodle_bug (I love your name by the way! I knew you were from the south before I even checked if you knew what a "doodlebug" was )
Sadly the results for hair were a bit slow for me. I read in an article on this site (that I MUST find!) that most hirsutism treatments take at least 1-3 months to really get working and that was my experience with Saw Palmetto. I noticed skin effects immediatedly, but it took about 2 and a half to three months for my goatee to really start growing in markedly slower.
It was worth it though! This stuff has really helped the hair on my head and helped slow down the growth on my face by about half. My facial skin is less oily and I have FAR less PMS/AF breakouts than before.
Hope that helps!
Dana
__________________ Me (33)/Michael (3o) Together for almost nine long, happy years!
First PCOS dx: 1989 Supplements: One A Day Weight Smart, B Complex, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid (B5), B12, Saw Palmetto, Vit C, Vit D3, NAC, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Chromium Piconolate, Cinnamon, Magnesium, EPO, Zinc Gluconate, Green Tea Diet: "Modified" Zone plan
"You don't love a woman because she is beautiful, but she is beautiful because you love her" -Anon.
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Good Info: Saw Palmetto Extract VS. Whole Berry 
One just never knows. To know for sure, the industry would have to be regulated and we know what happens when the buearocracy gets their paws on anything...
