Sabal serrulata
Serenoa repens · Saw palmetto,serrulata · Plant · Arecaceae
People who benefit most from Sabal tend to brood on their symptoms, yet are often angered by sympathy. They may be irritable, apathetic, introverted, depressed, and afraid to go to sleep.
This remedy is given mainly for problems of the genitourinary organs. Typical symptoms treated include frequent urination, especially when this occurs at night, which may be due to cystitis. Urine retention due to prostate enlargement or gonorrhea may be helped by Sabal, as may inflammation in the seminal tubes, heavy, aching pains or, occasionally, sharp pains in the bladder that extend to the abdomen or radiate down the thighs. Another typical symptom is a sensation of coldness in the bladder, possibly extending to the external genitals. Sabal is also used for sexual or general fatigue.
Key symptoms
- Prostatic enlargement with urinary difficulties and dysuria
- Constant desire to pass water at night; enuresis
- Loss of sexual power; wasting of testes; organs feel cold
- Undeveloped mammary glands; breasts shrivel
- General and sexual debility with languor and apathy
- Cystitis with prostatic hypertrophy
- Ovaries tender and enlarged
- Discharge of prostatic fluid; sexual neurotics
- Fear of going to sleep
Worse (aggravation)
Better (amelioration)
Saw Palmetto
Sabal is homeopathic to irritability of the genito-urinary organs. General and sexual debility. Promotes nutrition and tissue building. Head, stomach, and ovarian symptoms marked. Of unquestioned value in prostatic enlargement, epididymitis, and urinary difficulties. Acts on membrano-prostatic portion of urethra. Iritis, with prostatic trouble. Valuable for undeveloped mammary glands. Fear of going to sleep. Languor, apathy and indifference.
Head
Confused, full; dislikes sympathy; makes her angry. Vertigo, with headache. Neuralgia in feeble patients. Pain runs up from nose and centers in forehead.
Stomach
Belching and acidity. Desire for milk (Rhus; Apis)
Urinary
Constant desire to pass water at night. Enuresis; paresis of sphincter vesicæ. Chronic gonorrhœa. Difficult urination. Cystitis with prostatic hypertrophy.
Male
Prostatic troubles; enlargement; discharge of prostatic fluid. Wasting of testes and loss of sexual power. Coitus painful at the time of emission. Sexual neurotics. Organs feel cold.
Female
Ovaries tender and enlarged; breasts shrivel (Iod; Kali iod). Young female neurotics; suppressed or perverted sexual inclination.
Respiratory
Copious expectoration, with catarrh of nose. Chronic bronchitis (Stann; Hep).
Relationship
Compare: Phosph ac; Stigmata maydis; Santal; Apis. In prostatic symptoms: fer pic; Thuja; Picric acid (more sexual erethism). Populus tremul; (prostatic enlargement with cystitis).
Dose
Mother tincture, ten to thirty drops. Third potency often better. The tincture must be prepared from the fresh berries to be effective.
Serenoa serrulata. Saw Palmetto. (Sandy soils of sea coast South Carolina to Florida; most luxuriant nearest the sea.) N. O. Palmaceæ. (1) Tincture of fresh ripe berries and seeds, all crushed-and macerated in 90 per cent. alcohol for fourteen days and decanted (Hale). (2) Fluid Extract, "probably four times stronger than the tincture" (Hale). [C. S. Estep (Am. Hom., xxvi. 133) uses a dark-green Fluid Extract which is made from the fresh green berries, and is "almost as green as grass and has an oily surface." He makes his dilutions from this. Other preparations have disappointed him.] (3) Oil (prepared from the expressed juice of the fruit by allowing it to stand a few days). (4) Saccharated Oil (one part of the oil to seven parts of cane sugar). (5) Malted Sabal (one part of the Oil to seven of Maltine). (6) Aqua Olei Sabal (a preparation suggested by Hale made by triturating gtt. xvi. of the Oil with Mag. carb. one ounce, gradually adding a pint of distilled water and decanting. For use as a spray).
Phatak's chapter on Sabal serrulata is available in the app.
Read Phatak in the appClassical texts are in the public domain. Educational reference only — not medical advice.
