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Saw Palmetto Dose in Trials vs the Prostadine Bottle
Saw palmetto trials used 320 mg a day of extract, and up to 960 mg in a later study. The Prostadine bottle prints no amount, so its saw palmetto dose cannot be compared with any trial. A blend ceiling can be calculated, but it only gives a maximum, not the real figure.
Written by the Prostadine label deskUpdated · 4 min read
The basics01
What doses did the trials use?
The usual reference dose is 160 mg of extract twice a day, which is 320 mg a day. The later CAMUS trial raised it stepwise to 960 mg (Bent et al., NEJM 2006).
Those are doses of a standardised berry extract, which is a concentrated product. A gram of dried berry and a milligram of extract are very different things, and a label that gives only a name does not say which was used.
A trial dose is a useful yardstick, since it tells you what was tested and found not to help. Without the bottle's own figure, no one can say whether it is above, near or far below that yardstick.
The evidence02
What does the bottle say?
The Prostadine images show no Supplement Facts panel, and the info page lists nine ingredients without amounts. Saw palmetto sits fifth in the list.
If the seller treats the nine as a proprietary blend, federal rules require the blend's total weight to be stated and the items listed in descending order by weight (21 CFR 101.36 (eCFR)). That rule gives a ceiling for each line: the item in place k of n cannot weigh more than the total divided by k. For fifth place of nine, that is at most one fifth of the blend.
The numbers03
How the ceiling works in practice
| Position | Ingredient | Largest possible share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nori | All of the blend |
| 3 | Kelp | One third |
| 5 | Saw palmetto | One fifth |
| 7 | Iodine | One seventh |
| 9 | Neem | One ninth |
The ceiling is not an estimate. It is the most an ingredient could hold. Real amounts may be much lower, and a seller who knows them can say so in a line.
The catch04
A worked example
Suppose the blend in a 2 mL serving weighed 600 mg. Saw palmetto, fifth of nine, could be at most 120 mg. That is well under the 320 mg trial dose, and it would be an extract of unknown strength.
Now suppose the blend weighed 2,000 mg. The ceiling rises to 400 mg. The numbers are invented to show the method, and we do not claim either. The point is that without the blend total, the ceiling itself cannot be drawn.
That is why the first thing to ask the seller is the total weight of the blend per serving, and the second is the weight of saw palmetto. Those two numbers close most of the gap.
Safety05
Why does the dose matter if the trials were negative?
Because a negative trial at 320 mg and 960 mg means a similar or smaller dose is unlikely to do better. If a bottle holds far less than the trial dose, any claim for it rests on less than the weak evidence we already have.
A buyer deserves to know which situation applies. If the dose is at the trial level, the research says little or no benefit (Cochrane review, saw palmetto 2023). If it is far below, the research does not apply at all.
Saw palmetto in milligrams per 2 mL serving, with the extract ratio. Without it, the herb on the label is a name, not a dose.
What to do06
What to do with the answer
If the seller replies with figures, bring them to your doctor or pharmacist and compare them with the doses above. Our label reading guide shows how to read the reply, and the saw palmetto page has the trial detail.
If the seller will not give a number, take that into account in your decision. A product that hides its dose makes it hard to trust its claims.
FAQ07
Prostadine questions people ask
What is the standard saw palmetto dose?
The usual reference dose in trials is 160 mg of extract twice a day, or 320 mg a day. A later trial raised the dose stepwise to 960 mg a day with no extra benefit.
Can the Prostadine dose be worked out from the label?
No. The images print no amounts. A blend ceiling can be calculated only if the blend total is stated, and it gives a maximum, not the real figure.
What is an extract ratio?
It says how much dried plant went into a given weight of extract. A 10 to 1 extract means ten parts of berry for one of extract. Without it, milligrams on a label are hard to compare.
Is a lower dose of saw palmetto safer?
Probably, since side effects are dose related, but a lower dose has no studied benefit either. If you take blood thinners, ask a clinician even about low doses.
Who wrote this08
Written and reviewed by
Pages built from the bottle photos, the info page and linked NIH, FDA, NCI, FTC and peer-reviewed sources.
Last updated . Read our editorial standards and how we check reviews. This website is run by a licensed U.S. retail desk for Prostadine, not by the manufacturer. We earn money when you buy through our order links.
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