In Playboy Magazine (of all places), Saw palmetto extract has been strongly endorsed for treatment of symptomatic BPH by
Dr. Andew Weil, the pre-eminent alternative medicine guru.

"Dr. Weil's Rx for Guys"
by David Sheff
Playboy Magazine
December, 1997 (page 146)

Excerpt (page 158):

"If you experience prostate enlargement, I'd advise taking Saw palmetto, an herbal remedy made from the partially dried berries of Serenoa repens, a small palm native to the southeastern U.S. Saw palmetto protects the prostate from the irritating effects of testosterone and promotes shrinkage of the gland. The best form is a standard extract, taken as 160 mg twice a day."

-- Andrew Weil, M.D.

Despite this ringing endorsement, neither Dr. Weil nor anyone else has scientific evidence that these extracts are of any proven merit.