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The Saw Palmetto plant can commonly be found anywhere between Louisiana and Florida in the south, and as far north as South Carolina.
The plant was aptly named due to its long palm like leaves that have ridges on them similar to those of a saw used in carpentry. The plants grow in patches and can reach height of ten feet or more in warmer climates. The leaves themselves can grow outwards of two feet in diameter.
But the prize of this plant is not its saw like leaves but rather the fruit it produces. The plant produces white flowers that in turn produce yellow berries. The berries turn bluish-black when ripe. It is these berries that people collect and are then dried for medicinal use.
Saw Palmetto Plant Saw Palmettos use as a medicinal plant has a very long history.
There is evidence that the Mayans used Saw Palmetto in some medicinal form as well as a dried food source. And as early as the 1900s there have been actual documentations of the Seminole Indians native to the American south east using the berries for as an expectorant and antiseptic as well. Saw palmetto was listed in the United States Pharmacopeia from 1906 to 1917 and in the National Formulary from 1926 to 1950.
Saw palmetto extract is a licensed product in several European countries. Saw palmetto has not been approved by the FDA in the United States to treat any disease, and it should not be substituted for prescription medications. The most frequent use of the Saw Palmettos berries is as a natural treatment of BPH benign prostatic hyperplasia in men. BPH happens when the male prostate gland enlarges and cuts of the normal flow of urine.
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From: (saw palmetto tea) http://www.sawpalmettofaq.com/