Awareness and Use of Saw Palmetto and Other Alternative Medicines Used for Treating Prostate Diseases Among Men Visiting a Urology Clinic in Guyana

Introduction: Herbal medicine remains widely used in the Caribbean, including Guyana, where traditional remedies are often used alongside conventional medical care.Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) is internationally recognized as a common herbal supplement for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and lower urinary tract symptoms, but local data on its use among Guyanese men with prostate diseases are limited.The objective of this study is to assess awareness of saw palmetto and estimate the prevalence of saw palmetto and other herbal medicine use among men with prostate diseases attending the urology clinic at Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, Guyana, and to describe the perceived effectiveness, concurrent use with prescribed medications, and disclosure to healthcare providers.Method: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the Urology Section, Department of Surgery, Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, Guyana, between July and September 2024.Male patients aged 40 years and older with a documented diagnosis of BPH, prostatomegaly, or prostate cancer were recruited using convenience sampling.A structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on demographics, medical history, saw palmetto awareness and use, other herbal medicine use, treatment beliefs, concurrent use with prescribed medications, perceived effectiveness, and disclosure to healthcare providers.Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.Results: A total of 200 patients were enrolled in this study.Of the 200 participants, 88 (44%) were aged 70 years and above, 81 (40.5%) were aged 60-69 years, 29 (14.5%) were aged 50-59 years, and two (1%) were aged 40-49 years.The region of residence was reported by all 200 participants, of whom 146 (73%) reported being from region 4. The diagnoses documented in the clinic charts included BPH in 88/200 (44%), prostatomegaly in 86/200 (43%), and prostate cancer in 26/200 (13%).Among the 189 participants who responded to the saw palmetto use question, 31/189 (16.4%) reported use for prostate health.Separately, 84/200 (42.0%) reported using other herbal products for prostate health.Among the 38 participants who responded to the multiple-response question on sources of information for saw palmetto, 23/38 (60.5%) selected friends/family, 6/38 (15.8%) selected the internet, 4/38 (10.5%) selected a physician, and 3/38 (7.9%) selected a pharmacist.Of the 185 participants who responded to the perceived-effectiveness question, 157/185 (84.9%) were unsure, 24/185 (13.0%) believed it was effective, and 4/185 (2.2%) considered it ineffective.Of the 200 participants, 28/200 (14.0%) reported discussing herbal product use with their healthcare provider, whereas 172/200 (86.0%) reported not disclosing this information.Conclusion: Saw palmetto awareness and use were relatively low among the men with prostate diseases attending the urology clinic at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, Guyana, despite frequent use of other herbal and alternative medicines.Participants appeared to rely more on locally available traditional remedies, particularly nettle root, rather than on internationally marketed prostate supplements.The high rate of non-disclosure highlights the need for clinicians to routinely ask about herbal medicine use, provide evidence-based counseling, and address potential risks, including herb-drug interactions.