How Much Saw Palmetto Should I Take? 320 mg a Day of Extract
Take 320 mg of standardized saw palmetto extract a day: one 320 mg softgel, or one 160 mg softgel twice a day. That is the dose the trials used. If your bottle holds ground berry instead of extract, the usual amount is 1 to 2 g a day, and no trial dose matches it.
By Erin Rose Updated October 18, 2026 How we score
Ready to buy? Our pick for most people
NOW Saw Palmetto Extract 160 mg
2 softgels = 320 mg · $0.19 a day
A standardized extract with at least 85% fatty acids, and the lowest cost per day of the products that pass our label checks. How we picked.
Costs are Amazon prices for 320 mg of extract a day, checked October 23, 2026.
How much saw palmetto a day, by form
| Form | A day | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Standardized extract (85% fatty acids or more) | 320 mg, once or split in two | The dose the trials used |
| Ground berry powder | 1 to 2 g | Traditional use; not what trials tested |
| Tea | Not advised | Lacks the oils the extract has |
| More extract (640 or 960 mg) | No gain | A trial raised the dose and saw no added effect |
We checked 17 labels of top saw palmetto supplements, and 8 give no 320 mg extract dose: they hold ground berry or hide the amount in a blend. Sources: Gordon 2003 for the extract, berry and tea doses; Barry 2011 for the higher doses.
Which saw palmetto is right for you?
A dose only counts if the bottle delivers it. These are the common mix-ups.
Taking a 450 mg berry capsule? It is not 320 mg of extract.
Many low-cost bottles hold ground berry, not extract, so the big number on the front is powder. The trials used an extract with its fatty acid share on the label. NOW’s 320 mg softgel gives the whole daily dose in one pill, with 80 mg pumpkin seed oil.
NOW Saw Palmetto Extract 320 mg
320 mg in 1 softgel · $0.27 a day
Want to know the pill holds what the label says?
Few saw palmetto products are on a testing list. Flomentum is on USP Verified, which checks a product against its label and screens for contaminants. One softgel is the full 320 mg of a CO2 extract.
Flomentum Saw Palmetto 320 mg
320 mg in 1 softgel · $0.83 a day · USP Verified
Taking a prostate blend? Find the saw palmetto line.
Blends often list one total for several herbs, so you cannot tell how much saw palmetto you get. Check that the label prints saw palmetto’s own amount. Life Extension PalmettoGuard does: 320 mg of extract in one softgel, with beta-sitosterol and boron.
Life Extension PalmettoGuard
320 mg in 1 softgel · $0.40 a day
How to take saw palmetto
Take it with a meal. Stomach upset is the most common side effect, and food makes it milder (Gordon 2003). Once a day or split in two both match a trial. The 2023 Cochrane review judged short-term results at 3 to 6 months, so give it at least that long before you decide (Franco 2023).
Tell your doctor you take it, and your surgeon before an operation. Who should skip it, and why, is in our saw palmetto guide.
Questions people ask
Is it better to take 320 mg once or 160 mg twice a day?
Either one. The STEP trial gave 160 mg twice a day and the CAMUS trial gave 320 mg once a day (Bent 2006; Barry 2011). Pick the one you will remember.
How much saw palmetto should a woman take?
No dose has been set for women. The trials behind the 320 mg dose were in men, and the hair studies that included women were small. Do not take it if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. More in our saw palmetto guide.
Is 1,000 mg of saw palmetto too much?
It depends on what the 1,000 mg is. As ground berry it is within the usual 1 to 2 g a day. As extract it is three times the trial dose; a trial that went to 960 mg a day found it no better than placebo, and no clear side effects from the higher dose (Barry 2011).
Sources
- Gordon AE, Shaughnessy AF. “Saw palmetto for prostate disorders.” Am Fam Physician. 2003. aafp.org
- Bent S, et al. “Saw palmetto for benign prostatic hyperplasia.” N Engl J Med. 2006. PubMed 16467543
- Barry MJ, et al. “Effect of increasing doses of saw palmetto extract on lower urinary tract symptoms: a randomized trial.” JAMA. 2011. PubMed 21954478
- Franco JV, et al. “Serenoa repens for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic enlargement.” Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023. PubMed 37345871
- Labels, read October 18, 2026: NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database (NOW 160 mg 314069, NOW 320 mg 245847, PalmettoGuard 328635); Flomentum product page. Testing list: USP Verified.