Saw palmetto is a small, shrub-like palm that is native to the southeastern US, especially the coastal plain of Florida. It is also found in the gulf region, however, as well as along the coastal plain of California.
The Choctaw, Seminoles and other indigenous peoples harvested the ripe berries for food and used other parts of the plant to produce fibers for textiles. Although early European settlers found the saw palmetto berry too bitter to eat, its properties and reputed benefits were publicized in the American Journal of Pharmacy in the late 1800s and have been the subject of numerous clinical trials ever since.
