A substitute variety for agronomically and medicinally important Serenoa repens (saw palmetto)

Serenoa repens (saw palmetto) berries are one of the most consumed medicinal herbs in the United States and the wild green variety is used in the initial therapy of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), globally. Use of saw palmetto is approved by the German Commission E, and several clinical trials are underway for evaluation of its efficacy. Exploitation of its habitats and over foraging imperil this plant, which only grows in the wild. This is the first study, to propose the use of the S. repens forma glauca (silver variety) as a qualitative substitute for the wild variety, to support its conservation. We compared tissue microstructures and lipid and water distribution through spatial imaging and examined metabolite distribution of three tissue domains and whole berries. This combined approach of 3D imaging and metabolomics provides a new strategy for studying phenotypic traits and metabolite synthesis of closely related plant varieties.