Build your bust with herbs?

I received a catalog featuring a product with damiana and saw palmetto positioned as a natural alternative for breast enhancement. Would herbs have any effect on breast size? Would there be any danger taking these two herbs?

A: Frankly, I don't think the herbal combination you describe would have any effect at all on breast size. Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens), one of the herbs you mention, is very popular these days as a treatment for conditions associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlargement). It has a long history as a natural remedy for male problems -- American Indians used it to treat a variety of them, including impotence, prostate inflammation and low sex drive, and modern studies continue to deliver evidence of its effectiveness.

Damiana (Turnera diffusa) comes from a small shrub native to Mexico and has a reputation as a female aphrodisiac as well as a Mexican folk remedy for a wide range of urinary and sexual problems. You can find damiana preparations in health-food stores, but research on it is almost nonexistent. I consider both herbs safe for consumption, but I don't know of any components in either of them that would cause breasts to grow bigger.

In fact, and as you probably sense, breast size is determined genetically and depends on the ratio of fat to other breast tissue. The only way I know of to enlarge your breasts naturally is to put on weight -- the amount of fat in the breasts varies as you gain or lose while other breast tissue remains constant. But I wouldn't recommend gaining weight as a means of breast enlargement (unless you are now underweight). You also might consider exercise. While it won't actually enlarge your breasts, building and strengthening your pectoral muscles may make them appear larger. This is yet another case where an unmonitored supplement industry is taking advantage of the trust consumers have in natural products, and it's shameful. Practice loving your body as it is.
Andrew Weil, M.D.