Saw palmetto for male pattern baldness? - Phytotherapy Review Commentary

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, June, 2003 by Kerry Bone

Laboratory experiments have shown that the liposterolic extract of saw palmetto (LESP) is a weak inhibitor of 5-[alpha]-reductase (5AR). While the relevance of this weak activity to the oral use of LESP for benign prostatic hyperplasia is debatable, (1) a group of scientists decided to test the effect of oral intake of LESP on male pattern baldhess in a pilot study involving men between the ages of 23 and 64 under double-blind conditions. (2) The product tested also contained [beta]-sitosterol and nutrients and the dose of LESP used was 400 mg per day (equivalent to about 4 g of berry). The blinded investigative staff rated 60% of the volunteers receiving active treatment as improved, compared to only 11% for the placebo group. Self-assessment by volunteers showed a similar but less striking trend. The authors suggested that this positive pilot trial justifies the expansion to larger trials.

Commentary

While the results of oral LESP for male pattern baldness might be significant, they are also likely to be modest. It is conceivable that topical application of LESP to the scalp could add to the observed effect since it delivers a high concentration of dose to the affected area. Soft gel capsules could be cut and massaged into the scalp at night.

While on the subject of herbs to improve appearance, an interesting German study found that intake of nettle and dandelion juices improved skin parameters in healthy women. (2) Both active and control groups used a moisturizing cream, but only the active group took the herbal juices. Skin hydration improved significantly after 6 weeks in the experimental group (p<0.05). Elasticity was significantly improved compared to controls. After 6 weeks of treatment, volunteers in the active group rated their skin condition as significantly improved, whereas there was little change for the control group.

(1.) Prager N, Bickett R, French N et al. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to determine the effectiveness of botanically derived inhibitors of 5-[alpha]-reductase in the treatment of androgenetic alopecia. J Altern Complement Med 2002; 8(2): 143-152

(2.) Schmid D, Lang A, Allgauer T et al. Evaluation of effects of skin parameters through oral treatment with stinging nettle and dandelion extracts -- an open, controlled, prospective pilot-study. Akt Dermatol 2001; 27: 25-29