The Buzz on Herbs For Hair Loss
Among the herbs making medical headlines is saw palmetto, shown in clinical trials to have some impact on benign prostatic hyperplasia -- or enlarged prostate. Because this condition has been linked to an increase in the same hormones related to hair loss -- androgens, including testosterone -- at least some experts believe that saw palmetto may work much like the hair loss drug finasteride (Propecia or Proscar), which was originally developed to treat prostate enlargement.
While there are no clinical trials attesting to saw palmetto's usefulness as a treatment for hair loss, there is at least some reliable research showing that it can stop or at least reduce androgen activity within the hair follicle. Whether or not this can stop hair loss in women is completely unknown -- a fact that causes Heller some concern.
"If the herb is strong enough to effect androgen pathways, then women should not be taking it without their doctor's approval -- particularly if they are using any form of female hormones, including HRT [menopausal hormone replacement therapy], birth control pills, or even phytoestrogens [such as soy]," says Heller.
What may be a bit safer for women to take is green tea, which some studies have shown may influence blood concentrations of hormones linked to at least one form of genetic hair loss known as androgenic alopecia. In one study published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer in 1998, Japanese researchers found that drinking green tea could increase levels of the sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) in women. Since this biochemical binds testosterone, the more SHBG present in a woman's body, at least theoretically, the less testosterone will be in her bloodstream. And that, say some experts, may block the chain of hormonal activity that initiates some forms of hair loss
"I don't think we have solid evidence that green tea can help, but it is certainly a good source of antioxidants and may have some anti-cancer properties, so it certainly would not hurt a woman to include it in her diet," says Heller.
Other folklore treatments involving herbs and plants include licorice extract (thought to prevent hair loss, but can also increase blood pressure); horsetail (which is a source of silica, a component in healthy hair); apple cider vinegar and sage tea applied directly to the scalp (thought to stimulate hair growth); psoralea seeds (a Chinese herb applied to the scalp) and ginger (either taken as a tea or applied to the scalp).
Source:
http://my.webmd.com/content/Article/78/95829.htm?pagenumber=3 
The Buzz on Herbs For Hair Loss 
