Everyone has their own opinion of alternative medicine, and herbal remedies are used by thousands of us to treat everything from the common cold to stress. But what about the chances of a herbal remedy to use as a hair loss treatment?
As yet, there are no clinically proven hair loss treatments that have a herbal basis. The MHRA and the FDA (the UK and the US medical regulatory bodies) have only licensed or approved two medications as hair loss treatments, the tablet Propecia and the topical treatment minoxidil. Both of these have proven via clinical trials and their high success rates in treatment that they can combat hair loss, and should form the basis of a hair loss treatment plan.
Herbal Helper
However, herbal hair loss remedies are still sold: what are they and should they be taken with a pinch of salt (or a proven treatment)? Saw Palmetto is a well known herb that some say can slow down the hair loss process and stimulate new growth. It is generally thought to be safe to take as a herbal supplement, but can cause mild gastrointestinal issues. The logic behind saw palmetto being effective for hair loss is down to its function as a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor, which is the enzyme that converts testosterone into DHT, which causes male pattern hair loss in those with a genetic predisposition.
Whilst Saw Palmetto seems to help some people treat their hair loss, there has been no substantial study in humans that proves this. Propecia functions as a DHT inhibitor, the effectiveness of which has been proven. By blocking DHT, the hair follicle miniaturisation process is halted, giving hair a chance to begin growing healthily once more.
Another herbal remedy that you may have heard about is ginkgo biloba, which some claim increases blood flow to the brain and as such may help hair loss by providing scalp hair follicles with a higher quantity of nutrients. However, whilst this in theory could help healthy hair grow, it’s unlikely to directly impact hair loss.
What Works?
Minoxidil, the second proven hair loss treatment, is a vasodilator, which enables blood to flow more easily through arteries. However, other vasodilators have no effect on hair loss, which suggests that there is some other mechanism that allows minoxidil to be an effective hair loss treatment.
There are many other rumoured hair loss herbal treatments, although like the above herbs, none of them have produced any conclusive studies that suggest they can be used alone as a hair loss treatment, though some may certainly improve the condition of existing hair.
With this in mind, Belgravia include their tailored nutritional supplement Hair Vitalics along with proven medication in their hair loss treatment plans for both men and women. Containing amongst other ingredients saw palmetto extract and ginkgo biloba extract, Hair Vitalics ensures that existing hair and regrowth resulting from the treatment plan is kept in the best condition possible.
Related Articles
Does Hair Vitalics improve hair growth?
Herbal supplements Vs proven hair loss treatments
The Belgravia Centre—————————————————————————————————–
The Belgravia Centre is the leader in hair loss treatment in the UK, with two clinics based in Central London. We offer clinically proven treatments for hair loss, as part of comprehensive treatment programmes offered by our hair loss specialists. Our in-house pharmacies produce high-strength medications for hair loss that contain medically proven ingredients and are available at no other clinic worldwide. Treatment programmes are available by visiting the centres or for home-use, anywhere in the UK or the rest of the world. View our hair loss success stories, which are the largest collection of such success stories in the world and demonstrate the levels of hair regrowth that so many of Belgravia’s patients achieve. You can also phone 0800 077 6666 for our hair loss helpline or to arrange a free consultation.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, July 25th, 2013 at 5:10 pm and is filed under General Hair Loss, Hair Loss.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.