The most common type of hair loss is male or female pattern baldness, also called androgenetic alopecia, or AGA. Although studies suggest that antioxidants found in green tea, beta sitosterol, saw palmetto, grape seed extract, hydrangea extract and apple extract may help to treat hair loss, more clinical research is needed. Antioxidants can neutralize harmful free radicals and protect against inflammation and degenerative disease.
Beta Sitosterol and Saw Palmetto
Clinical research published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine suggests that a combination of beta sitosterol and saw palmetto extract can reduce hair loss in men with male pattern baldness or androgenetic alopecia, or AGA. Beta-sitosterol is an antioxidant found in plants and grains. Saw palmetto, extracted from the berries of the Serenoa repens tree, contains fatty acids and phytoesterol antioxidants. Scientists from Clinical Research and Development Network in Aurora, Colorado, conducted a placebo-controlled, double-blind study with 60 healthy men with mild to moderate AGA. They found that 60 percent of the participants experienced improvement in hair loss.
Apple Extract
A double-blind clinical study published in Phytotherapy Research found that apple extract promoted hair growth in men. Apple extract contains procyanidin B-2 antioxidants. Researchers at the Tsukuba Research Laboratories in Japan administered procyanidin B-2 apple tonic or a placebo to 29 men with hair loss for four months. The researchers found that 79 percent of the men in the apple group experienced hair growth, compared with 30 percent of the men in the placebo group.
Green Tea
An animal study published in the Journal of the National Medical Association reports that lab mice with hair loss had significant hair regrowth when green tea extract was added to their drinking water. Green tea contains epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, a potent polyphenol antioxidant. Researchers at the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles, California, administered either 50 percent green tea antioxidant extract added to drinking water or regular drinking water to the control group to 60 female Balb/black mice with spontaneous hair loss, for six months. The researchers found 33 percent of the green tea mice experienced hair regrowth and no further hair loss. However, no hair growth was found in the control group and 8 percent had additional hair loss.
Grape Seed Extract
A study published in Acta Dermato-Venereologica suggests that grape seed extract stimulates hair follicle cells. Grape seed extract contains potent proanthocyanidin antioxidant flavonoids. The findings revealed that proanthocyanidins induced hair growth by converting the hair-cycle activity from the resting telogen hair cycle phase to the active growing anagen hair cycle phase.
Hydrangea Extract
Research published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings found that hydrangia macrophyllia extract promoted hair follicle growth and delayed the transitional catagen hair cycle phase. Hydrangea is an ornamental plant that is used for medicinal purposes in traditional Chinese medicine.
References
- Prager N, Bickett K 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 Apr;8(2):143-52.
- Takahashi T et al. The first clinical trial of topical application of procyanidin B-2 to investigate its potential as a hair growing agent. Phytother Res 2001 Jun;15(4):331-6.
- Esfandiari A, Kelley P. The effects of tea polyphenolic compounds on hair loss among rodents. J Natl Med Assoc 2005 Jun;97(6):816-8.
- Takahashi T et al. Proanthocyanidins from grape seeds promote proliferation of mouse hair...
- Tsuji Y et al. A potential suppressor of TGF-beta delays catagen progression in hair follicles. J Investig Dermatol Symp Proc 2003 Jun;8(1):65-8.
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