Serenoa repens is simply the medical name for saw palmetto, an herb that grows primarily in the Southeastern United States and the West Indies. Saw palmetto is frequently used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia, or enlarged prostate, and is the No. 1 prostate treatment in parts of Europe. Due to the relation between the causes of prostate problems and male pattern baldness, saw palmetto is often used as a hair-loss supplement.
Testosterone and DHT
Prostate problems and male pattern hair loss are both believed to be caused by an abundance of dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, in the body. Testosterone is converted into DHT by an enzyme known as 5 alpha-reductase.
When Merck & Co. first began testing the prescription drug finasteride as a prostate treatment, hair growth was an unexpected side effect. That led to the creation of the best-selling prescription hair loss treatment, Propecia.
Finasteride works by reducing the amount of 5-alpha reductase in the body. Some studies have indicated that saw palmetto may also inhibit the production of 5-alpha reductase, which led to the belief that it also should work as a hair loss treatment.
Hair Loss Treatment
Other than several small-scale studies, there is no evidence to support saw palmetto's use as a hair-loss treatment. That has not stopped the herbal community from touting saw palmetto as an alternative to Propecia, and it can be found in most of the popular natural treatments, such as Procerin, Avacor and Provillus.
The most-often cited study to claim support for saw palmetto as a hair-loss treatment appeared in the August 2002 issue of the "Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine." The study of 19 men showed that those taking a combination of 400 mg of saw palmetto extract and 100 mg of beta-sitosterol had a significant increase in hair growth over those taking a placebo, but the sample size of the study was simply too small to carry much weight.
Dosage and Safety
As saw palmetto is not regulated for hair loss, proper dosage to treat the problem is merely conjecture. Studies on saw palmetto for enlarged prostates have called for 320 mg of saw palmetto extract to be taken daily.
While touted as a safe alternative to Propecia, saw palmetto does have some noted side effects, with upset stomach and headaches the most common. Saw palmetto may also interfere with prescription drugs, such as finasteride and blood thinners. You should check with your physician before starting a regiment that includes saw palmetto.
Inconclusive Edivence
Nobody is sure if saw palmetto is an effective treatment for hair loss or not. That is unlikely to change until it has undergone large-scale testing in a clinical situation. Medline Plus and the Mayo Clinic both state that there is not enough evidence to support its use as a hair-loss product and that additional testing is needed before it can be recommended for that purpose.
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