Can Saw Palmetto Help Treat Hair Loss?
Saw palmetto is often presented as a safe, natural alternative to finasteride. As a principal ingredient it can be found in numerous popular hair loss remedies such as Provillus, Procerin, Advecia, Avacor, Revivogen, Scalp Med and many others. Marketers of such products claim that saw palmetto is a safe, natural dihydrotestosterone (DHT) blocker, whereas finasteride, though assumed to work by the same mode of action, is often associated with severe side effects. However, scientists cannot agree on whether saw palmetto is beneficial in treating
benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), for which it has been used for decades, let alone in treating baldness. The fact is that nobody knows.
Saw palmetto is not a regulated pharmaceutical and it has never been clinically tested for treating baldness. This uncertainty allows plenty of room for the marketers’ imagination. Since the market for herbal OTC products is underregulated in most countries, in comparison with pharmaceuticals, the promoters of herbal products are in a much better position when it comes to artful marketing. In their efforts to maximise revenues, they sometimes forget to mention certain facts. A quick internet search turned up the list of the following side effects that were reported by saw palmetto users: allergic reactions, stomach pain and diarrhoea, severe bleeding during saw palmetto use, difficulty with erections, testicular discomfort, breast tenderness and enlargement, changes in sexual desire and a warning that saw palmetto extract is not recommended for women who are pregnant or breast-feeding because of its possible hormonal activity. Does that differ considerably from what finasteride is frequently blamed for?
January 7, 2008
