Saw Palmetto and Regrowth of Hair

First noted for the favorable and fattening results its berries had on the animals that nourished on them, Saw Palmetto when utilized by humans were found to boost digestion, develop vitality and strength, as well as augment weight and flesh, and prescribed as a healthful tonic, especially for sufferers of wasting diseases.  

Today, Saw Palmetto’s popularity has been on its effectiveness for benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH).  It has become one of Europe’s extensive initial medications for the condition, although in the US it’s still not as widely acceptable and comes in the form of dietary supplements.  

There has also been anecdotes of Saw Palmetto and regrowth of hair.  However, these assumptions have not been clinically proven through controlled scientific studies.  This assertion might have been based on advertisements in 1998 that promoted Saw Palmetto usage for stimulating men’s hair regrowth; apparently, it was based on the comparison of Saw Palmetto and a prescription drug calledfinasteride, which was beneficial for treating BPH and hair loss; therefore the unwarranted supposition of Saw Palmetto to be effective for the two conditions as well.

Hair loss in men or more commonly known as male-pattern baldness is reliant upon the existence of specialized form of testosterone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which affects the hair as it grows that result to fewer and shorter hair production; some individual hairs get weaker and tend to fall off through washing or combing the hair.  This testosterone that affects male-pattern baldness or hair loss is what is inhibited through Saw Palmetto use for BPH, which has stirred hypothesis of the connection of Saw Palmetto and regrowth of hair.

The relationship of Saw Palmetto and regrowth of hair has completely no clinical evidence to back up the theory that Saw Palmetto is effective in promoting hair regrowth or preventing the loss of hair.  Although Saw Palmetto has been said to block the effects of testosterone, thus diminishing male-pattern hair loss, further studies are still needed before Saw Palmetto can be recommended for the use. 

In Germany, Italy, and France, Saw Palmetto has been extensively prescribed by urologists for BPH treatment.  It is however, not agreeable to unsupervised treatment or self-diagnosis; it’s use as a therapeutic alternative, whether for BPH or hair regrowth, has to be conferred with a physician.  

In a nutshell, although prostatic ailments and hair loss are linked to DHT, as well as the supposition that lessening DHT in the body will also reduce hair loss, these assumptions have not been verified and the connection of Saw Palmetto and regrowth of hair still needs professional scientific studies.