One of the things about male pattern baldness is those whom choose to treat it generally do their research. The know all about the pharmaceuticals they can get from their doctor to manipulate DHT. But oftentimes the mind will get stuck somehow that the drugs of modern medicine are the best way to go. They somehow must be more potent. But really — hasn’t the planet been producing plants with in incredible diversity of natural chemicals for millions of years? And hasn’t man been using these plants as medicines for many thousands of years? Could they possibly do an even better job at stopping hair loss? Yes, yes and yes!
Why do we tend to think that synthetic pharmaceutical medicines will be more effective than herbs? It’s the money! It seems like these giant, hi-tech, well-funded companies — who have lots of cash to throw at formal research studies — should be able to produce the most effective medicines on the planet. But why? Why should they be better than plant extracts? When you think about it, there’s absolutely no reason whatsoever. It’s just that the makers of plant extracts can’t afford the huge clinical trials the pharmaceutical companies can. So an herbal medicine can actually be much more effective than a synthetic one, but if the synthetic one is even just slightly better than a placebo, it’s the only one legally allowed to be labeled as “effective in treating hair loss”.
The fact of the matter is that there is a good bit of data revealing that a good many natural medicines have the biochemical activity necessary to prevent hair loss. It’s just that these studies have been done in a laboratory, looking at how chemical “A” affects chemical “B”. It’s just too expensive to test whether a particular supplement affects hair growth in humans on the statistical scale demanded by the FDA. And you’ll never see the researchers combine 5 supplements, like any man with a reasonable level of obsessive-compulsive behavior about his hair would be taking. But it’s really pretty easy to put your faith in combining several supplements that address multiple conditions involved in male pattern baldness…and here’s how you might go about it.
Research on male pattern hair loss itself indicates three important considerations: blocking the formation and binding of DHT, reducing inflammation at the hair follicle, and ensuring an adequate supply of nutrients for hair growth (some of which seem to be important in signaling hair to grow, not just provide the necessary nutrients for the physical formation of hair).
The most consistently suggested supplements for inhibiting formation and binding of dihydrotestosterone are saw palmetto berry extract, stinging nettle root extract, flax seed lignans, soybean extract, and green tea extract. Not that for all of these, if you’re going to use them as supplements, you’ll want to be sure you’re purchasing high quality extracts — not just powdered saw palmetto berries in capsules, for example. The only whole supplements here you might consider is ingesting a couple of heaping tablespoons of ground flax seeds daily, and/or drinking several cups of green tea daily (if you’re not overly sensitive to the caffeine).
Do be sure to take several of these extracts together, as they’ll each address a different biochemical pathway or process — synergising to create a greater overall reduction in dihydrotestosterone production and activity. Look for high-quality, name brand products designed for support of prostate gland health. It turns out that lowering DHT production and binding is just as important for the prostate gland as it is for certain hair follicles.
Soybean extracts sound a little weird — aren’t these for women who need extra estrogen? It turns out that bacteria naturally found in our digestive system turn certain components of soybean extracts into a chemical that has the strongest DHT inhibiting qualities of any known compound to date.
Much of the most recent research has noted hair follicle death being preceded by inflammation. Chronic cellular inflammation is actually implicated in aging, and is now becoming a primary focus of anti-aging medicines and therapies. Curcumin, an extract of the spice turmeric, is now widely available in easily-absorbed formulations (look for these, as otherwise the body will absorb very little of the nutrient). A hair-loss-prevention patent has been applied for with a simple combination of curcumin and red wine extract, so this is certainly worth a look.
A smattering of other nutrients are worth considering as well — particularly if you favor the “shotgun approach” — that of including every possible helpful nutrient, expecting that at least some will do the job. Here’s a quick rundown: The B-vitamins biotin and inositol, the mineral sulfur (either from the amino acid methionine or MSM), the amino acids taurine (thought to prevent hardening of the follicle), arginine (thought to signal hair growth — can be taken alone or sourced from raw chocolate or pomegranate extract) and lysine (which seems to boost all other natural supplements). Finally, a tablespoon of coconut oil either eaten or massaged into the scalp on a regular basis has a lot of support from the community supporting natural treatments.
Yes, there are a great many supplements to choose from. If you can afford it, buy as many as you can in bulk form, and spend some time dividing up your daily doses. You’re more likely to take them all regularly (a must if you want to see results) if you don’t have to open ten bottles a day. Be sure to give yourself several months before deciding whether these are helpful for you — hair naturally does grow slowly. And you may consider a topical natural treatment as well — combinations of “fixed” oils and essential oils have a lot of backing (for example, rosemary, helichrysum, lavender and sage essential oils based in tamanu nut, coconut and rosehip seed oils can potentially be very effective). And you’ll smell great too!
The author has made available much information about aromatherapy, such as using citronella and other organic essential oil.