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Does Saw Palmetto Work to Stop Hair Loss?

Hair loss among men and women is a particularly odious part of the aging process and in rare cases can affect younger men and women. Typically, men experience male-pattern baldness as they reach their late 20s and early 30s. There has been recent interest in the herb saw palmetto as a means to reduce hair loss. These claims are unfounded.

  1. Saw Palmetto and Hair Loss

    • Saw palmetto is an herb used in the treatment of an enlarged prostate and the discomfort that can result from that condition. Allegedly, saw palmetto functions by reducing the body's production of testosterone that causes enlargement of the prostate. Additionally, it can inhibit dihydrotestosterone or DHT, which is the main hormone that causes the reduction and ultimate loss of hair follicles on top of the head. Since there is some evidence that saw palmetto "inhibits" DHT, people have made the the incorrect assumption that saw palmetto can eliminate DHT from the body and can stop hair loss.

    Lack of Research

    • According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine there is scant evidence that saw palmetto has any effect on altering the body's production of testosterone. Moreover, a website dedicated to exploring hair loss, Hairloss-reversible.com, indicates that there have been no extensive clinical trials conducted on saw palmetto and its affects on hair loss. In 2003, an episode of 20/20 debunked a small clinical trial claiming that saw palmetto reduced hair loss because the clinical trial was without any scientific merit.

    No Causal Relationship

    • The reason that herbal companies have begun making claims that saw palmetto is an all-natural remedy for hair loss is because of research that suggests that saw palmetto can inhibit DHT production. According to Hairloss-reversible.com, the problem with the research is that it was not a clinical trial and has not been tested with human patients. Unlike Propeica, which is an FDA approved hair loss medication, there have been no research studies that indicate a causal relationship between saw palmetto inhibiting DHT and hair loss. Simply because saw palmetto can block DHT, it does not follow that it is effective at preventing DHT from enter the blood stream and attaching to hair follicles.

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