Saw palmetto has been getting a lot of attention recently as a natural cure for hair loss.
Is there any evidence that it works? While it is true that saw palmetto is a natural product and an herbal supplement; I think it's important to discuss the dangers behind what I call the "herbal mentality.
" It's easy to fall into the belief that plant extracts are "natural" and that substances that are plant-based are naturally healthier for us.
However, many of our legal (and illegal) drugs are based on plant extracts! Although we tend to think of natural substances as being harmless and good for us, there are some dangers to consider-for example, if someone told you that "poppy seed extract" was a great "natural" way to get a good night's sleep, they would only be telling part of the story.
Many narcotics, poisons, and even legitimate medical treatments come from leaves and roots, rather than laboratories.
Unfortunately, the wave of new-age medicine and do-it-yourself healing has given more people the opinion that they can cure themselves with a pamphlet and a few drops of essential oils.
I strongly believe that natural remedies can work, and that is exactly why I believe that people should really know what they're doing before they start to throw back a bottle of something that claims to grow hair (and shrink an enlarged prostate, and grow breast tissue, and cure pelvic pain, and regulate a menstrual cycle-assuming that you are even designed to have one.
) Moving on to my second concern-if it does one thing, how do you know that's all it does? Minoxidil (one of the only FDA approved hair growth medications) was originally developed as a treatment for high blood pressure.
Researchers discovered that it created the growth of thicker, darker bodily hair; this strange side-effect ballooned into a marketing opportunity.
Certainly, many men and women are happy for this unusual side-effect, but I think it's wisest to stick with tested treatments.
I wouldn't want to be the man who takes saw palmetto for hair growth and discovers that it also increases breast tissue! In the case of saw palmetto, there are claims that it inhibits dihydrotestosterone or DHT (the androgenic hormone that leads to hair loss).
However, manufacturers mostly advertise it as an aid in urinary function and men's prostate health; it has been specifically tested for its effects on the urinary symptoms of an enlarged prostate gland-however, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, there has been no conclusive evidence of any real benefit for that condition either.
A final consideration with any treatment containing herbal extracts is that the manufacturing process for herbal supplements is not as stringent as it is within the pharmaceutical industry.
It is likely that different batches or brands of an herbal supplement can have very different concentrations or levels of effectiveness.
This can be a troubling concern when it is combined with the fact that, without clinical trials, no one knows exactly what amount is a recommended dosage and what level would lead to an overdose.
Overall, although there may be a connection between saw palmetto and hair growth, I wouldn't feel comfortable recommending it to anyone without clinical trials, FDA approval, and government regulation.
This will sound harsh, but until it is government-proven, you're essentially running a trial using your own body and your money.