Baldness

Baldness

Another phone call, another desperate voice, this one from far-off California. I'm always getting calls for help from people who are looking for herbal advice on how to deal with their health problems. Even though I never discovered how this man found me, I still remember how upset he was about losing his hair.

We talked, and I wound up faxing him information about saw palmetto. This herb works by preventing the conversion of the male sex hormone testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a substance that plays a role in prostate enlargement. DHT is also the hormone that may kill off hair follicles and can lead to male-pattern baldness. I suggested to my caller that saw palmetto might help slow his hair loss.

Hair loss is genetically influenced but hard to predict. Sometimes all the men in a family go bald, and sometimes only a few do. But more than half of American men suffer significant hair loss by age 45. Many women also suffer hair loss, but it's almost always much less severe.

Green Pharmacy for Baldness

While I can't promise that my herbal approaches will cover your dome with a thick mat of hair, these natural alternatives might be worth a try.

Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens). This remains my top choice, although you might want to use a combination of approaches that includes an anti-baldness medication such as minoxidil (Rogaine) or finasteride (Proscar). Biochemistry supports saw palmetto. We know that DHT kills off the hair follicles, and taking this herb internally blocks the formation of DHT. If it turns out that saw palmetto helps prevent hair loss, it would be the herb for men, since studies have shown that it also helps prevent prostate enlargement.

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra). Licorice contains one compound that prevents the conversion of testosterone to DHT. You could prepare a baldness-prevention shampoo by adding licorice to your favorite shampoo when you shower.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis). For centuries, if not millennia, both men and women have massaged their scalps with rosemary in olive oil to keep their hair lush and healthy. Is there anything to really recommend this practice, besides wishful thinking? Massaging the scalp certainly stimulates circulation and encourages hair growth, according to Wilma F. Bergfeld, M.D., of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio. Naturopaths often suggest nightly scalp massage with one part rosemary oil and two parts almond oil.

Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) and sage (Salvia officinalis). Danshen is actually Asian red sage. In folklore, both danshen and native sage have long-standing reputations as hair preservers.

In this country, people frequently used sage extracts in hair rinses and shampoos. The herb allegedly had the ability to prevent hair loss and maintain hair color. This folk use of herbs is unlikely to cause any harm, so I suggest that you try adding a few teaspoons of sage tincture to your favorite shampoo.

Horsetail (Equisetum, various species). The minerals selenium and silicon both help promote circulation to the scalp, and as a result, they help maintain hair, according to naturopathic physicians. Both minerals abound in horsetail. I'd try adding a teaspoon or so of dried horsetail to herbal teas, but you should check with a holistic practitioner before using this herb.

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius). In Chinese herbal medicine, safflower is considered a vasodilator, a substance that causes blood vessels to open up. Apparently, it also helps open the blood vessels in the scalp, and Chinese physicians believe that safflower helps nutrients get to the hair follicles. You can massage your scalp with safflower oil or grind up a few tablespoons of whole seeds and add the powder to an herbal shampoo.

Sesame (Sesamum indicum). Sesame seeds are also a Chinese treatment for hair loss, according to pharmacognosist (natural product pharmacist) Albert Leung, Ph.D. Just for taste, you can add toasted sesame seeds to all kinds of dishes, and if the additional sesame helps you keep your hair, so much the better.

stinging nettle (Urtica dioica). Tincture of nettle leaf can help prevent balding in those with thinning hair, according to Rudolf Fritz Weiss, M.D., the dean of German herbal physicians and author of Herbal Medicine. I don't know of any studies supporting this, but I respect Dr. Weiss.

Perhaps his endorsement of nettle is a remnant of the Doctrine of Signatures, which was the idea that a plant's appearance announces its medicinal value. Nettle is a hairy plant, so the doctrine would endorse its use for hair problems.

On the other hand, maybe there will be some other evidence to recommend this herb for balding. The more researchers look at nettle, the more uses they seem to find. Taking a teaspoon or two of tincture a day--or one or two cups of nettle tea--certainly shouldn't hurt.