The Promise of Saw Palmetto for Hair Growth in Men & Women

Androgenetic alopecia, or pattern baldness, is a common hair loss condition in

both men and women. It affects nearly 80% of men as they age, and, strangely, it

is becoming more common. Emerging research is establishing saw palmetto

berry as a herb that can safely help.

There are only two FDA approved drugs on the market for hair loss: minoxidil

and finasteride. But only about 20% of people who use them get substantial

results. And there are considerable side effects. Minoxidil is a topical treatment

that can cause scalp irritation, allergic contact dermatitis and facial hair in

women. Finasteride can cause erectile dysfunction and loss of libido.

Previous research has suggested that saw palmetto berry works as a hair loss

supplement. Like saw palmetto, finasteride is primarily used in the treatment of

benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate).

This new 16 week placebo-controlled, double-blind study gave men and women

with mild-to-moderate androgenetic alopecia either a placebo or 100mg of saw

palmetto berry extract standardized to 85% fatty acids and sterols and 2-3% β-

sitosterol.

The hair comb test revealed that, while hair fall significantly increased in the

placebo group, it significantly decreased by 29% in the saw palmetto group. The

hair pull test found a similar 20.52% reduction in hair fall. 33.3% of people on

saw palmetto experienced improvement in the amount of hair covering the scalp,

and significantly more people in the saw palmetto group positively evaluated their

improvement in hair thickness. 33.33% positively evaluated overall appearance,

amount of hair, and new hair growth.

While hair density continued worsening by 3.23% in the placebo group, it

increased by a significant 5.17% in the saw palmetto group. Hair thickness also

improved significantly in the herb group.

An added advantage over the drugs is that, in this study, the saw palmetto berry

was very safe.

Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2023;16:3251-3266.