saw palmetto study

[Swanson]

As far as i know there is only one study regarding saw palmetto and hairloss.

There was one clinical study done with only 19 men, and 60% showed improved hair growth. Many scientists disregard this study because its to small.

My question is: why don't they have a larger clinical study done with saw palmetto and hair loss?

This i think would show whether saw palmetto is actually a natural remedy to treat male pattern baldness or not?

 

[somone uk]

it's just because it costs money to gather a sample and it would be hard to find someone who is treating male pattern baldness and tell them "could you quit your entire regimen for 6 months whist i give you a pill that might be a placebo" and the sheer cost of it, the thing is they have finesteride and dutriside so why would you need a third?

also the FDA are just really dismissive towards natural remedies.

 

[metropolis]

As far as i know there is only one study regarding saw palmetto and hairloss.

There was one clinical study done with only 19 men, and 60% showed improved hair growth. Many scientists disregard this study because its to small.

My question is: why don't they have a larger clinical study done with saw palmetto and hair loss?

This i think would show whether saw palmetto is actually a natural remedy to treat male pattern baldness or not?

Saw palmetto is one of those things that I am definitely NOT going to try - at least, not until there's more evidence to support it.

What really intrigues me is that saw palmetto is aledgedly an antiadrogen and yet some guys also use it to treat erectile dysfunction and improve erections. Does this make any sense??

 

[ali777]

it would be hard to find someone who is treating male pattern baldness and tell them "could you quit your entire regimen for 6 months whist i give you a pill that might be a placebo"

That's not true. I think it's harder to find a man who is treating his male pattern baldness. Most of the balding guys I know do not actively fight male pattern baldness.

also the FDA are just really dismissive towards natural remedies.

I never understand why the European guys care about the FDA. The FDA is an American agency and their rules do not apply in the rest of the world. Go and ask NHS to prescribe you a medicine based on the fact that the medicine is listed as safe and efficient by the FDA, you'll get a one big f*ck off from your GP.

Back to the original topic: Saw palmetto affects my hormones in a similar way finasteride does. I know some people say it's not the same and there is no evidence that shows SP working on the follicles, but I know from experience it inhibits DHT to a certain degree...

 

[metropolis]

[...] I never understand why the European guys care about the FDA. [...]

We, Europeans like to imitate everything the Americans do, so if a medicin is approved by the FDA, the EMEA will probably do the same. Moreover, if a drug is approved by the FDA, Europeans can also benefit from it, e.g. it will possible for us to order it online - that's the beauty of the Internet.

A couple of years ago, an ED drug called Uprima (apomorphine) was available in Europe but not in the US. It was an effective drug but it was a commercial failure and was discontinued. If the FDA had approved it (and God knows why they didn't approve it!), I'm sure it would be still available in Europe and in the US.

 

[ali777]

We, Europeans like to imitate everything the Americans do, so if a medicin is approved by the FDA, the EMEA will probably do the same. Moreover, if a drug is approved by the FDA, Europeans can also benefit from it, e.g. it will possible for us to order it online - that's the beauty of the Internet.

Only if it was that simple... The customs officials usually ignore the small medicines we buy online, eg ED, hairloss, etc medication, but when it comes to the serious stuff, you can't buy them online. You are completely in the hands of the EMEA. Then you would need a special import license, approval from the related medical organisations, etc.

The Internet excuse just doesn't apply... Buying medicines online is illegal but tolerated to a certain extent. Try buying cancer drugs that would cost you 1000s of euros, you wouldn't be allowed to import them without a license.

 

[Swanson]

the thing is they have finesteride and dutriside so why would you need a third?

Well saw palmetto is extremley cheap and is native to the United States.

I think they might know saw palmetto is effective towards male pattern baldness but, because it is so cheap and you can buy it anywhere... they do not want to lose money for the finasteride drugs.

 

[somone uk]

it would be hard to find someone who is treating male pattern baldness and tell them "could you quit your entire regimen for 6 months whist i give you a pill that might be a placebo"

That's not true. I think it's harder to find a man who is treating his male pattern baldness. Most of the balding guys I know do not actively fight male pattern baldness.

i spose but it would still it would cost quite a bit of money and it would be a cost very few pharmaceuticals would pay for so there would be a lack of financial incentive

also the FDA are just really dismissive towards natural remedies.

I never understand why the European guys care about the FDA. The FDA is an American agency and their rules do not apply in the rest of the world. Go and ask NHS to prescribe you a medicine based on the fact that the medicine is listed as safe and efficient by the FDA, you'll get a one big f*ck off from your GP.

well the NHS are just as dismissive and don't really fund or approve research towards male pattern baldness and all they do is follow the word of the FDA and EMEA just don't care about male pattern baldness at all

Back to the original topic: Saw palmetto affects my hormones in a similar way finasteride does. I know some people say it's not the same and there is no evidence that shows SP working on the follicles, but I know from experience it inhibits DHT to a certain degree...

well i find nanocaps (which contain SP) do work but i wouldn't count on it being as effective

the thing is they have finesteride and dutriside so why would you need a third?

Well saw palmetto is extremley cheap and is native to the United States.

I think they might know saw palmetto is effective towards male pattern baldness but, because it is so cheap and you can buy it anywhere... they do not want to lose money for the finasteride drugs.

hmm well i don't know how that compares to the cost of producing finasteride because it wouldn't cost anywhere near the price it's sold at probs talking pennies a pill if even a penny

 

[ali777]

well the NHS are just as dismissive and don't really fund or approve research towards male pattern baldness and all they do is follow the word of the FDA and EMEA just don't care about male pattern baldness at all

That's not true... British GPs don't really prescribe finastride, they don't care what the FDA says. Most of the people I know who have asked their GPs for finastride were told it's not a good medicine, or the GP just doesn't know about it.

Also, according to Bill Gates, we in the western society spend more money on hairloss research than fighting the more serious illnesses. The NHS doesn't directly sponsor hairloss research as it is not a matter of life and death, but lots of companies are spending/investing huge money on hairloss research. Eg, one of the major stem cell research companies is based in the UK.

 

[scub]

i've been taking 320mg saw palmetto gelcaps (85-90% fatty acids) for about 1 month. it's just one tiny gelcap in the AM when i wake up along with 0.5mg propecia. its only been a month so i can't say its helped with the hairloss but since i also use minoxidil it'll be hard to tell if it's doing anything.

i dont mind taking it if it doesn't do much to hair as it helps keep the prostate in "good health" so that is just an added bonus, not to mention it's dirt cheap. i bought 240 caps which will last 8 months for like $14.. i haven't noticed any sides.

 

[Tyler_Durden]

They don't do studies on it because it is natural and you can't get a patent on it, so all the money you invest in studying it is essentially wasted (as you don't own the rights to Saw Palmetto, so any company can sell it and reap the benefits of the study).

 

[vauxall]

As far as i know there is only one study regarding saw palmetto and hairloss.

There was one clinical study done with only 19 men, and 60% showed improved hair growth. Many scientists disregard this study because its to small.

My question is: why don't they have a larger clinical study done with saw palmetto and hair loss?

This i think would show whether saw palmetto is actually a natural remedy to treat male pattern baldness or not?

Can you be more specific? Which study are you referring to? All major studies have a DOI and PMID number. Maybe you sre referring to the study that proves a correlation between Saw Palmetto and DHT?

 

[Artas]

I'm taking 2 capsules of 450mg Saw Palmetto twice a day. Been doing for this nearly 2 months. Nothing yet. I will update you guys though. I would use Proscar or Propecia, but I'm only 17.