Published by
Daily Mail, Tuesday, May 11 1999
Good Health Innovations - Can this herb beat
baldness?
SCIENTISTS believe they have
developed a natural remedy for baldness – a herbal concoction of
fenugreek and palmetto.
Trials have shown that the supplement can prevent hair loss and encourage
re-growth because the herbs have similar molecular structures to drugs
which have been clinically prevent to halt baldness.
The remedy was accidentally discovered by a German scientist who used
fenugreek seeds to treat his bronchitis. It not only cleared his chest but
promoted hair re-growth.
Fenugreek is known to increase the dilation of blood vessels which helps
the scalp get more blood and nutrients.
Scientists in Finland have refined the recipe and come up with a capsule,
and spray which also contains saw palmetto (a palm extract) to control
make hormone-related hair loss, vitamin B12 to stimulate hair growth and
vitamin B2 - deficiencies of this have been shown to result in hair loss.
A small trial has just been completed at the Helsinki Trichological
Institute. Four men were selected with hair loss around the crown and at
the temples. After six months on Folligro™ (formerly Arcon Hairfood), two re-grew all the hair
on their crowns and on had some re-growth.
Saw palmetto is similar to the prescription drug Finasteride, which is
known to block the mail hormone DHT, linked with male-pattern hair loss.
‘This drug is not cheap, which is why doctors are reluctant to prescribe
it even thought it’s effective,’ says British trichologist and hair
transplant surgeon Dr. Richard Rogers.
