Title:Natural Compounds Used for Treating Hair Loss
Volume: 29
Issue: 16
Author(s): Amin Gasmi, Pavan Kumar Mujawdiya, Natalia Beley, Mariia Shanaida, Roman Lysiuk, Larysa Lenchyk, Sadaf Noor, Akram Muhammad, Oksana Strus, Salva Piscopo, Andriy Komisarenko, Maryana Fedorovska and Geir Bjørklund*
Affiliation:
- Department of Research, Council for Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (CONEM), Toften 24, 8610 Mo i Rana, Norway
Keywords:
Alopecia, medicinal plants, nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals, minoxidil, Cucurbita pepo, hair follicles, anxiety.
Abstract: Hair loss or alopecia is a common dermatological condition affecting up to 2% of the world population.
It is often caused by hereditary factors, such as male or female pattern baldness, but it can also result from
various environmental factors, an unbalanced diet, or chronic illness. While hair loss is not life-threatening, it
can cause significant anxiety, depression, and other psychological problems, ultimately impacting an individual's
quality of life. Various treatments for hair loss, including both synthetic drugs, such as minoxidil and finasteride,
or medicinal herbs, have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Despite synthetic drugs'
effectiveness, they may come with potential side effects. Natural remedies have been proposed as a viable option
for treating hair loss because many chronic disorders can cause alopecia. As such, this review focuses on
identifying alternative, efficient treatment agents with limited side effects. Specifically, it looks into medicinal
plants as potential healing agents for treating hair loss. To gather relevant information for the study, multiple
databases were searched, including Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar. A comprehensive search was conducted
using a range of search terms, such as “hair loss”, “alopecia”, “natural remedies for hair loss”, “herbal
treatments for hair loss”, and others to extract relevant scientific articles. Many medicinal plants and natural
compounds have shown potential in reducing hair loss, thanks to their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties
and the ability to improve local metabolism when applied externally. According to existing literature, herbal
extracts and formulations derived from plants, such as Urtica dioica, Humulus lupulus, Serenoa repens, Vitis
vinifera, Pygeum africanum, Cucurbita pepo, etc., as well as certain individual herbal compounds, micronutrients,
bee products, and keratin, may be effective in reducing hair loss directly or indirectly. Research
suggests that medicinal plants and a variety of natural compounds hold promise in promoting hair growth and
preventing alopecia.
