Saw palmetto research is limited
It’s important to note that this recent review only found seven studies assessing the effectiveness of this plant extract on people with androgenic alopecia. Although promising, the research on this plant is still new and very limited.
As of the moment, there have been few National Institutes of Health (NIH) studies assessing saw palmetto’s potential as a natural DHT blocker. To date, the NIH have only funded studies to assess saw palmetto’s effectiveness in treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
Although other studies have found that saw palmetto was successful in reducing BPH symptoms, these NIH studies did not. Given the limited research on this subject, this doesn’t mean that saw palmetto doesn’t work as a DHT blocker. It simply implies that saw palmetto might be weaker than other DHT-blocking medications, like finasteride.
Will saw palmetto work for everyone?
No hair loss treatment works for everyone. In saw palmetto’s case, it seems that it’s not effective in about 10 percent of people. Although this might seem like a large number, the Skin Appendage Disorders review study reported that this is the same amount of people who find finasteride to be clinically ineffective.
Finasteride and saw palmetto work in similar ways. If you already know finasteride doesn’t work well for you, there’s a good chance that saw palmetto won’t work well as a stand alone treatment, either. You might want to try another FDA-approved hair loss treatment, like minoxidil or low level laser therapy, or talk to your doctor about potential combination treatments.
Saw palmetto vs. other hair loss treatments
Given the limited amount of research available on using saw palmetto for hair loss, there’s still not much research comparing this plant extract to hair loss medications. However, one clinical trial referenced in the Skin Appendage Disorders review compared finasteride against oral saw palmetto supplements.
Finasteride (1 milligram tablets) was found to improve the hair density of 68 percent of the people. In comparison, saw palmetto (320 milligram tablets) was only able to improve the hair density of 38 percent of people. However, people who didn’t see changes to their hair density still benefited: Saw palmetto was able to stop the progression of androgenic alopecia in 52 percent of people taking the supplement.
Saw palmetto is often considered to be a weaker, more natural version of finasteride — as this study implies. So, why bother using a weaker hair loss treatment? Well, there’s another positive to saw palmetto: it lacks almost all of the side effects that finasteride causes.
Saw palmetto side effects
Saw palmetto is only known to cause mild effects. Oral saw palmetto may cause mild gastrointestinal side effects, like nausea, constipation, and diarrhea. Topical saw palmetto has the potential to cause skin-related side effects like mild burning, itching, forehead acne, and allergic contact dermatitis. That being said, the majority of the studies discussed in the Skin Appendage Disorders review reported no side effects at all.
Unlike saw palmetto, finasteride comes with a variety of downsides. Despite being a popular FDA-approved hair loss treatment, finasteride users have reported unpleasant side effects, several of which are serious and can have long-term implications on health.
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, these include issues like:
- Erectile dysfunction
- Decreased libido
- Issues ejaculating, including a lower amount of ejaculate
- Testicular pain
- Depression
- Changes to breast tissue, including increased size
- Nipple discharge
Many men who find out about finasteride’s side effects might want to toss their medication out the window. But DHT blockers like finasteride really work, and are effective at treating androgenetic alopecia. So, what’s a guy to do?
If you’d like to incorporate a DHT blocker into your hair loss treatment routine, saw palmetto might be the answer you’ve been looking for. While it’s certainly less effective than finasteride, it’s unlikely to cause harm or be detrimental to your life in any way.
Takeaway
Saw palmetto is a nutraceutical hair loss treatment, extracted from the plant’s berries and turned into a topical solution or oral supplement. It’s thought to work as a natural DHT blocker, similar to the FDA-approved medication finasteride.
That being said, saw palmetto isn’t as strong as finasteride. However, a major upside is that it lacks all of finasteride’s negative side effects.
Saw palmetto research is still fairly new, and as a consequence, there are only a limited amount of studies on its use in the treatment of pattern hair loss. However, most studies have found that saw palmetto is capable of producing a positive effect, ranging from stopping the progression of androgenic alopecia to improving hair growth and density. The best results seem to occur when people use both topical and oral saw palmetto simultaneously.
