The previously identified mechanisms of Pumpkin Seed Oil as a 5 alpha reductase inhibitor made it a target of investigation as a possible treatment for hair loss for those with MPB. This placebo controlled study confirms its hair growth stimulation effects, providing yet another option in the array of usable treatments for MPB.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014;2014:549721. doi: 10.1155/2014/549721. Epub 2014 Apr 23.
Effect of pumpkin seed oil on hair growth in men with androgenetic alopecia: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.;
Cho YH1, Lee SY2, Jeong DW1, Choi EJ1, Kim YJ3, Lee JG3, Yi YH3, Cha HS4
Abstract
Pumpkin seed oil (PSO) has been shown to block the action of 5-alpha reductase and to have antiandrogenic effects on rats. This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study was designed to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of PSO for treatment of hair growth in male patients with mild to moderate androgenetic alopecia (AGA). 76 male patients with AGA received 400 mg of PSO per day or a placebo for 24 weeks. Change over time in scalp hair growth was evaluated by four outcomes: assessment of standardized clinical photographs by a blinded investigator; patient self-assessment scores; scalp hair thickness; and scalp hair counts. Reports of adverse events were collected throughout the study. After 24 weeks of treatment, self-rated improvement score and self-rated satisfaction scores in the PSO-treated group were higher than in the placebo group (P = 0.013, 0.003). The PSO-treated group had more hair after treatment than at baseline, compared to the placebo group (P < 0.001). Mean hair count increases of 40% were observed in PSO-treated men at 24 weeks, whereas increases of 10% were observed in placebo-treated men (P < 0.001). Adverse effects were not different in the two groups.
COMMENT: The dose used in this study was very modest: only 400 mg of straight Pumpkin Seed Oil. The biological activity of oils and sterols naturally present in Pumpkin Seed Oil and Saw Palmetto, are significantly enhanced by using lipid extracts, and better yet critical CO2 extracts. Critical Extracts concentrate the active ingredients, to the point that an only small fraction is necessitated to replicate large quantities of the straight oil in its natural state.
The Ultra Natural Prostate Formula is, along with other hair growth promoting components, a rich and concentrated source of Pumpkin Seed Oil sterols. The Pumpkin Seed Oil in the Ultra Natural Prostate Formula is a supercritical CO2 oil, from select pumpkins, which enhances the potency of free fatty acids and magnifies saw palmetto’s benefits.
Ultra Natural Prostate Formula has been upgraded numerous times so that it contains the most scientifically substantiated nutrients to help protect the prostate gland, prevent scalp hair loss, and facilitate hair growth.
The latest formulation of Ultra Natural Prostate Formula contains the following key ingredients:
Standardized lignans from Flax seed and Norway Spruce knotwood convert to enterolactone in the intestine, which is then absorbed into the bloodstream to provide protection against excess estrogen levels, which are typically more elevated in men with MPB.
Nettle Root Extract helps protect against excess estrogen levels stimulating peripheral androgen pathways by mitigating the activity of the aromatase enzyme needed to create estrogens. This aromatase inhibition reportedly helps ameliorate side effects associated with Propecia and Avodart.
Saw Palmetto Extracts inhibit dihydrotestosterone (DHT) activity in in all tissue samples tested, including skin, where hair follicles reside, and helps down-regulate peripheral inflammatory reactions such as those DHT induces in the hair follicles affected by MPB.
Pygeum (Pygeum africanum) Extract contains the natural compound Atraric Acid which has been recently found to be an antagonist of the human androgen receptor inhibiting DHT binding.
Beta-Sitosterol is a biologically active constituent of pygeum and saw palmetto that demonstrated hair growth effects in several trials.
Graminex® Flower Pollen Extract– data have concluded that pollen extracts both inhibit the formation of DHT by reducing the activity the 5 alpha reductase enzyme and by blocking the binding of DHT to the receptor, thus improving the metabolic clearance of DHT.
Phospholipids enhance the absorption of active compounds.
Although we generally recommend a multi-component approach to treating hair loss, many successfully use the Ultra Natural Prostate Formula as a sole intervention. As such, it is able to effectively function as an anti-androgen, with (unlike Propecia, Avodart, and Spironolactone) no side effects.
Ultra Natural Prostate Formula provides a more potent dose of Pumpkin Seed Oil sterols than the one used in this study, which showed hair growth stimulation effects.