The fact that Saw Palmetto helps with hair loss is widely known. It's scientific name is 'seronoa repens'. It's a powerful little plant that has big leaves and a small red berry that is used to treat many different maladies. It's been used by our Native Indians for quite a few decades, and our pioneer fathers learned of it's medicinal purposes as well. It acts as an anti-androgen. Androgen is one of the major contributors to hair loss.
The berry of the Saw Palmetto plant is loaded with phytonutrients. These work like interrupters of the hormonal process that enlarge the prostate. So for many men today, this is good news. They also take it for erectile dysfunction. The uses for this little plant just go on and on, with a wide range of maladies on it's list of things that it can help.
Alopecia, or hair loss, has been treated by a product known as Propecia. Scientists noticed that the Saw Palmetto acted in the same way in the body, so they ran some tests to see how it did, and they found they had some good results with the Saw Palmetto berry on hair loss. It helped people who had 'androgenetic alopecia'. And the successful use of Saw Palmetto for treating hair loss began.
There are plenty of herbal supplements on the market today. But for most of them, they've not been put through a clinical trial. Not so for the Saw Palmetto berry. And after the tests were made, the results were more than satisfactory. No significant side effects were attributed, unless take on an empty stomach. Then a headache or a stomach ache can occur. After all, it does work on the hormones. That's why it's wise for a woman who's pregnant or nursing to abstain from it.
DHT, or (dihydrotestosterone), is the hormone that, when it's overproduced, causes hair loss. It happens in the scalp, and when there's too much DHT, then it sticks to the follicles and then is able to cut off the nutrient flow from the bloodstream. This in turn makes the hair shrink and get thin and weak. So the Saw Palmetto works to counter-act this hormonal overload.
If you were to check the rankings of the top herbs used medicinally in the United States, today you'd find that the Saw Palmetto berry rates at a solid #5. But being an herb that affects the hormones, anyone who takes any kind of hormonal therapy or treatment should have a sit-down with their family doctor before starting with Saw Palmetto supplements.
Saw Palmetto for hair loss is only the tip of the iceburg for this powerful little plant. From coughs and colds to migraines and bronchitis, it's uses are numerous. No wonder the pioneers used to make soft drinks out of it. They evidently found that they felt better when they had steady regimen of drinking it. You can find out all about the Saw Palmetto herb with a simple internet search in your favorite engine.
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