Alleviation of Androgenetic Alopecia with Aqueous Paeonia Lactiflora and Poria Cocos Extract Intake Through Suppressing the Steroid Hormone and Inflammatory Pathway

November 2021 in “ Pharmaceuticals ”

Ting Zhang, Shihua Cao, Heng Yuan, Sunmin Park

Paeonia lactiflora Poria cocos androgenetic alopecia testosterone pro-inflammatory cytokines hair follicle densities Wnt signaling hair loss PL PC AGA

Studysummary This study found that Paeonia lactiflora and Poria cocos extracts promoted hair regrowth in a mouse model of androgenetic alopecia, with similar effects observed to normal controls. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

The study examined the effects of Paeonia lactiflora (PL) and Poria cocos (PC) extracts on Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA) in mice. The mice were treated with these extracts for 28 days, and it was found that the PL and a mixture of PL and PC significantly increased hair growth and reduced AGA symptoms. This was linked to lower serum testosterone concentrations and reduced levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The study also found that PL and PC increased hair follicle densities and promoted Wnt-related signaling in the skin, which protects against hair loss. The research suggests that PL and PC could potentially be used as treatments for AGA, but further human studies are needed for confirmation.

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