A Study on the Effectiveness and Safety of Herbal Extract Combination Compared to 3% Minoxidil Solution for the Treatment of Androgenetic Alopecia: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Trial
June 2024
in “
The Open dermatology journal
”
TLDR The herbal extract is as effective and safe as 3% minoxidil for treating hair loss.
This randomized, double-blind, controlled trial involving 60 participants (30 males and 30 females) compared the effectiveness and safety of a herbal extract combination (dihydroquercetin glucoside, epigallocatechin gallate glucoside, zinc, and glycine) to a 3% minoxidil solution for treating androgenetic alopecia (AGA) over 24 weeks. Both treatments significantly increased total hair count and hair mass index (HMI) with no significant difference between the groups. The herbal group showed a mean increase in total hair count from 334.8±108.8 to 345.0±119.2 hairs/cm², while the minoxidil group increased from 368.3±178.4 to 391.5±183.1 hairs/cm². HMI increased by 25.83±17.18 in the herbal group and 33.70±15.17 in the minoxidil group. No adverse effects were reported, suggesting that the herbal extract could be a viable alternative to minoxidil for AGA treatment. Further studies with larger sample sizes are recommended to confirm these findings.
