Herbal Hair Gel Formulation with 5α-Reductase Inhibitory Activity and Standardization by HPTLC

In 2016, researchers formulated a herbal hair gel designed to treat alopecia by inhibiting 5α-reductase, an enzyme involved in hair loss. The gel was composed of 1% Hibiscus rosa-sinensis flower extract, 1% Eclipta alba whole plant extract, and 0.5% Solanum nigrum plant berries extract. It exhibited favorable physical properties with a pH of 6.68, viscosity of 4731 cps, and spreadability of 11.05 g-cm/sec, and caused no skin irritation. The active compounds quercetin, ß-sitosterol, and linoleic acid were quantified using High-Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) at concentrations of 0.120%, 0.1377%, and 0.379% w/w, respectively. The study concluded that the gel could be a safe alternative to conventional drugs for hair growth with minimal side effects, and the HPTLC method could be applied for standardizing these compounds in similar formulations.