Topic: Hair Loss, Minoxidil and possible essential oil alternative

\”Minoxidil is used to stimulate hair growth and to slow balding. It is most effective for people under 40 years of age whose hair loss is recent. Minoxidil has no effect on receding hairlines. It does not cure baldness; most new hair is lost within a few months after the drug is stopped\”, (2016 The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc.)

Minoxidil may cause side effects:

• scalp itching, dryness, scaling, flaking, irritation, or burning

If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:

• weight gain
• swelling of the face, ankles, hands, or stomach
• difficulty breathing (especially when lying down)
• rapid heartbeat
• chest pain
• lightheadedness

———2016 The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc.
So I told a pharmacist that I work with that I read an article about Castor bean oil causing the stimulation of the hair matrix, thus causing hair growth….. unfortunately I was mistaken about the article I read, which talked more about Castro oil as an emollient, and the potential for it to stimulate hair growth, but there were no significant conclusions.  Well, I am using my mistake as a learning opportunity.  I looked up all I could about hair loss and potential herbal remedies.  Most articles talked about nutrition being a key factor in hair loss, especially lacking iron, sulfur, and zinc in one\’s diet.  Other articles talked about potential essential oil mixes, but I couldn\’t find any legitimate academic journal articles with any  significant conclusions about these mixes.  What I did find was a conclusive animal study, or in vivo study, that determined that  Zizyphus  jujuba,  a Chinese date (the seed crushed and made into essential oil) was shown to promote hair growth, as well as, increase hair thickness.  I liked this article because it has pictures and graphs to show the results, and I felt like they put a lot of thought into their study criteria.  Check it out, but always take care, I did not find any human clinical trials for this product. Thanks for reading, and be aware and eat with care 🙂

Article link:  Hair growth promoting effect of Zizyphus jujuba essential oil article

Ref:

Picture:  http://minoxidilbr.com/onde-comprar-minoxidil/

Minoxidil use and side effects:  2016. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc.,  https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a689003.html

Article:  Yoon, J, Al-Reza, S, & Kang, S 2010, \’Hair growth promoting effect of Zizyphus jujuba essential oil\’,  Food And Chemical Toxicology: An International Journal Published For The British Industrial Biological Research Association, 48, 5, pp. 1350-1354, MEDLINE Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 28 March 2016.

Picture:  http://www.iskandals.com/eats/?p=114