Researchers in Thailand believe that mangrove tree extract can help treat baldness.
The extract, called Avicequinone C, has been found to stop the body’s production of hormones that can lead to hair loss.
So far, the research team from the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Chulalongkorn University has tested the extract on a group of 50 men and women with androgenic alopecia, the most common form of hair loss.
The participants had made visible improvements after a month, and what is more, it seemed that the treatment not only prevented hair loss but also stimulated hair growth.
This means that it can help people who have already lost more than a fair amount of their hair.
The next step is to test the extract on more volunteers so that it can be approved by the Thai Food and Drug Administration.
Should it get the go-ahead, a private company has already bought the research patent, which it can use to develop a hair loss product.
Professor Wanchai Deeknamkul, from the Faculty of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, said: “We found that it had many benefits. First, it stops the enzymes from making hair loss hormones, and second, it can also help produce the protein that drives hair growth. stimulates.
“We took pictures of the volunteers’ heads in each corner and also used a microscope to look at the hair loss area to examine the nature of the hair loss and make an appointment after a month and repeat the same process for four consecutive months.
“We compared pictures of the same spot and found that the participants showed positive changes only after a month with improvement in hair strength that also adheres well to the scalp, while none of the participants showed an allergic reaction.”
He added that its natural derivation could make it a more attractive option than synthetic alternatives.
9 days agoHe explained: “We screened more than 50 herbal extracts and more than 20 pure substances and found that Avicennia Marin extract contains the active ingredient Avicequinone C, which inhibits the enzyme that produces hair loss hormones.
“In addition, Avicennia Marin extract helps build proteins that can also promote hair growth, helping to completely solve the problem of hair loss.
“Several cosmeceutical products that claim to treat hair loss consist mainly of chemically synthesized drugs that can cause unwanted side effects, notably allergic reactions and skin inflammation, and affect the body system.
Moreover, almost all of them have not been scientifically proven or studied to determine the mechanism of action of the substances used.
“In the past we imported synthetic drugs from abroad, both topical and oral medications, but they only showed results of 30 percent and 48 percent, respectively. In addition, the side effects were also much more.
“Therefore, extracts from the Avicennia Marin plants in Thai mangrove forests will reduce imports of those synthetic drugs. It could also be an export that also creates market value for the country.”