PubMed: Green tea increases growth of scalp hair cells......

[michael barry]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17092697

1: Phytomedicine. 2007 Aug;14(7-8):551-5. Epub 2006 Nov 7. Links
Human hair growth enhancement in vitro by green tea epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG).Kwon OS, Han JH, Yoo HG, Chung JH, Cho KH, Eun HC, Kim KH.
Department of Dermatology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Laboratory of Cutaneous Aging and Hair Research, Seoul National University Hospital, Institute of Dermatological Science, Seoul National University, 110-744 Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Green tea is a popular worldwide beverage, and its potential beneficial effects such as anti-cancer and anti-oxidant properties are believed to be mediated by epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a major constituent of polyphenols. Recently, it was reported that EGCG might be useful in the prevention or treatment of androgenetic alopecia by selectively inhibiting 5alpha-reductase activity. However, no report has been issued to date on the effect of EGCG on human hair growth. This study was undertaken to measure the effect of EGCG on hair growth in vitro and to investigate its effect on human dermal papilla cells (DPCs) in vivo and in vitro. EGCG promoted hair growth in hair follicles ex vivo culture and the proliferation of cultured DPCs. The growth stimulation of DPCs by EGCG in vitro may be mediated through the upregulations of phosphorylated Erk and Akt and by an increase in the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax ratio. Similar results were also obtained in in vivo dermal papillae of human scalps. Thus, we suggest that EGCG stimulates human hair growth through these dual proliferative and anti-apoptotic effects on DPCs.

PMID: 17092697 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE

 

[bornthisway]

Detailed: http://tinyurl.com/3y5l7e (pdf file)

 

[Prevent99]

MB, you posted the abstract of the full study that I was trying to get your opinion on yesterday. Unfortunately, those posts were deleted some how during the admins tinkering of the site. Have you had a chance to review the full study? The link to the pdf is posted in the second post. Here is a link to the HTML version if you are still having problems viewing the pdf file:

http://209.85.207.104/search?q=cache:6M ... %2520(EGCG).pdf+EGCG+Hair&hair loss=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us&client=firefox-a


I would recommend viewing the pdf file as it contains graphical data not contained in the HTML version. Please review and let me know your thoughts.

Also, to what degree does the angiogenesis inhibition concern you? Is that a valid concern?

 

[michael barry]

That is very interesting prevent99.

I couldn't view the adobe acrobat file, I think I need to update some things in my computer.



I dont just love the fact that ecgc inhibits angiogenesis, but I'll say this...............................If it really screwed up hair, there would be tons of balding asians and we dont see that. Perhaps it inhibits abnormal angiogenesis like in cancer cells as collegechemistrystudent suggested.


Bryan suggested on another site that water soluble extracts like green tea are best put on a hydrated (wet) scalp for best absorption (after the shower). I think it would make a great anti-androgen that we can make cheaply ourselves that also inhibits prostaglandin D2 to some extent. .....


It really amped up ex vivo hair growth when they gave the hairs alot of it............180+ to 120-something. Impressive

 

[CCS]

do you think EGCG is stronger than licorice? I don't think they even compared them in the study, did they?

 

[squeegee]

It is all about green tea now!hehe

 

[bornthisway]

It is all about green tea now!hehe

It was all about GTE in 2001 too it seems. =\

 

[blueshard]

i find it morbid that we are still fiddling around with green tea and that there isn't anything better out there.

 

[toivonen]

Yes "morbid" :whistle: ...why don't you ask all the producers in Brasil (and other countries) that are owners of areas that are almost the size of Europe, why they still (and will) making milllllllions of dollars selling botanicals or the ever increasing sea extractions of algae and other species, by the GREAT ALL MIGHTY LABORATORIES of the world?!?!...guess what, maybe, and that's a maybe :roll: ..with all theire resources and expertize suported by the late tecnologies, always come to the conclusion that it's impossible to dissociate the futur, from millions of years of evolution, that were responsable for certain nature "gifts" beeing so well done and complex, that note even the the latest tecnology is able to mimic them!

 

[RAKBS]

Well hopefully that's the last time I get a hate PM for using topical green tea instead of finasteride. :roll:

 

[bobs]

How do you find it RAKBS?

 

[Prevent99]

Well hopefully that's the last time I get a hate PM for using topical green tea instead of finasteride. :roll:

Can you share your experience so far with your Green Tea topical? What do you use? Where do you get it? How do you use it? Has it been effective?

 

[barcafan]

I would also like to get insight as to how to actually USE it.

 

[dan001]

To view the PDF copy of the study, perform a right click and "save target as". This worked well for me. Much better than the HTML version.

 

[RAKBS]

To anyone who's wondering, here's the reply I've given some other people:

What I do for the topical solution is:

-brew two tea bags of green tea (the tea I use is Celestial Seasonings--the Antioxidant formula, which has Vitamin A/C/E added to it, which I figured might be useful)

-add enough everclear so that the water:alchol ratio is 2:1. Apparently alcohol is a good skin penetrator?

-add a bit of apple cider vinegar (it's anti-inflammatory, plus the acidity helps preven the breakdown of the green tea polyphenols).

-cool the tea down to room temperature with ice (I feel it gets absorbed better this way).

-Wash/condition my hair with hot water (a well-hydrated scalp will absorb the green tea better, and shampoo will remove sebum and skin cells that might block absorption).

-Start putting the tea solution onto my head, using a tea spoon and an eye dropper for more efficient delivery.

 

[bornthisway]

Green tea topicals have been tried for a long time ( > 5 years ago), has anyone seen any success reported anywhere? I haven't.

 

[billythekid]

i'm going to try a rooibos tea topical.

i don't want to add alcohol though, i'm worried about irritation.

can someone comment on why alcohol should be added?

also, RAKBS, how long have you been using your gt topical?

 

[harold]

Green tea topicals have been tried for a long time ( > 5 years ago), has anyone seen any success reported anywhere? I haven't.

They have been known about for a long time. As to how many people have rigorously stuck to a regimen of green tea topical (and its mainly the EGCG that we are interested in which can vary a great deal depending on the green tea product/extract) in that period of time and have gotten the results you would expect from that in most cases - maintenace is another question. Especially how many would wait the 6 or so months that it might take to be sure that it was actually having an effect, WITHOUT using finasteride or anything else that would more or less invalidate the whole experiment and would then post back to see "Guys I have painstakingly applied this topical to my head once/twice a day for 6 months and, well I cant be sure, but I think my hair looks the same!".
So the fact that the forums aren't flooded with posts saying "OMG its been 4 days on GTE and my hair is so much thicker!!!" doesnt mean that it is not a perfectly workable topical antiandrogen/5 alpha reductase inhibitor.
I mean we have known and used dutasteride for the same ammount of time and we all know what a great destroyer of hairlines and cause of massive unrecoverable hairloss that drug is right?
hh

 

[bornthisway]

Green tea topicals have been tried for a long time ( > 5 years ago), has anyone seen any success reported anywhere? I haven't.

They have been known about for a long time. As to how many people have rigorously stuck to a regimen of green tea topical (and its mainly the EGCG that we are interested in which can vary a great deal depending on the green tea product/extract) in that period of time and have gotten the results you would expect from that in most cases - maintenace is another question. Especially how many would wait the 6 or so months that it might take to be sure that it was actually having an effect, WITHOUT using finasteride or anything else that would more or less invalidate the whole experiment and would then post back to see "Guys I have painstakingly applied this topical to my head once/twice a day for 6 months and, well I cant be sure, but I think my hair looks the same!".
So the fact that the forums aren't flooded with posts saying "OMG its been 4 days on GTE and my hair is so much thicker!!!" doesnt mean that it is not a perfectly workable topical antiandrogen/5 alpha reductase inhibitor.
I mean we have known and used dutasteride for the same ammount of time and we all know what a great destroyer of hairlines and cause of massive unrecoverable hairloss that drug is right?
hh

I agree with you (I've brought this up a few times). At the same time I believe some people on regrowth and other forums have been using shampoos with GTE religiously, or created their own green tea based topicals in the recent past (I've seen lots of formulation threads for this topic and I believe a common form was 50% ECGC)... unfortunately, I doubt anyone wasn't on any of the major staples for hair loss or taking at least 'something' for hair loss.

I guess only time with a controlled testing environment will tell. But I won't hold my hopes up for GT based on what I've read so far..

Regarding the study, how was it administered and what was the % of ECGC anyone?

It looks like 50% ECGC is high as the majority of supps. go minus TeaVigo.

 

[harold]

I agree with you (I've brought this up a few times). At the same time I believe some people on regrowth and other forums have been using shampoos with GTE religiously, or created their own green tea based topicals in the recent past (I've seen lots of formulation threads for this topic and I believe a common form was 50% ECGC)... unfortunately, I doubt anyone wasn't on any of the major staples for hair loss or taking at least 'something' for hair loss.

I dont know if green tea based shampoos are strong enough such that a shampoo formulation would work. I think its something you might have to leave in like minoxidil whereas something like keto does.....whatever it does and topical dutasteride might give results with just a few minutes contact time (I think i will start a thread on this topic in regard to Nizoral)

I guess only time with a controlled testing environment will tell. But I won't hold my hopes up for GT based on what I've read so far..

Regarding the study, how was it administered and what was the % of ECGC anyone?

It looks like 50% ECGC is high as the majority of supps. go minus TeaVigo.

I think this study used 10% EGCG from memory. Both in vitro and when they saw the same results on human scalp/skin.
hh