HairlossTalk said:
I do not feel this study establishes any efficacy for orally ingested saw palmetto, unfortunately. I wish they had done it for the proper length of time.
I'm going to hang this onto the end of your quote because what I have to say supports this conclusion.
Many people do not understand what a properly structured scientific study looks like. In addition to being long enough to eliminate outside factors, such as the hair growth cycle, and to having sufficient test subjects, any scientific study worth its salt is a double-blind study. That means that the study subjects are selected randomly, and some are given the test treatment, and others are given a placebo. None of the subjects are told who is getting what.
This "study" did not do that. So in addition to the other problems with it, it is not a valid scientific study because it has serious design flaws.
Furthermore, topical saw plametto is completely different from saw palmetto ingested orally. So even if a study shows that topical saw palmetto is effective -- and it may be -- that says nothing at all about the effectiveness of saw palmetto pills or capsules.
People really need to read studies with a critical eye, especially if the study is not being reported in a reputable peer-reviewed journal.
I'm glad to see that people are studying the effects of saw palmetto in different forms, because it does inhibit the formation of DHT, it is inexpensive, and it has no known side effects. I really hope that someone can find a formulation in which it works for those reasons. If a study like the one cited here, which is a by its structure a very preliminary study and not at all conclusive, promotes better-designed studies, that would be great.