Bourbon has alot of beta sitosterol.
It has been implicated as having an effimizing effect on men. Bourbon alcoholics lose body hair, even have a thinning of pubic hair long term, oft develop leg edema, and gynochomastia...................and tend to keep their head hair.
Bourbon doesn't work topically however, it has to be drunk........alot. You'd be an alcoholic if you drank enough to have this side effect.
check this out:
: Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 1993 Dec;17(6):1207-9. Related Articles, Links
Assessment of the estrogenic activity of phytoestrogens isolated from bourbon and beer.
Rosenblum ER, Stauber RE, Van Thiel DH, Campbell IM, Gavaler JS.
Oklahoma Transplant Institute, Baptist Medical Center, Oklahoma City 73112.
Phytoestrogenic substances have previously been isolated and identified in two alcoholic beverages: bourbon and beer. To delineate the relative potencies of the estrogenic substances of plant origin thus far identified in these commonly consumed alcoholic beverages, we evaluated the ability of biochanin A, beta-sitosterol, genistein, and daidzein to bind to cytosolic estrogen receptor binding sites. The in vitro studies demonstrated that each of the contained substances was capable of effectively competing for cytosolic estrogen receptor binding sites of rat liver and uterus. Further, the two phytoestrogenic constituents of bourbon, beta-sitosterol and biochanin A, were less potent than those present in beer. Given the high concentration of beta-sitosterol in bourbon, we chose to evaluate the estrogenicity of beta-sitosterol in vivo using ovariectomized rats. beta-sitosterol was administered either daily or intermittently at 3 doses, based on amounts previously determined to be present in bourbon. The in vivo studies demonstrated that beta-sitosterol is capable of producing a weak estrogenic effect only at the lowest dose (6.2 micrograms/dl) administered intermittently. These responses suggest that beta-sitosterol may be weakly estrogenic at low doses, but is unable to maintain such an effect at higher doses.
Publication Types:
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
PMID: 8116832 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
This is also instructive:
Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 1991 Mar;15(2):205-6. Related Articles, Links
Quantitation of beta-sitosterol in bourbon.
Rosenblum ER, Van Thiel DH, Campbell IM, Gavaler JS.
Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA 15261.
Four phytoestrogens have previously been isolated and identified in alcoholic beverages. Before studies to evaluate the degree of estrogenicity of these substances can be performed, it is necessary to determine appropriate doses to be administered to experimental animals. Because beta-sitosterol is the most plentiful, being present in bourbon at microgram/dl quantities, we have chosen to begin our quantitation work with this compound. The variability of the amount of beta-sitosterol contained in various brands of bourbon and in different lots of the same brand of bourbon have been assessed using combined gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for quantitation following a simplified procedure to extract compounds of interest from bourbon.
This is why some whinos have good hair despite not bathing unless they are rained on.
Also remember.........................winos or constant alcoholics only make about half the normal level of testosterone. They lose their sex drive, espeically if they drink oodles of bourbon.
