ReviewSkin appendage disorders2020
Natural Hair Supplement: Friend or Foe? Saw Palmetto, a Systematic Review in Alopecia.
Review in Skin appendage disorders, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Safety and Efficacy of a Proprietary Bioactive Fatty Acids Extract From Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) for Promoting Hair Growth and Reducing Hair Loss in Adults With Self-Perceived Thinning Hair: 90-Day Results.Journal of cosmetic dermatology · 2025Trial
- A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of a Nutraceutical Supplement With Standardized Botanicals in Males With Thinning Hair.Journal of cosmetic dermatology · 2025Trial
- Biomolecules of Fermented Tropical Fruits and Fermenting Microbes as Regulators of Human Hair Loss, Hair Quality, and Scalp Microbiota.Biomolecules · 2023Trial
- Hair Growth-Supporting and Follicle-Protective Potential of a Botanical-Based Supplement Ingredient: In Vitro, Ex Vivo, and Molecular Docking Studies.Biomolecules · 2026Article
- A 6-Month, Prospective, Multi-arm Study for the Efficacy of Standardized Nutraceuticals to Improve Hair Fiber Thickness and Strength.Dermatology and therapy · 2026Article
- Efficacy and Safety of a Drinkable Nutraceutical in Premenopausal Women with Telogen Effluvium: A 6-Month, Randomized, Multicenter, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study.Dermatology and therapy · 2026Article
- The Roles of EDA2R in Ageing and Disease.Aging cell · 2025Review
- Herbal Remedies for Hair Loss: A Review of Efficacy and Safety.Skin appendage disorders · 2025Review
- What do users in a polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) forum think about the treatments they tried: Analysing treatment sentiment using machine learning.Physical and engineering sciences in medicine · 2025Article
- A Qualitative Review of Misinformation on Alopecia.Skin appendage disorders · 2025Review
- Botanical drug preparations for alleviating hair loss in menopausal women: a global ethnopharmacological mini-review.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Review
- Advances in Topical Therapies for Clinically Relevant and Prevalent Forms of Alopecia.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Complementary and alternative supplements: a review of dermatologic effectiveness for androgenetic alopecia.Proceedings (Baylor University. Medical Center) · 2024Review
- A Narrative Review of Herbal Remedies for Managing Hirsutism.International journal of preventive medicine · 2024Review
- Article
- DeepBiomarker: Identifying Important Lab Tests from Electronic Medical Records for the Prediction of Suicide-Related Events among PTSD Patients.Journal of personalized medicine · 2022Article
- Pharmacological Management of Pattern Hair Loss.Indian journal of plastic surgery : official publication of the Association of Plastic Surgeons of India · 2021Review
- Topical Alternatives for Hair Loss: Beyond the Conventional.International journal of trichologyReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Saw palmetto (SP), a botanical extract with antiandrogenic properties, has gained commercial popularity for its purported benefits on hair regrowth. To summarize published evidence on the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of supplements containing SP in the treatment of alopecia, we conducted a PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane database search using the following terms: (saw palmetto and hair loss), (saw palmetto and androgenetic alopecia), and (saw palmetto and natural supplement and alopecia). Five randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and 2 prospective cohort studies demonstrated positive effects of topical and oral supplements containing SP (100-320 mg) among patients with androgenetic alopecia (AGA) and telogen effluvium. Sixty percent improvement in overall hair quality, 27% improvement in total haircount, increased hair density in 83.3% of patients, and stabilized disease progression among 52% were noted with use of various topical and oral SP-containing supplements. SP was well tolerated and not associated with serious adverse events in alopecia patients. Although robust high-quality data are lacking, supplements containing SP may be a treatment option for patients with AGA, telogen effluvium, and self-perceived hair thinning. Further large-scale RCTs focusing on the sole contribution of SP to hair growth outcomes are needed to confirm efficacy and determine long-term adverse events.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.