It may sound odd, but saw palmetto extract has been garnering a reputation of being a hair loss panacea. You will find it as a premier ingredient in a cornucopia of herbal hair loss treatments, and there is nary a shampoo, cream, conditioner, styling gel and even scalp mask that does not list it front and center as a groundbreaking ingredient which is sure to bring about hair re-growth. In some cases there are even hair systems which seek to combine dietary supplements containing saw palmetto extract with shampoos and conditioners using the same substance. Touted as the most effective method of re-growing hair without going under the knife and signing up for surgical hair restoration, many are being led to believe that saw palmetto hair treatments are cutting edge.
Unfortunately, much of this may be traced back directly to marketing jargon, clever ad copy writing, and the occasional side effect attributed to saw palmetto extract – even though it is more an educated guess rather than the result of a study. To this end it is wise to become at least somewhat familiar with this plant. The saw palmetto is a small palm that is usually found growing with others of its kind (as opposed to other palms which grow alone) and which is easily recognized by the sawed appearance of its fanlike leaves. In the annals of medicine men and also currently operating alternative health practitioners, saw palmetto extract has been known to be very useful in combating urinary tract infections, calming gastrointestinal upset, and also causing inflammation to subside when applied topically.
Somehow the saw palmetto was inducted into the hall of hair treatments and without any study evidence to support the claims, it has become a hot topic and an even hotter ingredient in some of the best selling hair loss treatments. While there is some truth that hair treatments with saw palmetto have been known, it is noteworthy that these treatments usually center on the wish to lose hair – as is the case with women suffering from hirsutism – rather than re-growing new hair and this alone calls into questions the effectiveness of saw palmetto extract as a hair loss treatment.
The hidden dangers of saw palmetto hair treatments are more insidious than just their potential of backfiring and causing you to lose hair rather than regaining it. For example, it has been found that the internal use of saw palmetto extract – such as it may be found within dietary supplements – has the potential of causing serious health problems should you experience a wound. Saw palmetto extracts inhibits the blood’s clotting ability by binding with the iron in the platelets and thus a normally not life threatening wound may suddenly put you are serious risk simply because the clotting needed to stop the loss of blood is not able to happen. If you find that you need to undergo surgery, this is especially serious and you will be wise to include a notation in your wallet with your identifying papers that puts emergency personnel on notice of what you are taking!
