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Have you had a cup of green tea? If you're like most people on earth, your answer is absolutely. Next question, have you ever turned to green tea to improve your health? If you said no, consider this: researchers continue to find several reasons why green tea can be a tool for elevating health and not just satisfying your mouth. If you have been around a television or radio during the past ten years, you have likely heard about the anti-oxidant and anti-cancer properties found in green tea. A group of Korean scientists have found a new medicinal application for green tea - hair loss treatment. Yes, according Dr. Kwon of the Department of Dermatology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, green tea stops hair shedding. For men and women who don't want to use drugs like minoxidil, finasteride or dutasteride to treat balding, green tea can be the solution they have been seeking to find.

In 2006, the researchers set out to test a unique hypothesis - might the anti-oxidants in green tea stop hair loss by fighting androgens in the scalp. Androgens are the hormones responsible for most types of hair loss for women and men. The investigative team in the Labaratory of Cutaneous Aging and Hair Research lead by Dr. Kwon recruited study subjects to contribute their hair follicles. The study team selected hairs that were currently in the anagen phase or growth phase and they incubated the hair follicles in well dishes. The study team found was amazing. Hair follicles exposed to green tea, in particular epigallocatechin-3-gallate, a natural element in green tea, exhibited a greater capacity to sustain growth and withstand hair follicle shrinking.

To understand why these discoveries are so momentous consider the following: (1) Few investigations have been executed by researchers, objectively testing natural elements, like green tea, may prevent thinning hair. (2) Investigations that have occurred, frequently have questionable methods, which makes the validity of the conclusions weak. (3) Additional natural treatments in the fight to prevent balding, and grow a woman or man's own hair are in need.

How Can I use Green Tea to Prevent My Hair Loss?

The answer is yes and no. Yes, the researchers discovered that green tea displays the ability to encourage hair growth in hair follicles through a two-step process of hair growth and reduction of hair follicle apoptosis (shrinking). The researchers didn't brew a cup of tea and pour it on the scalp of the participants. Rather, the doctors extracted the epigallocatechin-3-gallate from the green tea and combined this solution with ethanol. This new mixture was then administered to the scalps of the study participants.

Ethanol acts as a vehicle, which facilitates absorption. This means the benefits of green tea is more easily realized by applying the green tea to the scalp within a solution of ethanol. This doesn't indicate that you cannot apply green tea on your scalp. It just suggests your results may not be consistent with the impressive findings of the study - unless you can develop the same formula. Unless you are a chemist or great at mixing ingredients, the best solution is to learn about all natural thinning hair products that contain green tea.

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