Follow-up: Is pumpkin seed or its oil a good replacement for finasteride?

Question

I have heard about pumpkin seed oil being able to lower dht levels.so why is finasteride stiĺl being prescribed?can't pumpkin seed oil replace it sjnce finasteride can have some bad side effects?or is there similar side effects with pumpkin seed oil too?and one more thing i would like to know-does pumpkin seed lower dht level all over the body or just from the scalp?can topical application of it mean dht will only be lowered from the scalp?TIA

Jeff Donovan, MD, PhD · Answer

Pumpkin seed oil can inhibit 5 alpha reductase in vitro but I have yet to see evidence it lowers DHT to any significant level in the body. Nevertheless one study in androgenetic alopecia did show that it had benefit at 400 mg orally once daily. Overall, it has nowhere near the effect of finasteride. The two are in very different categories.ReferenceCho YH, et al.Effect of pumpkin seed oil on hair growth in men with androgenetic alopecia: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014.

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

According to publication by To our knowledge, this is the first randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of PSO in men with mild to moderate AGA. This study shows that PSO supplement during 24 weeks has a positive anabolic effect on hair growth and that this is due to the possible effects of 5-reductase inhibition in patients with mild to moderate male pattern hair loss. The authors concluded:   "this double-blinded study did involve 76 subjects and, to the best of the authors' knowledge, is the first study to examine the long-term efficacy of PSO on AGA. The study shows that PSO could improve AGA and that it should be considered a potential alternative treatment. However, replication will be needed in order to confirm the results of this first-stage study and additional studies are required to elucidate the mechanism responsible for the positive effects of PSO on AGA."
Reported by Young Hye Cho,  Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014; 2014: 549721.doi: 10.1155/2014/549721

Follow-up: Is pumpkin seed or its oil a good replacement for finasteride?

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Follow-up: Is pumpkin seed or its oil a good replacement for finasteride?

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