Fo - ti?

[Burch1]

Has anyone been using this Chinese herbal drug?

WebMD is skeptical but other articles I've read says it helps with growth and graying of hair...

Thanks,

Greg

 

FO-TI: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions and Warnings - WebMD

[DavidRodgersMSNutrition]

Fo-ti is also known as Poligonum Multiflorum. Yes, traditionally it is supposed to be helpful with restoring lost hair or graying hair. Unfortunately, it is not yet well scientifically studied. The one study I've seen only examined its topical effect on mice. The compound did improve hair growth in that study. Topical application of Polygonum multifloru... [J Ethnopharmacol. 2011] - PubMed - NCBI - Fo-ti has also been shown to act as a phytoestrogen, which may be one of the reasons that it helps hair Estrogen bioactivity in fo-ti and ot... [J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2003] - PubMed - NCBI - it could potentially compete against DHT and unhealthy xenoestrogens for receptors, and not allow those hormones to exert their negative effects. However, although fo-ti is estrogenic in nature, it doesn't seem to have negative effects on male hormones like other phytoestrogens like soy .Many men report libido, for example, to be enhanced rather than suppressed.

 

If you take a look at the reviews on fo-ti products, for example from iherb or other sellers, you find that the reviews are often positive. Of course this doesn't rule out placebo effects, because the look of your hair is subjective and may appear to be better when it actually is getting worse. For this reason, I would definitely appreciate double blind studies being done on humans. Until then, the herb appears relatively safe to try for yourself.