Have you had a cup of green tea? If you're like most people on earth, your answer is yes. Next question, have you ever used green tea to enhance your health? If you said no, then consider this: scientists continue to discover several reasons why green tea can be used for boosting health and not just soothing the pallete. If you have been near a television or radio over the past ten years, you have likely heard about the anti-oxidant and anti-cancer properties contained in green tea. A group of Korean scientists have found a novel medicinal application for green tea - hair loss treatment. Yes, according Dr. Kwon , 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 looking to find.

In 2006, Dr. Kwon and his colleagues aimed to test a hypothesis - can the anti-oxidants in green tea stop balding by attacking androgens in the head. Androgens are the hormones responsible for most forms of thinning hair for women and men. The research team in the Labaratory of Cutaneous Aging and Hair Research recruited participants to provide hair follicles. The research team chose hairs that were currently in the anagen phase or growth period and they grew the hair follicles in well dishes. The research team discovered was amazing. Hair follicles exposed to green tea, specifically epigallocatechin-3-gallate, a natural ingredient in green tea, exhibited a greater ability to sustain growth and withstand hair follicle death.

To understand why these discoveries are so momentous consider the following: (1) Few studies have been conducted by scientists, objectively testing natural elements, like green tea, may curb hair loss. (2) Investigations that have occurred, frequently have biased methods, which makes the reliability of the results difficult to substantiate. (3) More natural treatments in the fight to prevent thinning hair, and re-grow a woman or man's own hair are needed.

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

The answer is yes and no. Yes, the scientists found that green tea displays the capacity to promote hair growth in hair follicles through a process of hair proliferation and reduction of hair follicle apoptosis (death). The scientists did not brew a cup of tea and splash it on the head of the subjects. Instead, the doctors identified the epigallocatechin-3-gallate in the green tea and combined this solution with ethanol. This new mixture was then administered to the heads of the research subjects.

It is believed that ethanol acts as a vehicle, which facilitates absorption. This means the medicinal value of green tea can be more readily observed by applying the green tea to the head within a solution of ethanol. This does not indicate that you cannot apply green tea on your head. It just means your results may not be consistent with the remarkable results of the study - unless you can create the same formula. Unless you are a chemist or great at mixing ingredients, the best solution is to learn about natural hair loss treatments that contain green tea.