male pattern, areata
Arctium lappa (root): hair tonic, internally: feeble cutaneous circulation; impaired nutrition of skin (Weiss, p. 337, Felter and Lloyd, p. 1120)
Arnica montana (toxic): for alopecia neurotica, dilute and apply topically (British Herbal Pharmacopoeia, p. 31)
Betula spp. (pendula, alba, verrucosa): hair tonic (Weiss, p. 337)
Capsicum frutescens: externally, increases circulation (Sherman)
Echinacea angustifolia: combine with other agents to stimulate hair growth (Ellingwood, p. 366)
Lanolin: increases hair growth (Ellingwood, p. 473)
Polymnia uvedalia: as a hair tonic (Ellingwood, p. 328)
Urtica spp.: hair tonic (Weiss, p. 337)
consider: nervines when due to stress
Avena sativa
Humulus lupulus
Passiflora incarnata
Scutellaria lateriflora
Aromatherapy:
Essential oils of thyme, rosemary, lavender, and cedarwood: In a 7 month long, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial of 86 patients with alopecia areata, the active group massaged essential oils (thyme, rosemary, lavender, and cedarwood) in a mixture of carrier oils (jojoba and grapeseed) into their scalp daily. Nineteen (44%) of 43 patients in the active group showed improvement compared with 6 (15%) of 41 patients in the control group.
(Hay IC, et al. Arch Dermatol 1998 Nov;134(11):1349-1352. )
complementary herbs
Salvia officinalis + Achillea millefolium + Urtica spp.: as a hair rinse (Bastyr College Black Book)
Urtica spp. + Rosmarinus officinalis + Capsicum frutescens: as a tincture taken internally (NCNM Botanicals)
Urtica spp. or Arctium lappa (root) or Betula spp. (pendula, alba, verrucosa): as alcohol extracts or oils rubbed into scalp (Weiss, p. 337)
formula:
Lavandula officinalis (oil), 1 ml.
Acorus calamus (toxic) (oil), 1 ml.
Gentiana lutea, 10 ml.
Rosmarinus officinalis spirit to make 100 ml.
As a hair tonic, shake before use (Weiss, p. 337)
footnotes
Hay IC, Jamieson M, Ormerod AD. Randomized trial of aromatherapy. Successful treatment for alopecia areata. Arch Dermatol 1998 Nov;134(11):1349-1352.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of aromatherapy in the treatment of patients with alopecia areata. DESIGN: A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial of 7 months' duration, with follow-up at 3 and 7 months. SETTING: Dermatology outpatient department. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-six patients diagnosed as having alopecia areata.
INTERVENTION: Eighty-six patients were randomized into 2 groups. The active group massaged essential oils (thyme, rosemary, lavender, and cedarwood) in a mixture of carrier oils (jojoba and grapeseed) into their scalp daily. The control group used only carrier oils for their massage, also daily. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Treatment success was evaluated on sequential photographs by 2 dermatologists (I.C.H. and A.D.O.) independently. Similarly, the degree of improvement was measured by 2 methods: a 6-point scale and computerized analysis of traced areas of alopecia. RESULTS: Nineteen (44%) of 43 patients in the active group showed improvement compared with 6 (15%) of 41 patients in the control group (P = .008). An alopecia scale was applied by blinded observers on sequential photographs and was shown to be reproducible with good interobserver agreement (kappa = 0.84). The degree of improvement on photographic assessment was significant (P = .05). Demographic analysis showed that the 2 groups were well matched for prognostic factors. CONCLUSIONS: The results show aromatherapy to be a safe and effective treatment for alopecia areata. Treatment with these essential oils was significantly more effective than treatment with the carrier oil alone (P = .008 for the primary outcome measure). We also successfully applied an evidence-based method to an alternative therapy.