The best herb for our hair: Curcumin

Supplements for hair loss
1

Years ago, I abandoned my mission to “block DHT,” per se, and instead, sought out herbal supplements which could lower inflammation, reduce cholesterol levels, facilitate the metabolism of insulin, and just recently remove heavy metals.

Curcumin is an herb capable of doing all of these things and more. I can’t help but feel that, if properly absorbed (via a synergistic herb like resveratrol and/or fat soluble substance like milk), curcumin is the best herb for our health, in general, and our hair, in particular.

By the way, I received this information from MPB Research, which you may peruse at your leisure:

http://www.hairloss-research.org/LinkUpdateCurcumin4-09.html

http://www.hairloss-research.org/UpdateTragedyofTumeric5-08.html

http://www.hairloss-research.org/LinkUpdateCurcuminYetMoreEvidence4-09.html

2

» Years ago, I abandoned my mission to “block DHT,” per se, and instead,
» sought out herbal supplements which could lower inflammation, reduce
» cholesterol levels, facilitate the metabolism of insulin, and just
» recently remove heavy metals.
»
» Curcumin is an herb capable of doing all of these things and more. I
» can’t help but feel that, if properly absorbed (via a synergistic herb like
» resveratrol and/or fat soluble substance like milk), curcumin is the best
» herb for our health, in general, and our hair, in particular.
»
» By the way, I received this information from MPB Research, which you may
» peruse at your leisure:
»
» http://www.hairloss-research.org/LinkUpdateCurcumin4-09.html
»
» http://www.hairloss-research.org/UpdateTragedyofTumeric5-08.html
»
» http://www.hairloss-research.org/LinkUpdateCurcuminYetMoreEvidence4-09.html

so if this doesnt block DHT what exactly does it do
wonder if i can get that here in Manila
i doubt it

3

» so if this doesnt block DHT what exactly does it do
» wonder if i can get that here in Manila
» i doubt it

Lowers inflammation, reduces cholesterol levels, facilitates the metabolism of insulin, and removes heavy metals, all of which, we are now learning, relates directly to the condition of our hair and scalp.

I remember Jacob going on and on (at another forum) about “chelation” (removing heavy metals), and I am thinking to myself, why is this guy wasting space discussing this nonsense about trying to remove excess copper, iron, and like from our bodies. This has nothing to do with hair loss, or so I thought. After some other posters, that I respect, brought this idea of removing heavy metals to my attention, I felt really dumb, and grateful that I never challenged Jacob on the significance of chelation and/or its relation to hair loss.

Oh, I am sure that you can get it in Manila, and get it cheap. Asians are very found of curcumin.

The problem is one of absorption, though. So, for example, you have people in India mixing it with (warm) milk. The Japanese (men especially) drink a can of curcumin extract “juice” every day.

I honestly believe that there will be more curcumin/resveratrol supplements in the future. The KAL brand is the only one that I know of, now. The last link that I posted discusses the effect of this combination in depth.

If for no other reason than general health, I think that every one should have this herb in his own medicine cabinet.

4

And so there is no misunderstanding here: I respect Jacob as well :wink:

5

» » so if this doesnt block DHT what exactly does it do
» » wonder if i can get that here in Manila
» » i doubt it
»
» Lowers inflammation, reduces cholesterol levels, facilitates the
» metabolism of insulin, and removes heavy metals, all of which, we are now
» learning, relates directly to the condition of our hair and scalp.
»
» I remember Jacob going on and on (at another forum) about “chelation”
» (removing heavy metals), and I am thinking to myself, why is this guy
» wasting space discussing this nonsense about trying to remove excess
» copper, iron, and like from our bodies. This has nothing to do with hair
» loss, or so I thought. After some other posters, that I respect, brought
» this idea of removing heavy metals to my attention, I felt really dumb, and
» grateful that I never challenged Jacob on the significance of chelation
» and/or its relation to hair loss.
»
» Oh, I am sure that you can get it in Manila, and get it cheap. Asians are
» very found of curcumin.
»
» The problem is one of absorption, though. So, for example, you have
» people in India mixing it with (warm) milk. The Japanese (men especially)
» drink a can of curcumin extract “juice” every day.
»
» I honestly believe that there will be more curcumin/resveratrol
» supplements in the future. The KAL brand is the only one that I know of,
» now. The last link that I posted discusses the effect of this combination
» in depth.
»
» If for no other reason than general health, I think that every one should
» have this herb in his own medicine cabinet.

i found one place online about 30 miles away that claims to carry it, its in the wall Street area of Manila, Makati, so it might be true. The filipinos are not very vitamin conscious like Americans are so it is much more expemsive here, and also a lot harder to find things. Just finding a GNC is not easy, and other vitamins stores are almost non existent, in comparison to the USA

6

Hey, the natural. How exactly do you take your curcumin/resveratrol? You said with warm milk? But do you let the pills dissolve in the milk? Would taking 2 curcumin 95s and one resveratrol at the same time without milk or oil still do the trick? Do you wait before you take your tocos and your green tea extract? Please give us a short explanation of your procedure.

I have just received my supplements and would like to know.

thank you

7

» Hey, the natural. How exactly do you take your curcumin/resveratrol? You
» said with warm milk? But do you let the pills dissolve in the milk? Would
» taking 2 curcumin 95s and one resveratrol at the same time without milk or
» oil still do the trick? Do you wait before you take your tocos and your
» green tea extract? Please give us a short explanation of your procedure.
»
» I have just received my supplements and would like to know.
»
» thank you

Hi milleu,

No, I do not empty out the capsules. I usually take one Jarrow curcumin capsule and one Jarrow or Country Life resveratrol capsule with yogurt or milk in the morning. But there are some posters at another forum who do pour out the contents into warm milk. And they state that the curcumin “effect” can be felt much more by doing this: “It is powerful.” One of them stated that “It made me dizzy.”

When I get to work, I will have a cup of green tea. Then I will add TOCO-8.

But you could take curcumin, resveratrol, and vitamin E (tocotrienols) capsules at the same time. In fact, I used to do this, but I am now testing out TOCO-8, which does not come in capsules, so I must pour it into my beverage.

In the evening, I will take Turmeric Force (which is curcumin suspended in an oil base).

If you want to maximize the effectiveness of curcumin, I suggest that you take the curcumin capsules with milk or food, preferably warm. Though, I have, on occasion, taken a curcumin capsule after eating ice cream :smiley: .

The best to you,
TN

PS. I read that green tea extract and curcumin should not be taken at the same time. So leave an hour or so in between these two herbs.

8

» » Hey, the natural. How exactly do you take your curcumin/resveratrol? You
» » said with warm milk? But do you let the pills dissolve in the milk?
» Would
» » taking 2 curcumin 95s and one resveratrol at the same time without milk
» or
» » oil still do the trick? Do you wait before you take your tocos and your
» » green tea extract? Please give us a short explanation of your
» procedure.
» »
» » I have just received my supplements and would like to know.
» »
» » thank you
»
»
» Hi milleu,
»
» No, I do not empty out the capsules. I usually take one Jarrow curcumin
» capsule and one Jarrow or Country Life resveratrol capsule with yogurt or
» milk in the morning. But there are some posters at another forum who do
» pour out the contents into warm milk. And they state that the curcumin
» “effect” can be felt much more by doing this: “It is powerful.” One of
» them stated that “It made me dizzy.”
»
» When I get to work, I will have a cup of green tea. Then I will add
» TOCO-8.
»
» But you could take curcumin, resveratrol, and vitamin E (tocotrienols)
» capsules at the same time. In fact, I used to do this, but I am now
» testing out TOCO-8, which does not come in capsules, so I must pour it into
» my beverage.
»
» In the evening, I will take Turmeric Force (which is curcumin suspended in
» an oil base).
»
» If you want to maximize the effectiveness of curcumin, I suggest that you
» take the curcumin capsules with milk or food, preferably warm. Though, I
» have, on occasion, taken a curcumin capsule after eating ice cream :smiley: .
»
» The best to you,
» TN
»
» PS. I read that green tea extract and curcumin should not be taken
» at the same time. So leave an hour or so in between these two herbs.

Great thread.

I have been taking a jarrow res with one lifeExtension super bio-curcumin and two jarrow toco sorb soft gels.

I have never taken it with milk and I’m not a milk drinker. Am I missing out? or is there another method of taking these things. I have felt dizzy 20 or so minutes after taking curcumin but I don’t mind.

I have been noticing some little hairs popping into my hair line. Maybe about 10 or so. Some clear but a few with color. I can’t be sure what it is due to because I started dutas, rogaine and the resveratrol combo all at the same time but I feel like something is happening because I’ve watching these spots for years with no action at all.

Keep all the info coming and thanks

HH

9

ahh ok thanks.

Today, I started taking 2 curcumin 95s with one resveratrol along with one toco sorb (all Jarrow formulas) just to get it all out of the way before dinner.

Will taking double the amount of curcumin with one resveratrol cancel out any important happenings in my body? I doubt it, but I might as well ask.

I might try emptying the curcumin in warm milk…just for fun really. I want to see what happens.

thanks for replying

10

» Great thread.
»
» I have been taking a jarrow res with one lifeExtension super bio-curcumin
» and two jarrow toco sorb soft gels.
»
» I have never taken it with milk and I’m not a milk drinker. Am I missing
» out? or is there another method of taking these things. I have felt dizzy
» 20 or so minutes after taking curcumin but I don’t mind.
»
»
» I have been noticing some little hairs popping into my hair line. Maybe
» about 10 or so. Some clear but a few with color. I can’t be sure what it is
» due to because I started dutas, rogaine and the resveratrol combo all at
» the same time but I feel like something is happening because I’ve watching
» these spots for years with no action at all.
»
» Keep all the info coming and thanks
»
» HH

Hi HH,

I have recently read posts that praise the effectiveness of LEF’s super bio-curcumin with its “enhanced bioavailability and sustained retention time.” So no, I don’t think that you are “missing out” at all. Just take as directed (i.e. with food).

This LEF brand of curcumin appears to be (one of) the best on the market. And only one capsule a day: nice! :smiley:

May your hair continue to grow!

TN

11

» ahh ok thanks.
»
» Today, I started taking 2 curcumin 95s with one resveratrol along with one
» toco sorb (all Jarrow formulas) just to get it all out of the way before
» dinner.
»
» Will taking double the amount of curcumin with one resveratrol cancel out
» any important happenings in my body? I doubt it, but I might as well ask.

I don’t think so. But if your stomach upsets, you should consider lowering the curcumin dosage.

» I might try emptying the curcumin in warm milk…just for fun really. I
» want to see what happens.

Yes, I would like to know the effect, as well. Keep us posted!

12

I emptied one curcumin capsule in fairly hot milk. I didn’t give it time to dissipate or anything, just gulped it quickly. Aside from seeing differently and feeling a little woozy for about 5 minutes, nothing happened. I liked the buzz it gave me though, gave me the giggles.

Highly recommended

13

» I emptied one curcumin capsule in fairly hot milk. I didn’t give it time to
» dissipate or anything, just gulped it quickly. Aside from seeing
» differently and feeling a little woozy for about 5 minutes, nothing
» happened. I liked the buzz it gave me though, gave me the giggles.
»
» Highly recommended

LOL! :lol2:

14

I have another question:

If all goes well, will this method simply thicken hairs and prevent fallout, or will the blonde/rusty color of the vellus hair return to ordinary pigmentation?

What have you experienced, the natural?

On a side note, I might already be seeing little thickening of the vellus…of course that could be my imagination.

15

» I have another question:
»
» If all goes well, will this method simply thicken hairs and prevent
» fallout, or will the blonde/rusty color of the vellus hair return to
» ordinary pigmentation?
»
» What have you experienced, the natural?
»
»
» On a side note, I might already be seeing little thickening of the
» vellus…of course that could be my imagination.

milleu,

It would be nice if those “vellus” hairs returned to their natural thickness and color, wouldn’t it. But I simply do not have an answer to this question. I suspect most people would be ecstatic about the regrowth of hair no matter what the color :slight_smile: .

In short, my experience has been a cessation of dandruff in the first month, followed by stabilization of hair loss, and then regrowth in the temple and crown areas within an eight month period. Some of the hair in this area remains a tad lighter than the rest.

TN

16

It seems taking ginkgo biloba while on such a regimen would be a bad idea since this along with curcumin are both blood thinners. Unless anybody can state otherwise.

17

I am sure that there are many here already familiar with a popular Vitamin E tocotrienol product called Toco-8 sold by Primordial Performance: http://www.primordialperformance.com/store/Tocotrienols_vitamine_Toco8.html)

A poster named nidhogge at another forum recently wrote me the following,

"The Natural–

I’m really pushing Eric from Primordial Performance to, in the hopefully not-so-distant future, come up with a combined Resveratrol / Curcumin supplement that is liposomally-encapsulated. Currently, he’s working on an oral Sustain Alpha, which is Resveratrol and 7-8 Benzoflavone (which I believe will be liposomally-encapsulated) and he’s up to his ears in research and work, but it’d be great to have a highly bioavailable form of this supplement combination for a reasonable price."

I personally think a product like this would have great potential.

18

» I am sure that there are many here already familiar with a popular Vitamin
» E tocotrienol product called Toco-8 sold by Primordial Performance:
» http://www.primordialperformance.com/store/Tocotrienols_vitamine_Toco8.html)
»
» A poster named nidhogge at another forum recently wrote me the following,
»
» “The Natural–
»
» I’m really pushing Eric from Primordial Performance to, in the hopefully
» not-so-distant future, come up with a combined Resveratrol / Curcumin
» supplement that is liposomally-encapsulated. Currently, he’s working on an
» oral Sustain Alpha, which is Resveratrol and 7-8 Benzoflavone (which I
» believe will be liposomally-encapsulated) and he’s up to his ears in
» research and work, but it’d be great to have a highly bioavailable form of
» this supplement combination for a reasonable price.”
»
» I personally think a product like this would have great potential.

I agree. I’m already starting not to lose my hair under 2 weeks of use. This stuff works like a charm.

19

A poster named ImmortalHair contributed the following at another forum. Evidence continues to mount for the use of curcumin to battle hair loss:

Curcumin inhibits Histamine Release from Mast Cells

Dermal fibrosis in male pattern hair loss: a suggestive implication of mast cells

Won CH, Kwon OS, Kim YK, Kang YJ, Kim BJ, Choi CW, Eun HC, Cho KH.

“A relationship has been suggested between mast cells (MCs) and male pattern hair loss (MPHL), because of histological evidence of perifollicular fibrosis and increased mast cell numbers. Two paired punch biopsies were taken from balding vertexes and non-balding occipital promontory areas of ten patients with MPHL (Ludwig-Hamilton IIIv to IV) and from five normal subjects aged from 20 to 35 years. Masson trichrome and Victoria blue staining were performed to observe collagen frameworks and elastic fiber structures. Numbers of immunoreactive MCs stained with anti-tryptase or anti-chymase antibody were counted. It was found that collagen bundles were significantly increased in balding vertexes than in non-balding occiput scalp skin. A near 4-fold increase in elastic fibers was observed in both vertex and occiput scalp skins with MPHL versus controls. Total numbers of MCs (tryptase-positive) in site-matched scalp samples were about 2-fold higher in MPHL subjects than in normal controls. Percentage elastic fiber (%) was found to be relatively well-correlated with tryptase and chymase-positive MCs. These findings suggest that accumulated MCs might be responsible for increased elastic fiber synthesis in MPHL, and indicate that future investigations are warranted.”

Department of Dermatology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Chongno-Gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

http://ajp.amjpathol.org/cgi/content/full/171/6/1872

Effects of Curcumin on Histamine Release from Mast Cells

Agung Endro Nugroho, Zullies Ikawati, and Kazutaka Maeyama

“Curcumin reportedly has anti-allergic effects and can inhibit the release of histamine from mast cells. In the present study, fourteen analogues of curcumin were studied for their effects on histamine release from rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells. After screening, four selected compounds: 2,5-bis(4-hydroxybenzylidene)cyclopentanone; 2,5-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)cyclopentanone; 2,5-bis(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethylbenzylidene) cyclopentanone; and 2,5-bis(4-hydroxy-3,5-diethylbenzylidene)cyclopentanone were studied for their concentration-dependent effects on histamine release and Ca2+ uptake. In RBL-2H3 cells and rat peritoneal mast cells stimulated with antigen or compound 48/80, respectively, the methoxy-hydroxy analogue was more potent than curcumin in inhibiting histamine release. In contrast, the inhibitory effects of methyl/ethyl analogues were less potent than those of curcumin. Moreover, these compounds abrogated histamine release induced by increased intracellular Ca2+ concentrations in response to stimulants such as thapsigargin and ionomycin. These compounds also showed potent inhibitory effects on 45Ca2+ uptake in RBL-2H3 cells. The mechanism of the inhibitory effects of these curcumin analogues on histamine release appeared to be related to blockade of Ca2+ signaling events. These results provide useful information to guide the development of new synthetic compounds for the treatment of allergic and inflammatory diseases related to histamine or mast cells.”

  1. Department of Pharmacology, Informational Biomedicine, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine

  2. Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Gadjah Mada University

  3. Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Gadjah Mada University

20

I have access to the 2007 book “The molecular targets and therapeutic uses of curcumin in health and disease” by Aggarwal, Surh and Shishodia.

Very interesting read. On the first page it reads

“Curcumin has been shown to exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral,
antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer activities and thus has a potential
against various malignant diseases, diabetes, allergies, arthritis, Alzheimer’s
disease, and other chronic illnesses. These effects are mediated through the regulation of various transcription factors, growth factors, inflammatory cytokines, protein kinases, and other enzymes. Curcumin exhibits activities similar to recently discovered tumor necrosis factor blockers (e.g., HUMIRA, REMICADE, and ENBREL), a vascular endothelial cell growth factor blocker (e.g., AVASTIN), human epidermal growth factor receptor blockers (e.g., ERBITUX, ERLOTINIB, and GEFTINIB), and a HER2 blocker (e.g., HERCEPTIN). Considering the
recent scientific bandwagon that multitargeted therapy is better than monotargeted therapy for most diseases, curcumin can be considered an ideal ‘Spice for Life’.”