Table 4.

Different natural sources medication related to androgenetic alopecia

S. Nos	Sources	Composition	Mechanism of action	Dose	References
(1)	Saw Palmetto	Contains fatty acids (85–90%), carotenoids, lipases, tannin, sugars and beta-sitosterol, anthranilic acid, capric acid, caproic acid, caprylic acid, carotene, ferulic acid, linoleic acid, myristic acid, lauric acid, oleic acid, palmitic acid, 1-monolaurin, and 1-monomyristin	Existing ingredients show inhibition of 5-alpha-reductase out of which lauric acid, myristic acid, and oleic acid may be the main fatty acids responsible	320 mg/day	[61–63]
(2)	Green tea	Antioxidants such as polyphenols and flavonoids that contains catechins and its derivatives epicatechin (EC), epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallo catechins, and epicatechin gallate, linoleic and linolenic acids, vitamins, etc	EGCG is the main component of green tea that stimulates human hair growth via its proliferative and antiapoptotic function on dermal papilla cells also affects type I, 5α reductase activity that converts testosterone to DHT		[64–68]
(3)	Pumpkin seed	Presents polyunsaturated fatty acids of 80% palmitic acid, myristic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid, vitamin E like α-tocopherols, γ-tocopherols and carotenoid, phytoestrogens, and phytosterols and trace components	Inhibit 5-alpha-reductase activity	400 mg/day for 24 weeks	[69–71]
(4)	Rosemary	It contains esters (2.6%) largely as borneol, cineoles, and several terpenes, chiefly a-pinene, camphene, 1%, 2% volatile oil containing 0.8%, 6% of esters and 8%, 20% of alcohols	Acts by improving blood circulation and improving vascularity helping the regeneration of follicles similar effect that is shown by minoxidil		[72]
(5)	Grape seed	Anthocyanins, flavan-3-ols (example: catechins), vitamin-E (α-tocopherol), petiole, linoleic acid, flavonoids (resveratrol, quercetin and catechin, and polyphenols (flavonoids, phenolic acids, phenolic alcohols, stilbenes, and lignans), and trimer gallate, unsaturated fatty acids, and phytosterols			[73]
(6)	Licorice	Glycyrrhetinic acids, rich in flavonoids such as liquiritin, isoliquiritin, neoisoliquiritin, liquiritigenin, glyzarin, glyzaglabrin, licoisoflavones	Presence of glycosides, terpenoid, phenolics, and flavonoids are widely available having antagonizing testosterone effect		[74, 75]