Study: Licorice, peppermint DECREASE sebum secretion

[michael barry]

http://sciencelinks.jp/j-east/article/2 ... 230063.php



Activity of herbal extracts on the control of sebum secretion.Accession number;04A0230063
Title;Activity of herbal extracts on the control of sebum secretion.
Author;UCHIUMI YOICHIRO(Maruzen Pharm. Co., Ltd., JPN) YAMAMOTO SUSUMU(Maruzen Pharm. Co., Ltd., JPN) MIZUTANI KENJI(Maruzen Pharm. Co., Ltd., JPN)
Journal Title;Fragr J

Journal Code:G0987B

ISSN:0288-9803

VOL.32;NO.3;PAGE.53-57(2004)
Figure&Table&Reference;TBL.4, REF.13
Pub. Country;Japan
Language;Japanese
Abstract;Potential activity of herbal extracts on sebum secretion was studied. Among the herbal extracts tested, polyol-soluble licorice extract P-U (product name) derived from Glycyrrhiza inflata showed the most potent testosterone 5 .ALPHA.-reductase inhibition, androgen receptor binding inhibition and antimicrobial activities, which are closely related to sebum secretion. In addition to the findings on polyol-soluble licorice extract P-U, clove extract and peppermint extract showed testosterone 5 .ALPHA.-reductase inhibition, arnica extract and rose fruit extract showed androgen receptor binding inhibition, alpinia speciosa root extract and scutellaria root extract showed estrogen receptor agonists, and sophora root extract showed antimicrobial activity. (author abst.)

 

[CCS]

http://sciencelinks.jp/j-east/article/200408/000020040804A0230063.php


Abstract;Potential activity of herbal extracts on sebum secretion was studied. Among the herbal extracts tested, polyol-soluble licorice extract P-U (product name) derived from Glycyrrhiza inflata showed the most potent testosterone 5 .ALPHA.-reductase inhibition, androgen receptor binding inhibition and antimicrobial activities, which are closely related to sebum secretion. In addition to the findings on polyol-soluble licorice extract P-U, clove extract and peppermint extract showed testosterone 5 .ALPHA.-reductase inhibition, arnica extract and rose fruit extract showed androgen receptor binding inhibition, alpinia speciosa root extract and scutellaria root extract showed estrogen receptor agonists, and sophora root extract showed antimicrobial activity. (author abst.)

Does estrogen just inhibit the effects of DHT, or does it do the opposite of what DHT does? I know we as men can't use it, but it would be nice if a local topical could act like estrogen and actually grow hair on the skin with the same force that DHT stops growth. Could alpinia and scutellaria be it?

 

[michael barry]

CollegeChemistryStudent,


Thank you for being the only one to seemingly to have noticed this astonishing find. Before I get to you remark about estrogen and hair growth with an anecdote of my own regarding lavendar and tea tree oil, lets take a second to spell out what is exciting about this find.

$$ It measured the drop in HUMAN sebum secretion somewhere on a human being.


$$ The study is from Japan, a place where good scientific prinicples are generally followed.


$$ The study clearly said that some components in licorice and peppermint and clove inhibit alpha five reductase.



$$ The study also showed that rose hips (in some shampoos as rose fruit extract) and sunflower (scultellaria extract) also had some androgen receptor binding inhibiton.



This is in human skin, and these things are plentiful in nature and can even be planted in your backyard. Like Ive been saying for a good while on these sites, there is a good chance that there will be a compound found in nature that will inhibit human alpha five reductase enzymes and be able to downregulate and/or block human androgen receptors out of the gazillions of chemicals in various plant life out there. Well, there appears to be more than one for each of these tasks.






Now to estrogen and hair...................................As many of you know, based on the tea tree oil and lavendar oil body washes having the effect of producing gynochomastia in young boys, I was hoping that these compounds might have anti-androgneic activity also and wanted to test them. My reasoning was the gyno is a side effect seldom seen, but seen some nonetheless with finasteride. To my suprise lavendar oil and the lavendar tea tree mix actually GREW hair on one of my toes (my right big toe) relative to the other toe. It was obvious growth. The toe hair (Im a pretty hairy man, like alot of men with male pattern baldness) was darker and thicker and longer than the other toe at three months. This was pretty obvious growth, and only a glance could discern the difference.
Well, if lavendar and tea tree can mimick estrogen enough to make tits, then whatever they do also has a hair promoting effect in human body hair at the very least (toe hair anyway). Ive seen it with my own eyes.


Ive also told everyone that would hear it that peppermint oil mixed with PURIFIED water lessened the beard hair on one side of my chin. I thought perhaps it was due to androgen receptor binding, and still find it hard to believe that there isn't any receptor affinity within peppermint. This got to be pretty obvious as the months went on as one side of my chin had beard hair that grew thicker faster than the other.



CollegeChemistryStudent,
Do you read labels? Have you any idea how many shampoos contain peppermint oil? Tricomin, Tricomin conditioner, American Crew Thickening (mint leaves), Paul Mitchell LemonSage Thickening, Paul Mitchell Tea Tree, Jasons Tea Tree, and there is more. Some shampoos contain "menthol" which can by synthetic or organic. I'd want the organic because I want real peppermint oil made from real peppermint leaves. Alpecin has menthol as well as quite a few other shampoos.

Ive seen licorice extract in various shampoos before, as well as rose hip extract, as well as many many shampoos (like Paul Mitchell Tea Tree) that have lavendar in them and well.............tea tree.
I dont think big cosmetics companys fool with this stuff for no reason, and they have private testing facilities and are under no pressure to release their private testing results. Parabens (from blueberries) have some estrogenic effects, but they are weak. Parabens are in tons of shampoos. I imagine these cosmetic companies know much more about the abilities of these substances than they ever advertise.

Companies cannot claim to use anything that will block the human androgen receptor because that is a "pharmacuetical action". However, would they not be silly not to look for something that would. If a great receptor blocker could be found (and maybe rose oil extract or sunflower extract oil or licorice oil could be that), young men could start using it before they ever started to lose hair, and all the other stuff would be uneccessary.



Look at this google result for "hair removal and licorice",
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=n ... l+licorice



Now look at this google result for "hair removal and sunflower",
http://www.google.com/search?hair loss=en&rls= ... +sunflower



Now look at this google result for "hair removal and peppermint",
http://www.google.com/search?hair loss=en&rls= ... peppermint



CCS, do you think ALL of those companies were simply unaware that licorice blocks 5AR, sunflower blocks receptors, and peppermint blocks 5AR (and probably either ties up testosterone or has some affinity for receptor sites also)?
Kinda hard to swallow all of this is by "chance". Peppermint in all those shampoos, etc.?




I bet if you buy some licorice oil (or just use peppermint oil), and mix it with purified water and put it on some body hair for a good 3-4 months, you will see a reduction in body hair relative to a corresponding place (other arm, other side of chest, other leg) on your body.....................and it isnt because these substances that are in so many shampoos 'hurt' hair in anyway, its because they are anti-androgens.

 

[CCS]

Finasteride can cause gyno because

1. Less DHT in nipples to oppose estrogen.
2. More testosterone to be turned into estrogen.
3. Estrogen causes gyno.

I'm glad those chemicals work, but what matters is that they can work locally, and not systemically. If they improve hair like estrogen but give gyno, what is the point?

You said one of them grew hair on your big toe. I think toe hair respond the same as other body hair, and would shrivel in the presence of estrogen, and grow in the presence of androgens. If they grew your toe hair, that would not be good for your head hair.


I believe estrogen is a problem topically because it does not quickly bind to receptors, but has a long half life in the body. So to keep it near the receptors, you have to load the body up with it. I want something that acts like estrogen, but binds to receptors faster while breaking down sooner. Otherwise, what is better, GTE, or pepermint oil?

Does Bryan or anyone else know if estrogen actually reverses the actions of DHT or if it just blocks the androgen receptor? I heard that women's hair loss is reversible, whereas men's is not. I wonder if that is because women have more estrogen.

 

[CCS]

Does estrogen bind to the androgen receptor, or is there an estrogen receptor? I think if there is an estrogen receptor in our scalp, we need to set it off someone, without systemic effects. Maybe it could reverse hair loss.

If a diffuse NW6 got castrated and took a lot of estrogen and grew boobs, would he regrow his hair? Do we know?

 

[michael barry]

I'm glad those chemicals work, but what matters is that they can work locally, and not systemically. If they improve hair like estrogen but give gyno, what is the point?

You said one of them grew hair on your big toe. I think toe hair respond the same as other body hair, and would shrivel in the presence of estrogen, and grow in the presence of androgens. If they grew your toe hair, that would not be good for your head hair.

So you believe there are men walking around who use shampoos with peppermint oil with severe side effects that they haven't reported upon? You believe there are tons of men who use shampoos with licorice in them with side effects, but it just hasn't been mentioned right? Obviously they DONT work systemically if used topically. I didn't have any effects from the peppermint oil (and still dont because Im using it in my own hair). The only side effect is that my hair is looking better than it has since my late twenties, but I digress.



I used LAVENDAR and LAVENDAR AND TEA TREE on my big toe. They seemingly mimick estrogen. Estrogens probably play a role in the hair cycle. Lavendar is in alot of shampoos, and tea tree is in alot of shampoos. If it were bad, do you really believe that Paul Mitchell would put it in his line of shampoos? Of course not.

 

[CCS]

So you believe there are men walking around who use shampoos with peppermint oil with severe side effects that they haven't reported upon? You believe there are tons of men who use shampoos with licorice in them with side effects, but it just hasn't been mentioned right? Obviously they DONT work systemically if used topically.

Or most of these men's shampoos are not strong enough. You are not getting side effects from the peppermint oil, but that is an 5ar or AR blocker, not an estrogen like compound.


OK, the peppermint sounds good. But how can you say lavendar had estrogen like effects if it made your big toe hair grow? Wouldn't estrogen make body hair shrink?

 

[CCS]

how much peppermint oil do you use? Just as much as is soluble in water?

I'm still hoping you explain the lavendar thing.

 

[michael barry]

I EXPECTED the lavendar to decrease body hair. I was shocked to find it was stimulating it. I have read specultation that estrogens play a role in the hair cycle. I dont know, but perhaps lavendar is a close enough mimetic of estrogen to bind with an estrogen receptor, but wont bind with an androgen receptor. I know it stimulated hair on my toe however, but dont really place a great deal of importance on that. Its in Paul Mitchell Tea Tree and Paul Mitchel LemonSage Thickening shampoo.



Peppermint oil is very strong. It will burn you, but not immediately. Its on the skin for about thirty seconds to one minute and then it hits you as it penetrates. I dilute it very weakly. One ounce of peppermint oil (the real stuff, you have to watch for synthetics) with 33 ounces of purified water was too strong by a good bit. Im probably mixing it at about one-to-fifty or so until the burn isn't too much. Its a tingling sensation. It cant be bad for skin, because its in tons of stuff. There was no inflammation with its application on my chin. In fact, it made the skin there nice and soft when I used it.

The reason I got interested in peppermint (and spearmint) was initially the women's hirsutism study from Turkey. Women with hirsutism found that they could reduce the hair by drinking two cups of spearmint tea a day in a study. The authors of the study mentioned that the reason they became interested in mints in regards to hirsutism was that men who drank peppermint tea complained of low/no libidio and the anti-androgenic effects of peppermint on rats in lab tests. That had me thinking flutamide and receptor blocker. I wanted to test it. Upon the way, I found it was in tons of hair removers and shampoos. You can imagine what I thought then. Classic anti-androgen.


But hey, Im willing to keep the little discovery all to myeslf if no one gives a damn about it. I thought I'd "share" my little discovery of a cheap, very affordable (about four bucks an ounce which should last me about a year) effective anti-androgen to add to finasteride. Its what Ive been looking for for the past few years as I believe prox-n to be the best regrowth agent anyone is going to be coming up with until HM anyway. When HM is here, and it will be, our problems with hair will be over anyway.

 

[CCS]

I care about it.

1 ounce of peppermint diluted 1:50 in water.

 

[CCS]

Look at this google result for "hair removal and licorice",
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=n ... l+licorice


Now look at this google result for "hair removal and sunflower",
http://www.google.com/search?hair loss=en&rls= ... +sunflower


Now look at this google result for "hair removal and peppermint",
http://www.google.com/search?hair loss=en&rls= ... peppermint


CCS, do you think ALL of those companies were simply unaware that licorice blocks 5AR, sunflower blocks receptors, and peppermint blocks 5AR (and probably either ties up testosterone or has some affinity for receptor sites also)?
Kinda hard to swallow all of this is by "chance". Peppermint in all those shampoos, etc.?


I bet if you buy some licorice oil (or just use peppermint oil), and mix it with purified water and put it on some body hair for a good 3-4 months, you will see a reduction in body hair relative to a corresponding place (other arm, other side of chest, other leg) on your body.....................and it isnt because these substances that are in so many shampoos 'hurt' hair in anyway, its because they are anti-androgens.

 

[CCS]

alpinia speciosa root extract and scutellaria root extract showed estrogen receptor agonists

How do they determine something to be an estrogen agonist?

I wonder where we get those extracts from.

 

[frailstar]

I EXPECTED the lavendar to decrease body hair. I was shocked to find it was stimulating it. I have read specultation that estrogens play a role in the hair cycle. I dont know, but perhaps lavendar is a close enough mimetic of estrogen to bind with an estrogen receptor, but wont bind with an androgen receptor. I know it stimulated hair on my toe however, but dont really place a great deal of importance on that. Its in Paul Mitchell Tea Tree and Paul Mitchel LemonSage Thickening shampoo.



Peppermint oil is very strong. It will burn you, but not immediately. Its on the skin for about thirty seconds to one minute and then it hits you as it penetrates. I dilute it very weakly. One ounce of peppermint oil (the real stuff, you have to watch for synthetics) with 33 ounces of purified water was too strong by a good bit. Im probably mixing it at about one-to-fifty or so until the burn isn't too much. Its a tingling sensation. It cant be bad for skin, because its in tons of stuff. There was no inflammation with its application on my chin. In fact, it made the skin there nice and soft when I used it.

The reason I got interested in peppermint (and spearmint) was initially the women's hirsutism study from Turkey. Women with hirsutism found that they could reduce the hair by drinking two cups of spearmint tea a day in a study. The authors of the study mentioned that the reason they became interested in mints in regards to hirsutism was that men who drank peppermint tea complained of low/no libidio and the anti-androgenic effects of peppermint on rats in lab tests. That had me thinking flutamide and receptor blocker. I wanted to test it. Upon the way, I found it was in tons of hair removers and shampoos. You can imagine what I thought then. Classic anti-androgen.


But hey, Im willing to keep the little discovery all to myeslf if no one gives a damn about it. I thought I'd "share" my little discovery of a cheap, very affordable (about four bucks an ounce which should last me about a year) effective anti-androgen to add to finasteride. Its what Ive been looking for for the past few years as I believe prox-n to be the best regrowth agent anyone is going to be coming up with until HM anyway. When HM is here, and it will be, our problems with hair will be over anyway.

I too was interested in the spearmint tea. I started drinking it a few weeks ago. 2 cups a day every day. Strangely I have had increased libido. Why would this be? Maybe it's not the tea? One unfortunate side effect has been a tingling A-hole. I kid you not. Although it's not as bad as it was a week ago. I've also noticed that I feel warm all the time, and I've read that spearmint is good to assist in raising internal heat and inducing perspiration.

Would adding spearmint oil right into a bottle of shampoo work? That's what I've done. I just put a teaspoon of spearmint oil into a new bottle of Garnier Fructis shampoo and shook it up.

 

[michael barry]

Peppermint tea was the tea that caused the decreased libido in men.


Spearmint tea was used for women's hirsutism.



The extract tested by the Japanese scientists on human skin was peppermint, not spearmint. They also tested licorice and clove and found similar properties of alpha five inhibition.


I'd stick with the peppermint oil until we know more. Spearmint is in Nanoguard shampoo though. I'd use the oil as its own freestanding topical mixed with purified water in additon to one of the many shampoos that have peppermint oil or peppermint extract therein that are available if you are interested in it.

Shampoo might have to be left on the dermis for a minute or two to get penetration enough to get down to the follicle, but a topical would probably be even better as its there all day.


I dont know if I'd drink big amounts of spearmint or peppermint tea as we dont know what the sides are.



FOR THE RECORD, I'd advise internal finasteride PLUS topical peppermint oil mixed with purified water topically.

 

[frailstar]

Peppermint tea was the tea that caused the decreased libido in men.


Spearmint tea was used for women's hirsutism.



The extract tested by the Japanese scientists on human skin was peppermint, not spearmint. They also tested licorice and clove and found similar properties of alpha five inhibition.


I'd stick with the peppermint oil until we know more. Spearmint is in Nanoguard shampoo though. I'd use the oil as its own freestanding topical mixed with purified water in additon to one of the many shampoos that have peppermint oil or peppermint extract therein that are available if you are interested in it.

Shampoo might have to be left on the dermis for a minute or two to get penetration enough to get down to the follicle, but a topical would probably be even better as its there all day.


I dont know if I'd drink big amounts of spearmint or peppermint tea as we dont know what the sides are.



FOR THE RECORD, I'd advise internal finasteride PLUS topical peppermint oil mixed with purified water topically.

I was thinking spearmint is about the same thing as peppermint. Peppermint is just a hybrid mint plant of both spearmint and watermint. Although peppermint is probably stronger than spearmint. I thought I would use spearmint because of the study, which used spearmint.

I do leave the spearmint fortified shampoo on for 5 minutes while I'm showering.

I'm not really worried about drinking the spearmint tea as there is no toxicity in spearmint.

 

[mulder]

MB, what exactly are you conclusions, if any, on tea tree oil and lavendar? Are they good to apply on your male pattern baldness areas? I believe lavendar, thyme, rosemary, cedarwood (in jojoba and grapeseed) was used in that Scottish alopecia areata study. Any other essential oils that you think are useful for combatting male pattern baldness besides licorice mint and sunflower?

 

[dopey]

Michael,

I'm curious as to why you're not using licorice instead of peppermint?

 

[CCS]

http://www.satveda.com/product.asp?pID=87&cID=4&c=14564

I wonder if all these anti-oxidants actually inhibit the androgen receptor or just counteract it's effects.




Accession number;03A0692202
Title;A New Dermatological Availability of the Flavonoid Fraction from Licorice Roots-Effect on Acne-
Author;KAMBARA TOSHIMITSU(Maruzenseiyaku Sokenmaruzenseiyaku Soken) ZHOU Y(Maruzenseiyaku Sokenmaruzenseiyaku Soken) KAWASHIMA YOSHIHITO(Maruzenseiyaku Sokenmaruzenseiyaku Soken) KISHIDA NAOKO(Maruzenseiyaku Sokenmaruzenseiyaku Soken) MIZUTANI KENJI(Maruzenseiyaku Sokenmaruzenseiyaku Soken) IKEDA TAKAO(Maruzenseiyaku Sokenmaruzenseiyaku Soken) KAMEYAMA KOICHIRO(Aoyamahifukakurinikku)
Journal Title;Journal of SCCJ
Journal Code:S0078A
ISSN:0387-5253
VOL.37;NO.3;PAGE.179-186(2003)
Figure&Table&Reference;FIG.1, TBL.7, REF.12
Pub. Country;Japan
Language;Japanese
Abstract;In the course of our studies on the further application of licorice as a cosmetic ingredient, we studied a new dermatological availability in the licorice extract containing licochalcone-A as a main principle, Polyol Soluble Licorice Extract P-U, prepared from the roots of Glycyrrhiza inflata Batalin. As a result, this extract showed several activities such as inhibitory actions of testosterone 5.ALPHA.-reductase, lipase and phospholipase A2, as well as androgen receptor antagonist, antimicrobial and SOD-like actions, which relate to skin care, especially the suppression of acne formation and development. On basis of this evidence, a trial of Polyol Soluble Licorice Extract P-U with acne patients was carried out and the efficacy was demonstrated clinically. (author abst.)

 

[CCS]

Michael,

I'm curious as to why you're not using licorice instead of peppermint?

Maybe the peppermint smells better?

 

[michael barry]

Mulder,

The essential oils have been around hundreds of years. "Science" just declared through hair transplant infomercials in the seventies and eighties that nothing could be done about baldness except a hair transplant and nothing could ever work because some damage was done at the follicle during puberty that marked it for extinction.

We all know better than that now. Maybe these things really helped. Pine oil (probably about the same thing as cedarwood oil) has the highest amount of beta sitosterol of any known substance. I tested pine oil over a year back to see if it could reduce body hair on the back of my hand. It did, not as much as revivogen, but it was noticeable. I'll never forget reading about 50-something mummified men found in Scotland in a peat-bog preserved a couple of years ago. The mummies had pine oil in their hair. The article explained this was some kind of hair-styling gel. Thats preposterous, as pine oil is kinda oily. The article noted that they had long hair, and seemed to hint they had "good" hair by their description of the locks, etc. Funny that. Maybe the ancients knew some things we might do well to re-learn. All these ancient remedies like lavendar, cedarwood oil, thyme, rosemary probably do help in various ways whether it be anti-inflammatory (rosemary), stimulate circulation (thyme, lemongrass, lemon oil), anti-androgenic (pine oil or cedarwood oil), an estrogen mimetic (lavendar or perhaps tea tree). I dont shrug off the essential oils like I would have five years ago...........................when I probably would have laughed at the thought. Sage is another extract found in these remedies. To be honest, Ive never seen the mints or licorice mentioned in them, or at least the old European remedies.


We have found that things like barley proanthocyandins are in beer. Ever hear of "beer and eggs shampoo"? I used to think that sounded ridiculous, but like apple cider vinegar, it probably can be helpful.



As for the licorice. (Dopey).....................Ive searched for some licorice shampoos and have found some. I think licorice's smell might be problematic, but dont know this for sure. However, the minty smell of peppermint and spearmint is quite pleasant and "clean" smelling.


I have done searches and found rose hips in some hair products as well.



All Im really looking for is a cheap natural anti-androgen that I can add to my finasteride as an additional anti-androgen to be used topically to round out my regimine. I think Ive found a few candidates now in th e peppermint, licorice, rose hips, clove, and perhaps the spearmint, and sunflower extracts. Pine oil unfortunately has a very "pine tree" like smell.


Things that Ive tested on my body hair that reduced it were revivogen, pine oil, peppermint oil.


Things that Ive tested on my body hair that actually increased its growth were lavendar and believe-it-or-not, Nizoral shampoo.



My current regimine is finasteride, peppermint oil/purified water mix sprayed on, prox-n I also use nizoral twice a week. I think its effective, and intend to keep on it until Hair Multiplication is available and perfected enough. Ive kept what Ive had up there for about five good years now with no more loss.

I think Prox-N, despite its expense, is a really good growth and anti-inflammatory, and tissue remodelling agent.


Well guys, best of luck with your chosen regimines. Taking a little break.