Promotion of hair growth by Rosmarinus officinalis leaf extract.

Topical administration of Rosmarinus officinalis leaf extract (RO-ext, 2 mg/day/mouse) improved hair regrowth in C57BL/6NCrSlc mice that experienced hair regrowth interruption induced by testosterone treatment. In addition, RO-ext promoted hair growth in C3H/He mice that had their dorsal areas shaved. To investigate the antiandrogenic activity mechanism of RO-ext, we focused on inhibition of testosterone 5α-reductase, which is well recognized as one of the most effective strategies for the treatment of androgenic alopecia. RO-ext showed inhibitory activity of 82.4% and 94.6% at 200 and 500 µg/mL, respectively. As an active constituent of 5α-reductase inhibition, 12-methoxycarnosic acid was identified with activity-guided fractionation. In addition, the extract of R. officinalis and 12-methoxycarnosic acid inhibited androgen-dependent proliferation of LNCaP cells as 64.5% and 66.7% at 5 µg/mL and 5 μM, respectively. These results suggest that they inhibit the binding of dihydrotestosterone to androgen receptors. Consequently, RO-ext is a promising crude drug for hair growth.

Does anyone know where to purchase an extract of this potency? Or how to create it...I have no idea how potent the extracts in the stores are, looks like a big difference in results vs. potency

Not sure about potency or usability:
http://www.iherb.com/search?kw=rosemary+extract+leaf&x=0&y=0#p=1

DIY:
https://www.google.se/#output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=howt+to+make+your+own+extract+rosemary&oq=howt+to+make+your+own+extract+rosemary&gs_l=hp.3..33i21.419.5181.0.5252.42.36.2.0.0.0.204.3907.16j18j1.35.0...0.0...1c.1.12.psy-ab.FWlNWGsRDFU&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.46340616,d.bGE&fp=a87d63ca561643f&biw=1680&bih=903

not sure if this helps , and the last thing i want to do is perpetuate a scam, however back 5 yrs when i started researching all this stuff, i got sucked into buying a ebook
the reason i am telling u is becuase it has rosemary in it, and u may be able to use the same method to safely concentrate it. I garrantee nothing!

get some bunches of rosemary from the herbs part of the supermarket, and buy some ginger roots, and lavender oil. (iu can ommitt the lav oil if u want)

boil up lots of rosemary, and cut up the ginger and add it. use lots ( the stupid ebbok didnt go into amounts) boil it for 10 minutes, then add some lavender oil. let cool, and strain the liquid into a spray bottle and discard the remaining soilds. spray all over hair a few times a day.

i doubt it will cause any regrowth, but it feels nice, not sticky etc, and is probably good for the hair, and most importantly its safe to try. using this method u can probably make it really strong by using lots of rosemary and ginger.

its a way to make strong rosemary topical, if nothing else.

Is rosemarinus officinalis the same as rosemary?

If so,my aunt uses green soap with rosemary and her hair have definetely thicken
through the years.
She washes her hair with this soap.

Based on the doses given to the rats, rat body surface area, and human scalp surface area, we'd probably need around 20-30 mg of RO extract in solution daily to get the same effect. I'd imagine it would need to be a pretty pure extract, something like a supercritical CO2 extract. Not sure if a standard extract from an online store would do the trick as most of these are alcohol tinctures, it would probably require more.

Could a dermaneedler help? Randomly Googling I came across a website where a woman claims regrowth after combining microneedling with garlic and rosemary oils (http://blackhairmedia.com/allthingshair/how-to-quickly-grow-your-edges-and-hairline-back-when-nothing-else-works/)

This is interesting. My schampoo is running out, after readign Xenon's success and this thread, I'll definetly give soap a try.

I'm thinking about buying http://hairevo.com/shop/organic-soap-cold-pressed/35-ortho-organics-seabuckthorn-soap-3-pack.html

It contains Rosmarinus officinalis (aka Rosemary) extract.

panoslydios wrote:Is rosemarinus officinalis the same as rosemary?

If so,my aunt uses green soap with rosemary and her hair have definetely thicken
through the years.
She washes her hair with this soap.

Yes, that is the botanical name of rosemary.

Unim, that's a good article you linked. I'd incorporate dermarolling, but it's not easy to find or order one where I'm at.

SlowMoe, the effect of rosemary could possibly be attributed to its blood pressure raising quality when used in sufficient concentration. This is a well known property of rosemary and you can search for it on the web. This theory also ties in with the study you have been citing of late which finds the mpb scalps to have lower blood pressure.

I have essential oil of rosemary, and it is quite potent stuff like most essential oils. It should suffice for someone looking for concentrated rosemary. I should also report that its blood pressure raising effect is real and I have had headaches if I use more than a drop or two (mixed in aqueous or oil medium) on the head. So, rosemary definitely has a blood pressure raising effect locally when applied on an area of skin.

Found an article on blood pressure raising essential oils that might be of interest-
http://roberttisserand.com/articles/Essentialoilsandhypertension.pdf
It is worth noting that many of these oils like rosemary, sage and pine particularly are said to be beneficial for hair growth.

So does it seem feasible that rosemary essential oil/ emu oil 50/50would be similar in potency as the mixture described in the OP....Because it seems like the effects are somewhat dose dependent...

SlowMoe wrote:So does it seem feasible that rosemary essential oil/ emu oil 50/50would be similar in potency as the mixture described in the OP....Because it seems like the effects are somewhat dose dependent...

"... Rosemary extract at ... 200 and 500 µg/mL ..."

1 ug/mL = 1 ppm. So we're talking Rosemary extract strengths of 200 and 500 ppm. A bit of google search with key terms suggests Rosemary EO could be available in strngths anywhere from 100-1000 plus. I guess purchased from a reasonably reputed source, Rosemary EO can be expected to have 300-600 ppm. This is in the same ballpark as the concentration in your OP. I don't have much idea about Emu Oil, but Coconut Oil would probably act as a reasonable carrier too.

Such high concentration of Rosemary EO, particularly on the scalp, would be contraindicated by aromatherapists, by the way. They are more likely to use rosemary essential oil/ carrier (emu or whatever) oil in 1/20 ratio, i.e., about 5/95. That would be a typical recommended dilution for EOs.

9rugrats5 wrote:

SlowMoe wrote:So does it seem feasible that rosemary essential oil/ emu oil 50/50would be similar in potency as the mixture described in the OP....Because it seems like the effects are somewhat dose dependent...

"... Rosemary extract at ... 200 and 500 µg/mL ..."

1 ug/mL = 1 ppm. So we're talking Rosemary extract strengths of 200 and 500 ppm. A bit of google search with key terms suggests Rosemary EO could be available in strngths anywhere from 100-1000 plus. I guess purchased from a reasonably reputed source, Rosemary EO can be expected to have 300-600 ppm. This is in the same ballpark as the concentration in your OP. I don't have much idea about Emu Oil, but Coconut Oil would probably act as a reasonable carrier too.

Such high concentration of Rosemary EO, particularly on the scalp, would be contraindicated by aromatherapists, by the way. They are more likely to use rosemary essential oil/ carrier (emu or whatever) oil in 1/20 ratio, i.e., about 5/95. That would be a typical recommended dilution for EOs.

So some 400-1,000 PPM Rosemary EO mixed 50/50 with a carrier oil should be a similar in potency to the experiment discussed....

Now, is the extract discussed in the op and essential oil two completely different things, or is rosemary rosemary.

Also, you mentioned aromatherapy; that treatment is based on the effects of the scents on the human body, not the effect the actual oil has once it enters the bloodstream, correct..

SlowMoe wrote:

9rugrats5 wrote:

SlowMoe wrote:So does it seem feasible that rosemary essential oil/ emu oil 50/50would be similar in potency as the mixture described in the OP....Because it seems like the effects are somewhat dose dependent...

"... Rosemary extract at ... 200 and 500 µg/mL ..."

1 ug/mL = 1 ppm. So we're talking Rosemary extract strengths of 200 and 500 ppm. A bit of google search with key terms suggests Rosemary EO could be available in strngths anywhere from 100-1000 plus. I guess purchased from a reasonably reputed source, Rosemary EO can be expected to have 300-600 ppm. This is in the same ballpark as the concentration in your OP. I don't have much idea about Emu Oil, but Coconut Oil would probably act as a reasonable carrier too.

Such high concentration of Rosemary EO, particularly on the scalp, would be contraindicated by aromatherapists, by the way. They are more likely to use rosemary essential oil/ carrier (emu or whatever) oil in 1/20 ratio, i.e., about 5/95. That would be a typical recommended dilution for EOs.

So some 400-1,000 PPM Rosemary EO mixed 50/50 with a carrier oil should be a similar in potency to the experiment discussed....

Now, is the extract discussed in the op and essential oil two completely different things, or is rosemary rosemary.

Also, you mentioned aromatherapy; that treatment is based on the effects of the scents on the human body, not the effect the actual oil has once it enters the bloodstream, correct..

Yes, as I said earlier, the potency would be similar.

Rosemary essential oil is got by steam distillation and the yields are of the order 0.5-2.0%. It would contain volatile as well as non-volatile compounds found in rosemary. Rosemary extract probably means that chemical constituents were 'extracted' (as compared to distilled) from Rosemary using a solvent, possibly an alcoholic or acidic medium. In my view, the efficacy of both should be similar. I can't really say why the EO is said to be of certain ppm- possibly because they measure the concentration of an active constituent(s) of Rosemary, or because some water finds its way during steam distillation. Edit- On second thoughts, oil and water don't mix, so this can't be the explanation. My short guess would be, they should both work similarly- if anything, the EO might be more concentrated.

Regarding your last question, aromatherapy also typically includes topical application of essential oils on skin. So it involves the olfactory system primarily, but also claims absorption via skin.

9rugrats5 wrote:
Rosemary essential oil is got by steam distillation and the yields are of the order 0.5-2.0%.

So that would be 5,000 to 20,000 PPM, not 200 to 500, correct...

10% is 100,000 PPM, right?..

So it would be 1 part rosemary EO to 20 parts carrier for 500 PPM?

Ok, SlowMoe, I looked into this and I need to correct myself here about the Essential Oils having a certain ppm concentration (whereas they are considered pure), and in the process I hope other things shall be clearer.

1. The authors talk about Rosemary Extract. This means the extract is in a medium. But we don't care whether it is an extract that is used or a 100% pure rosemary that is used, as long as we are provided
the rosemary ppm in the test solutions (which we are provided with, 200 and 500).

Here's a good thread discussing this study and the concentration needed-
http://www.hairlosshelp.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=10&threadid=101157&STARTPAGE=3&FTVAR_FORUMVIEWTMP=Linear
Here's a link for Rosemary extract for sale, taken from the above thread on HLH-
http://shop.newdirections.com.au/17-ml-Rosemary-Antioxidant

2. Now, if we procure rosemary extract then we need to know the %age of rosemary in it. If we procure rosemary essential oil, it is a pure, undiluted product. PPM for Rosemary EO does not make sense in its packaged form- it only makes sense when we actually go ahead and dilute it in some medium. I have seen a couple of papers where the researchers dissolve the EOs in 1 ml of DMSO and then further dilute with water to get to a desired ppm of the herb (of which herb, the EO was used).

Initially, I guess, one would need to know or determine the average molecular mass of Rosemary EO (average, since it would contain many chemical compounds) and DMSO (simpler, single). Once the ppm of Rosemary is known in this DMSO solution, it is then diluted in water (molecular mass of 18), and from this point on the ppm calculation becomes fairly easy. The link below should help refresh our chemistry a bit-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_(unit)

Hope that helps a bit.

More links. About ppm, ug/ml, and more-

http://books.google.co.in/books?id=5aIZ6pO6ljkC&pg=PA123&lpg=PA123&dq=microgram+per+ml+to+ppm&source=bl&ots=eq3faPYcep&sig=ZwGYH5IOnUPUyhw0PnzQ2NUeNYI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=nDGRUYfiB5GyrAfjkoHYAQ&ved=0CGMQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=microgram%20per%20ml%20to%20ppm&f=false

http://www.smarte.org/smarte/dynamic/resource/sn-units-of-measure.xml.pdf

http://www.rapidtables.com/math/number/PPM.htm

Edit- One last link. Read the posts by one Kempraj.
http://www.researchgate.net/post/What_is_the_concentration_measurement_unit_more_adequate_for_report_antimicrobial_activity_of_essential_oils

Perhaps the simplest way to go about it is to call up the manufacturer of the oil, inform them that we need a 500 ppm solution, and ask them to give us the proper EO/ carrier ratio....

SlowMoe wrote:Perhaps the simplest way to go about it is to call up the manufacturer of the oil, inform them that we need a 500 ppm solution, and ask them to give us the proper EO/ carrier ratio....

Yeah, I think that would be the easiest way, unless you know a chemist. If you are buying from an aromatherapy website, I think they should be able to help out with how to get to the desired ppm. Do remember that you will have to use DMSO, ethyl alcohol, etc as intermediate to dissolve the EO first before it can dissolve in an aqueous medium.

What about mixing it with emu oil? I have some and I heard it is a ood carier because it absorbs extremely well...

So I bought a small bottle of rosemary essential oil to try... Since I am prone to acne I simply soak the end of a cotton bud stick in water then apply a drop of the oil to it. I've been rubbing the end over my hairline, crown and a bit all over the scalp twice per day.

It seems to have eliminated the remaining mild inflammation in my scalp I have been unable to completely resolve with supplements. Now if I press down on the sides, back or top of my scalp it all feels exactly the same.

Apparently components of rosemary can help with oestrogen metabolism and are probably antimicrobial too. I do feel some "anti-oestrogen" effect even at the tiny dose I am using. It seems to tick a lot of the right boxes.