differences b/w: 1) Finasteride 2) beta-sitosterol and 3) saw palmetto

I'm having a hard time understanding the whole picture on how these three options relate. As I understand it...

1) Fin/Propecia
Action: Blocks type-2 5 Alpha-reductase
Side effects: I'm sure everyone's aware (http://www.drugs.com/sfx/propecia-side-effects.html)

2) beta-sitosterol
Action: Also a type-2 5 Alpha-reductase inhibitor
Side effects: Theoretically I'd guess the same as Fin/Propecia, but there doesn't seem to be much evidence to support that (i.e. it seems like a better option, but maybe there's just a lack of research)...?
Reputable brands: ?

3) saw palmetto
Action: no one's exactly sure how it works, but it's hypothesized to also inhibit 5 Alpha-reductase in one way or another...?
Side effects: ?

Hoping someone here can clear up the missing parts of beta-sitosterol and saw palmetto, or point to an explanation elsewhere...Thanks!

---------------------------
Got most of my info from:
here: http://forum.americanhairloss.org/threads/119-The-quot-Big-3-quot-to-help-STOP-hairloss
here: http://www.livestrong.com/article/170080-beta-sitosterol-to-treat-hair-loss/
and here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12006122

Also is there another option you think should among the 3 above?

Interesting topic. I´ve been looking for an "herbal propecia" for a while. I eventually sticked with beta-sitosterol, taking about 230mg daily for the last 6 months. 

Although I´ve read in many forums that it is an 5AR type 2 inhibitor, I´ve never found any scientific studies confirming this.

TheDivineMarquis wrote:Interesting topic. I´ve been looking for an "herbal propecia" for a while. I eventually sticked with beta-sitosterol, taking about 230mg daily for the last 6 months. 

Although I´ve read in many forums that it is an 5AR type 2 inhibitor, I´ve never found any scientific studies confirming this.

What are your results from taking beta-sitosterol 230mg daily for 6 months?

About 5-6 years ago I took beta-sis for a good year or two, I think about 500mg / day

My hair was pretty good back then but I wasn't paying close enough attention to it to tell how much it was helping. Damn, wish I'd taken some photos back then, got a feeling it may have been helping but can't say for sure.

I'm quite sensitive to anything that messes with my hormones (even Nizoral gave me itchy nips!) but with beta-sis no discernible sides

(I always steered clear of Saw.P... read about way more hormonal side effects with that stuff)

bayman wrote:

TheDivineMarquis wrote:Interesting topic. I´ve been looking for an "herbal propecia" for a while. I eventually sticked with beta-sitosterol, taking about 230mg daily for the last 6 months. 

Although I´ve read in many forums that it is an 5AR type 2 inhibitor, I´ve never found any scientific studies confirming this.

What are your results from taking beta-sitosterol 230mg daily  for 6 months?

Well, I guess my hairline is the same. Maybe some little hairs where and there, but nothing too noticeble. I think 6 months is too early to tell anything. My scalp maybe itching a little more with BS, many users reported this.

Personally, I think BS is a must have in a natural MPB regimen.

DHT doesn't cause hair loss

don't take any of them

Beta sitosterol is supposedly the main active component of saw palmetto. It's also in some other plants too. I think there is evidence of it effecting both the type I and II 5-AR.

If something works as effectively as finasteride, then it will probably cause the same sides. I have seen posts on the Propecia Help forums from people claiming only to have used saw palmetto...

The other botanicals I've read about showing activity against type II are Sophora flavascens, Thuja occidentalis semen and, apparently, breadfruit.

I couldn't find a source of thuja occidentalis semen or seed extract anywhere. Never looked into breadfruit.

Sophora flavascens is known as Ku Shen in Chinese medicine. Some doctors use it to treat ME patients as an antiviral, due to its matrine content; I'm not sure what dose they use, but presumably a hefty one. Can't find much about side effects. Perhaps oral doses are metabolised differently, or by gut bacteria or whatever...

Below is from http://examine.com/supplements/Sophora+flavescens/

In rat prostate cells, type II 5-alpha-reductase enzyme activity was wholly abolished with incubation of 0.1% Sophora flavescens and was inhibited by 50% with 0.001%.[46] When looking at molecules that appeared to inhibit the 5-AR receptor inherently, the most potent appeared to be norkurarinone and isokurarinone with an inhibitory rate of 51.4-94.2% at 50-200ug/mL and 54.4-97.1% at 50-200mg/mL, although many flavonoid compounds appeared to be inhibitory, especially at 200ug/mL.[4]

In dermal papilla cells, a 50% ethanolic extract of Sophora Flavescens was able to induce IGF-1 and KGF (keratinocyte growth factor) when applied to the b[ack of mice at 0.2mL of 1% Sophora Flavescens for 30 days, and was associated with earlier telogen to anagen phases.[46] In this study, HGF and VEGF were unaffected.[46]

Wasim wrote:Beta sitosterol is supposedly the main active component of saw palmetto. It's also in some other plants too. I think there is evidence of it effecting both the type I and II 5-AR.

If something works as effectively as finasteride, then it will probably cause the same sides. I have seen posts on the Propecia Help forums from people claiming only to have used saw palmetto...

The other botanicals I've read about showing activity against type II are Sophora flavascens, Thuja occidentalis semen and, apparently, breadfruit.

I couldn't find a source of thuja occidentalis semen or seed extract anywhere. Never looked into breadfruit.

Sophora flavascens is known as Ku Shen in Chinese medicine. Some doctors use it to treat ME patients as an antiviral, due to its matrine content; I'm not sure what dose they use, but presumably a hefty one. Can't find much about side effects. Perhaps oral doses are metabolised differently, or by gut bacteria or whatever...

Below is from http://examine.com/supplements/Sophora+flavescens/

In rat prostate cells, type II 5-alpha-reductase enzyme activity was wholly abolished with incubation of 0.1% Sophora flavescens and was inhibited by 50% with 0.001%.[46] When looking at molecules that appeared to inhibit the 5-AR receptor inherently, the most potent appeared to be norkurarinone and isokurarinone with an inhibitory rate of 51.4-94.2% at 50-200ug/mL and 54.4-97.1% at 50-200mg/mL, although many flavonoid compounds appeared to be inhibitory, especially at 200ug/mL.[4]

In dermal papilla cells, a 50% ethanolic extract of Sophora Flavescens was able to induce IGF-1 and KGF (keratinocyte growth factor) when applied to the b[ack of mice at 0.2mL of 1% Sophora Flavescens for 30 days, and was associated with earlier telogen to anagen phases.[46] In this study, HGF and VEGF were unaffected.[46]

Very interesting finding!

Though, couldn´t find any of them for sale...

Personally, I think beta-sitosterol has side-effects. They are milder than fins, but I feel some change in mood, libido, etc. 

Also, its better to keep in mind that its effects on hair take more than 1 year to show themselves - at least, this what I induce from  Widows Peaks experience with it,