This has led people to wonder: is reishi mushroom nature’s finasteride? Can this mushroom really<\/em> regrow hair? Is it safe? And if yes, how much should I use to maximize the effects?<\/span><\/p>\n The short answers:<\/p>\n So, does that mean that reishi mushroom is entirely useless? Not necessarily. In this article, we’ll dive into the evidence for (and against) reishi mushroom’s use as a hair loss treatment. We’ll showcase ways to make this extract more effective. And finally, we’ll reveal possible alternatives for those looking for natural treatments that are cheaper, have higher gradients of evidence, and are potentially more effective.<\/p>\n Reishi, also known as Lingzhi (which translates to \u201cherb of spiritual potency and immortality\u201d), is a mushroom revered in herbal medicine. It is believed to possess a myriad of beneficial properties: <\/span>immunomodulatory, insulin-sensitizing, and even gut-supporting.<\/p>\n Recently, studies have shown that reishi mushroom extract is also a powerful DHT blocker<\/a>. Dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, is a byproduct of testosterone. DHT is also the main hormone implicated in the world’s most common hair loss disorder: pattern hair loss, also known as\u00a0androgenic alopecia (AGA)<\/a>. It goes without saying that the higher<\/em> your levels of scalp DHT, the more likely you are to experience AGA (pattern baldness).<\/span><\/p>\n Given reishi mushroom’s newly discovered DHT-reducing abilities, this has left a lot of people wondering whether this natural extract might also be an effective hair loss treatment… or maybe even an alternative to finasteride<\/a> (a hair loss drug that also reduces DHT levels).<\/p>\n So, does reishi mushroom extract have the potential to fight pattern hair loss? Well, that depends on a few key things:<\/p>\n As we’ll soon see, the “power” of this fungi may reside more so in marketing efforts than in actual evidence… and that its use as a DHT reducer in pattern hair loss might be a bit premature.<\/p>\n That’s not to say it won’t have any<\/em> effect, but rather, that there are probably better options \u2013 both natural and conventional \u2013 that are cheaper, more effective, and better supported by the literature.<\/p>\n This is a tough question to answer, mainly because there’s limited research on reishi mushroom and its ability to reduce DHT. But there\u00a0is <\/em>at least one study showing that reishi mushroom might help lower DHT levels, and better than other mushroom varieties.<\/p>\n In 2005, an investigation team wanted to uncover which mushroom species had the “best” DHT-reducing capabilities (1). So they set up a two-part experiment.<\/p>\n First, the team tested 19 mushroom species for their ability to reduce 5-alpha reductase<\/a> \u2013 the enzyme that converts testosterone into DHT. The team turned these 19 mushroom species into alcohol-based extracts using methanol and ethanol. Then, they prepared liver and prostate tissues of mice inside 19 petri dishes, exposed these petri dishes to the mushroom extracts, and recorded any changes to 5-alpha reductase activity.<\/p>\n The findings? Of the 19 mushroom extracts, reishi mushroom<\/strong> \u2013 also known as Ganoderma lucidum<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 outperformed them all.<\/p>\n See this graph from the study. Keep in mind: the more inhibition of 5-alpha reductase, the lower the DHT levels.<\/p>\n Specifically, ethanol-extracted reishi mushroom inhibited 5-alpha reductase levels by ~75%. This magnitude of inhibition rivals the hair loss drug finasteride \u2013 which can reduce 5-alpha reductase by 60-90% (depending on the dose and the tissue). This is why people claim that reishi mushroom is sort of like “nature’s finasteride”<\/a> (in a moment, we’ll get to why that’s not true).<\/p>\n Next, the investigation team sought to determine if reishi mushroom extract had an effect on the size of prostates in mice. For background, benign prostate hyperplasia (i.e., an enlarged prostate) shares a lot<\/em> of overlap with male pattern hair loss. Both conditions are causally linked to higher DHT levels, and both conditions are treated with the same drug: finasteride. There also seems to be a correlation between prostate weight and DHT. Specifically, the more DHT in the prostate, the bigger the prostate \u2013 and vice versa.<\/p>\n So, the investigation team tested to see if reishi mushroom could suppress<\/em> the growth of prostate tissue in mice. Specifically, castrated mice receiving a steady dose of testosterone. Why? Because testosterone is the precursor to DHT, and therefore high doses of testosterone (and thereby DHT) can increase<\/em> the size of the prostate. By castrating the mice and administering controlled dosages of testosterone, the investigators could better control for individual variances in testosterone production, and thereby get a better idea of just how effective of a DHT reducer reishi mushroom might be.<\/p>\n So, they fed some mice 1.5mg\/kg of reishi mushroom extract, and some mice 15mg\/kg of reishi mushroom extract. Then, they “sacrificed” the mice, removed their prostates, and weighed them.<\/p>\n The results were impressive (again). Reishi mushroom extract helped to significantly\u00a0lower<\/em> the weight of the prostates. But interestingly, the lower dose \u2013 1.5mg\/kg \u2013 was most effective.<\/p>\n This is encouraging. It suggests that 1.5mg\/kg of reishi mushroom extract daily (i.e., 105mg for a 150lb man) can lower 5-alpha reductase activity in the prostate enough<\/em> to reduce its size. Therefore, we can presume that reishi mushroom extract must’ve lowered DHT in the prostate.<\/p>\n But can we apply these results to hair loss sufferers? Not necessarily, and for three reasons:<\/p>\n Beyond the problems listed above, there’s also something else that might limit reishi mushroom’s effectiveness as a hair loss treatment: its active compounds (i.e., the ones responsible for lowering DHT) have really short half-lives. This means that the mushroom’s DHT-reducing effects \u2013 even if they\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>substantial \u2013 are probably short-lived.<\/p>\n Studies have found that the major anti-androgen compounds of reishi mushroom are a group of fatty molecules unique to reishi, called <\/span>ganoderic acids<\/strong> (3)<\/span>. These triterpenoid compounds do two things:<\/span><\/p>\n In other words, ganoderic acids decrease DHT and reduce androgen activity in certain tissues.<\/p>\n But, this is where things get complicated. In order for a substance to improve<\/em> pattern hair loss, it needs to not only reduce DHT levels high enough in scalp tissues, but it\u00a0also<\/em> has to do so for a sustained period of time.<\/span><\/p>\n This is why a compound that reduces DHT levels by 100%, and only for 5 seconds, will be much less useful in the fight against hair loss than a compound that reduces DHT levels by 70% and for several hours.<\/p>\n This is the advantage of drugs like finasteride and dutasteride \u2013 which reduce DHT levels by 50-95% but remain active for hours to days. This is also the disadvantage of many botanical extracts; they tend to\u00a0also<\/em> reduce DHT levels significantly… but the effect is rarely sustained.<\/p>\n Much like other botanical DHT-blockers<\/a>, ganoderic acids in reishi are <\/span>metabolized <\/span>very<\/span><\/i> quickly. In fact, t<\/strong><\/span>heir half-life is only 40 minutes in humans<\/strong> (4). <\/span>After being absorbed via the digestive tract, these compounds are then brought through to the blood to the liver, where they are then quickly eliminated by the body.<\/span><\/p>\n This poses an issue for treating conditions like pattern hair loss, mostly because we need DHT to be suppressed in the scalp for significant periods of time. This allows the hair follicle to maintain hair growth and initiate new growth phases. And unfortunately, periods of <\/span>intermittent<\/span><\/i> androgen reduction don\u2019t really pave the way for new growth.<\/span><\/p>\n Consequently, we really <\/span>can\u2019t<\/span><\/i> expect reishi mushroom\u2019s effects to be on par with something like oral finasteride or dutasteride \u2013 two synthetic 5a-reductase inhibitors with <\/span>much<\/span><\/i> longer half-lives. Unlike reishi, these compounds reduce DHT for significant periods of time, allowing the hair follicle to resume its normal growth.<\/span><\/p>\n This brings us to our last question…<\/p>\n Unfortunately, we don’t know. Moreover, with the limitations of the research outlined above \u2013 as well as the lacking financial incentives for pharmaceutical companies to do research for non-patentable botanical extracts \u2013 we don’t expect a lot more research here to accumulate over the next decade.<\/p>\n Based on the evidence so far, we don’t believe that reishi mushroom extract is anywhere near as powerful at regrowing hair as most marketers suggest. And if you’re searching for botanical DHT reducers with better clinical evidence, it’s probably best to just try something like saw palmetto<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, that’s\u00a0not\u00a0<\/em>to say that reishi mushroom is completely useless. And with the right delivery vehicle, there’s a good chance that we can not only improve the absorption of this extract, but also improve its sustained release (and therefore its effectiveness).<\/p>\n One way to do this? To try topical (rather than oral) delivery.<\/p>\n Knowing what we know about reishi mushroom\u2019s metabolism when used orally, could topical application allow the active, DHT-reducing ganoderic acids to accumulate at higher levels, and for longer periods of time?<\/span><\/p>\n Potentially.<\/span><\/p>\n Remember: the rapid metabolism of ganoderic acids is primarily catalyzed by the liver. By applying reishi extract <\/span>topically<\/span><\/i>, we may ensure that its ganoderic acids reach the skin directly without getting eliminated by the liver <\/span>first<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n Additionally, it seems that the ganoderic acids in reishi are good candidates for topical use. The skin\u2019s protective barrier, under most conditions, usually only allows molecules smaller than <\/span>500 daltons<\/span> to penetrate the skin (5). Ganoderic acids have molecular weights of around 440 daltons, meaning they can penetrate the skin barrier and potentially accumulate in places like the sebaceous gland, dermal papilla, and skin cells \u2013 all places where DHT is produced.<\/span><\/p>\n What we <\/span>don\u2019t<\/span><\/i> know is if the skin has the same metabolic machinery as the liver that allows it to eliminate terpenoids as rapidly as it does. But, we <\/span>do<\/span><\/i> know that the skin possesses at least some of the same metabolic capacities as the liver. So, it wouldn\u2019t be farfetched to think that the ganoderic acids might be eliminated <\/span>just<\/span> as quickly in the <\/span>skin<\/span><\/i> as they are in the <\/span>liver<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n However, there\u2019s no way to confirm this as of yet. As such, our recommendation (as of right now) stands: the best way to use reishi mushroom is to apply it topically.<\/span><\/p>\n Currently, there are no topical products that are specifically targeted towards men with AGA. But, that doesn\u2019t mean there aren\u2019t any products available on the market; they just require a little more digging to find.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
What is reishi mushroom?<\/h2>\n
Reishi mushroom (a.k.a Lingzhi)<\/h5>\n
![\"Reishi](\"https:\/\/perfecthairhealth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/reishi-mushroom-for-aga-1024x634.jpeg\")
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Can reishi mushroom help us regrow our hair?<\/h2>\n
1. How much DHT can reishi mushroom reduce?<\/h3>\n
Reishi mushroom extract inhibits 5-alpha reductase by ~75% (in a petri dish)<\/h5>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/perfecthairhealth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Reishi-Mushroom-5-Alpha-Reductase-Inhibition-min.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/div>\nReishi mushroom extract: effects on type I and type II 5-alpha reductase, as well as prostate weight<\/h5>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/perfecthairhealth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Reishi-mushroom-prostate-weight-min.jpg\")
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2. How long do reishi mushroom’s DHT-reducing effects last?<\/h3>\n
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Chemical structure of ganoderic acids<\/h5>\n
![\"Reishi](\"https:\/\/perfecthairhealth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/AdobeStock_312230923-min-1024x952.jpeg\")
<\/div>\n3. Does supplementing with reishi mushroom actually improve hair regrowth in humans?<\/h3>\n
Reishi mushroom: topical delivery<\/h2>\n
Product recommendations: using reishi mushroom topically<\/h3>\n