In recent studies by researchers, it has been found that propolis, a substance found in honeybee hives, can likely be used to treat hair loss. The substance is heavily used by the bees in order to repair hives. A Japanese study revealed recently that propolis is capable of improving hair growth.

 

Propolis is said to be honey's less famous cousin; bees use the natural substance when coating their bee hives. Up until recently, it was used for many other medicinal purposes. Namely, propolis was used to treat tumors and fight infections caused from wounds. It can also commonly be found in health stores across the world.

 

In Japan, Dr. Ken Kobayashi conducted a study Hokkaido University. This study involved testing the propolis substance on mice that had been waxed and shaved. The intent was to determine whether or not propolis has an influence on the rate of hair growth. It was revealed in the results that the mice that were treated with propolis grew their fur back much more quickly than those that received no treatment. 

 

When hair grows, special cells are needed to facilitate the process. When propolis was given to certain mice, it was observed that these cells grew in number. It was determined to be a positive finding because the shapes of the hair follicles did not appear to be modified or abnormal after the treatment.

 

The authors of the study report noted that propolis is capable of triggering hair keratinocyte proliferation. This ultimately kick-starts hair growth at a rapid rate.

 

In the study, researchers confined treatment to only shaved mice, rather than ones that were balding. However, researchers are confident that propolis can stimulate hair growth in balding mice since balding results from inflammation. With that said, propolis can also be used to treat inflammation due to its anti-inflammatory properties.

 

With that said, it's likely that propolis will, before long, be tested on humans for signs of treating human hair loss. Additionally, it will likely be tested on other animals.

 

To read more on this study, be sure to refer to the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.