Could A Substance Produced By Bees Be The Cure To Hair Loss?

December 15, 2014

Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online

A substance produced by bees to coat and seal their hives, could help balding people reverse their hair loss, researchers from Hokkaido University in Japan report in a recent edition of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Propolis, a natural compound that is produced by honeybees which Medical Daily’s Susan Scutti explains is used in much the same way that people use caulk in their own homes, was found to encourage hair growth in mice. While more research is required, the study authors believe it could also work on humans.

Lead author Ken Kobayashi and his colleagues said that the resin-like substance, which is comprised primarily of tree sap, is used to seal small gaps in their hives. Not only does propolis serve as a physical barrier, but it also contains active compounds that can help prevent fungi and bacteria from infiltrating the bees’ home, the American Chemical Society (ACS) said in a statement.

“People from ancient times had noticed propolis’ special properties and used it to treat tumors, inflammation and wounds. More recently, research has shown that the substance promotes the growth of certain cells involved in hair growth though no one had yet tested whether that in turn would result in new locks,” the ACS said.

Kobayashi and his colleagues set out to do just that, and when they tested the substance on mice than had been waxed or shaved, they found that those who had been treated with it regrew their fur faster than those that had not been. Furthermore, they also found that applying the topical solution “stimulated migration of hair matrix keratinocytes into the hair shaft” – in other words, increasing the number of cells involved in the process of growing hair.

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