Before You Buy Herbs for Blocking DHT: Only the Pill Has Measured Data

Three things are sold for blocking DHT (dihydrotestosterone): a pill, herbs and foods. In these sources, only the pill comes with a DHT figure.

Some studies report that Propecia, the brand of finasteride, can lower DHT levels by as much as 70%, per Miami Hair. Miami Hair is a hair transplant clinic, and it does not name those studies. The claims for herbs and foods are hedged, and the sources below say so in their own words.

Your body converts about 10% of its testosterone into DHT through an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase, Healthline explains. A DHT blocker is anything said to slow that conversion.

Herbal Blockers Showed Only Mild, Inconsistent Effects on DHT

Herbs come with no DHT figure in these sources, only hedged findings. The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) names saw palmetto and pumpkin seed oil extract as herbal DHT blockers.

Bosley, a hair restoration company, says herbs showed “mild 5-alpha reductase inhibition in early studies” (Bosley). It calls the effect “modest and inconsistent” and says herbs “don’t match prescription-level DHT suppression.”

LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor, a UK online pharmacy service, is blunter. It says there is “no scientific evidence whatsoever” for the herbal claims and warns that many products sold as DHT blockers have no effect on male pattern baldness. A guest post on Perfect Hair Health agrees: “most natural DHT reducers lack enough DHT-reducing capabilities to regrow hair.”

Before you buy, weigh what LloydsPharmacy says about cost and delay. Natural supplements taken in moderation are unlikely to harm your health, it says, but they “can be expensive, and delay you from taking treatment which actually works.” Of the many hair loss products on sale, it warns that “some may even be harmful to your health” (LloydsPharmacy).

Foods carry the softest claim of all. Healthline’s list of foods that may block DHT hedges with “may” in its own title, so read any such list as a diet note, not a blocker. Before you pay for a plant extract on the strength of its label, read our guide to hair oil and hair growth label claims.

Finasteride Lowered DHT by Up to 70% in Some Studies

Finasteride is the only option in these sources with a DHT figure, and it has a hair result too. LloydsPharmacy describes a photographic study of men with moderate hair loss in which “90% of the men stopped losing hair” (LloydsPharmacy).

That result comes with two costs. The Miami Hair post puts sexual side effects at “about one out of every hundred” men and says they are almost always temporary (Miami Hair). LloydsPharmacy says that if you stop, the hair loss comes back and new hair falls out (LloydsPharmacy).

So finasteride is a long-term commitment, not a short course. For the dose and the wait, see finasteride 1 mg and how long to judge it.

Minoxidil Does Not Lower DHT on Its Own

Minoxidil works alongside DHT blockers. It is not one of them. Bosley says topical minoxidil does not reduce DHT on its own and is often combined with DHT-blocking treatments.

Finasteride Is Not Cleared for Women Because of Birth-Defect Risk

If you are a woman weighing a prescription option, check finasteride’s status first. Finasteride is not cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for women, and Bosley gives the reason as “risks of birth defects.” Miami Hair adds that pregnant women, and women who may become pregnant, should not handle it (Miami Hair).

Bosley names spironolactone as an alternative for women (Bosley). In plain words, it is a medicine that “reduces androgen activity on hair follicles,” and androgens are the hormone family DHT belongs to.

For how the two best-known medicines compare in women, see minoxidil vs finasteride for women.

Side by Side: Finasteride Is the Only Option With a DHT Figure in These Sources

Rows run from the strongest reported effect on DHT down to none claimed. Each cell reports only what its linked source says.

Option	Effect on DHT, per source	Use by women	Caution or note, per source
Finasteride (Propecia)	Down by as much as 70% in some studies (Miami Hair)	Not FDA-cleared for women (Bosley)	Sexual side effects in about 1 in 100 men, almost always temporary (Miami Hair); loss returns if you stop (LloydsPharmacy)
Herbal blockers (saw palmetto, pumpkin seed oil extract, named by ISHRS)	“Mild” inhibition in early studies, “modest and inconsistent” (Bosley)	No guidance in these sources	“No scientific evidence whatsoever” for the claims (LloydsPharmacy)
DHT foods	“May block” DHT, per its own title (Healthline)	No guidance in these sources	A “may” claim; read it as a diet note, not a blocker
Topical minoxidil	Does not reduce DHT on its own (Bosley)	No guidance in these sources	Often combined with DHT-blocking treatments (Bosley)
In-office treatments or transplant surgery	No DHT figure given (Anderson Center)	No guidance in these sources	Named for more advanced cases (Anderson Center)

Three of these rows are sold as DHT blockers. In these sources, only one of them has a DHT figure: finasteride (Miami Hair). Herbs are “modest and inconsistent” (Bosley), and foods only “may block” (Healthline).

ISHRS Puts Any Visible Change at a Few Months to a Year

ISHRS gives one window for DHT blockers in general: any rise in hair volume and thickness may take from the first few months up to a year of use. It says “some people” may see that rise, not everyone. The window is not a timeline for any single pill, herb or food.

In-Office Options and Transplants Come In for More Advanced Loss

For more advanced hair loss, the Anderson Center for Hair, a hair clinic, points to in-office options: PRP (platelet-rich plasma), PRF (platelet-rich fibrin) or transplant surgery. PRP and PRF are both prepared from a sample of your own blood. If you are pricing that step, see what PRP for hair loss costs in NYC.

Verdict: Finasteride Has the Numbers for Men, With Strings Attached

1. Verdict: For men who want DHT lower, finasteride is the only option with a DHT figure in these sources (Miami Hair).
2. The real flaw, with its fix: any benefit lasts only while you keep taking it. LloydsPharmacy says the loss returns when you stop (LloydsPharmacy), and ISHRS says even on DHT blockers “hair loss continues, albeit at a slower pace” (ISHRS). Before starting, decide with a prescriber whether a long-term medicine suits you. If it doesn’t, ask about minoxidil: it does not lower DHT, but it “can help support the growth phase of the hair cycle” (Bosley).
3. Strengths: the only DHT figure in these sources, and “90% of the men stopped losing hair” in one photographic study of men with moderate hair loss (LloydsPharmacy).
4. Who should skip: anyone who wants a DHT figure should skip herbs and DHT foods. Finasteride is not FDA-cleared for women; ask a clinician about alternatives.

Next: Compare Finasteride and Minoxidil for Men

Read minoxidil vs finasteride for men to see how the two medicines differ in where they act.

See a Dermatologist Before Starting Any DHT Blocker

See a dermatologist before you start any option on this page, and bring a list of what you already take. Hair loss has more than one cause, and an exam can tell pattern thinning apart from the rest before you spend money on a blocker.

Go back if side effects appear, or if a year passes with no visible change. A year is the outer edge of the ISHRS window.

Not medical advice: this is general health information. A doctor or pharmacist can tell you what fits your case.

Next step: read more in Treatments compared on HairLossTreatment, or check the figures in Same Hair-Loss Pill, Different Price: Who Charges What.