NAC Grape Seed Extract & Hair Growth
You may have already heard about the health benefits of grapes, grape juice and red wine. Grapes are also harvested for their seeds, which have powerful antioxidant properties. NAC is another antioxidant added to some grape seed extract formulas. Extracts from grape seeds have numerous health benefits, including stimulating hair growth. Does this Spark an idea?
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History
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Humans have used grapes for thousands of years, including for purposes other than juice, wine or eating. Besides the ripe grapes, the stems, leaves and dried grapes (raisins) were used for healing. In more recent times, the seeds of red grapes were shown to also have healing properties. In 1970, Jacques Masquelier of the University of Bordeaux in France, discovered the antioxidant power of grape seed extract.
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Features
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Grape seed extract contains oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs), which are a type of flavonoid or antioxidant found in many plants. N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is another powerful antioxidant included in some grape seed extracts and is an altered form of the amino acid cysteine, an alpha-amino acid most proteins have. Keratin, the protein that forms the basis of hair, is abundant in NAC.
Dosage
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The proper dosage of grape seed extract is 50mg daily taken with meals and up to 300mg with a doctor's permission. You can buy NAC grape seed extract at natural health food stores or online, and you'll find it in capsules, tablets or in fluid form. Make sure it is standardized to 95 percent OPC content.
Function
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Native Americans applied grape seed extract directly to their scalp to stimulate hair growth. Also, Japanese researchers report having had regrowth in all areas of their scalp after taking grape seed extract.
Expert Insight
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In a 1998 study at Tsukuba research laboratories in Ibaraki, Japan, the OPCs extracted from grape seeds were shown to stimulate hair growth. "Test tube studies confirm that OPCs actually stimulate the hair keratinocytes to produce three times more hair than the controls," the study said.
Tips and Warnings
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Consult with your doctor before taking grape seed extract if you're taking blood thinners such as warfarin (Coumadin), heparin or aspirin. Grape seed extract inhibits blood clotting.
Grape seed extract is very safe but it can also interfere with antibiotics, so avoid taking both together. Do not take NAC grape seed extract if you have a history of kidney stones.
Avoid taking grape seed extract while pregnant or breastfeeding, as not enough is known about its effects on a fetus.
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