Benefits
Hairline recession reduction
At 250 mg/day over 12 weeks, healthy women and men experiencing hair loss showed significant reduction in hairline recession appearance vs placebo. Recession was measured as the distance from the eyebrow to the start of the hairline. The Norwood/Hamilton and Ludwig-Savin pattern hair loss scales were also recorded and showed no significant difference between groups, and neither did the one minute combing test or the hair pull test. Hair density reached only a trend, not statistical significance. So this one measure is the single hair outcome in the trial that separated from placebo, the trial was funded by the ingredient supplier, and it appeared in a journal that is not indexed in PubMed. Treat the finding as preliminary until an independent group repeats it.
Reduced total prostaglandins
The pivotal 12-week trial documented a substantial decrease in total circulating prostaglandins in the HairAge group vs placebo. Prostaglandins — particularly PGD2 — are implicated in androgenetic alopecia pathology. The trial measured total prostaglandins in blood, not PGD2 in scalp tissue, so this is consistent with the proposed mechanism rather than confirmation of it, and no published laboratory study of this extract has actually measured PGD2. A change in a blood marker is also not the same thing as more hair, and in this trial the hair measures were largely unchanged.
Type-2 5α-reductase reduction (males)
In male participants, HairAge produced a statistically significant reduction in type-2 5α-reductase activity from baseline — while the placebo group showed an increase. The same enzyme is targeted by prescription drugs, but that comparison is about biochemistry only. A supplement is not a mild version of a prescription medicine, it is not a treatment for androgenetic alopecia or any other diagnosed condition, and no head to head comparison with any drug has been run. The change was also measured in blood, in men only, in one supplier funded trial, and it did not translate into a significant improvement in hair density or hair counts in that same trial.
Hair density in a topical trial, which is the wrong route for an oral supplement
Earlier topical clinical trials of the same Ageratum conyzoides extract demonstrated considerable increase in hair density and decrease in hair loss ratio (HLR) in alopecia patients. These topical findings were the rationale for developing the oral form. The oral trial did not reproduce that result: hair density in the oral trial reached only a trend and did not achieve statistical significance. Topical scalp application and a swallowed capsule are different routes of delivery, and a result from a gel rubbed into the scalp does not transfer to an oral supplement. The topical trial also found no significant change in the combing test, the pull test or the pattern hair loss scales, and product for it was supplied and sponsored by the ingredient maker.
Studied in both men and women
The oral trial enrolled both men and women, and the hairline recession result was reported for the group as a whole rather than for men only. That is worth knowing, but it is not a reason to choose this instead of a prescribed medicine. Comparisons with prescription drugs for pattern hair loss are not appropriate for a food supplement, and anyone dealing with noticeable or sudden hair loss should see a doctor, since it can have medical causes. Note also that the one enzyme result in the trial was reported in male participants only.
Anti-inflammatory mechanism support
Ageratum conyzoides has documented antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties in preclinical research. Inflammation of the hair follicle and surrounding scalp tissue contributes to pattern hair loss progression. This is laboratory and animal work only. No human study has measured scalp inflammation with this ingredient, so the anti-inflammatory idea is a hypothesis about how it might work rather than a demonstrated benefit, and it should not be read as a comparison with any medicine.
US patent, which is a commercial right and not evidence
HairAge Vitae holds a US patent specifically for hair growth, hair loss control, and dandruff applications. Saanroo (formerly Gencor) is a GMP-certified Ayurveda-rooted ingredient supplier with multiple branded ingredients across hair, skin, and women's health categories. A patent covers commercial rights and a described method. It is granted for novelty, not for proof of benefit, and a patent office does not assess whether an ingredient works or whether it is safe. Standardisation is a real advantage over unstandardised plant material, particularly given the pyrrolizidine alkaloid issue described in the safety section, but the patent itself is not evidence of effect.
Mechanism of action
Type-2 5α-reductase inhibition
Type-2 5α-reductase converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the androgen primarily responsible for androgenetic alopecia in genetically susceptible individuals. Laboratory work on the extract reports reduced 5α-reductase activity, and the single oral trial reported a fall in a blood measure of type-2 5α-reductase in its male participants. Prescription medicines act on the same enzyme, but naming them describes the pathway and is not a claim that this supplement does what they do or can be used in their place.
Prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) inhibition
PGD2 accumulates in balding scalp tissue and inhibits hair follicle growth via the GPR44 receptor. The evidence that PGD2 matters in balding scalp comes from separate dermatology research that did not involve Ageratum. The published laboratory study of an Ageratum extract in human follicle dermal papilla cells reported effects on 5α-reductase, Wnt signalling, VEGF and oxidative stress, and reported no PGD2 measurement at all, so the claim of direct PGD2 inhibition by this extract is not supported by any publication we could find. The oral trial measured total prostaglandins in blood, which is a broad marker rather than PGD2 in scalp tissue. PGD2 inhibition therefore remains a proposed mechanism for this ingredient.
Scalp anti-inflammatory effects
Ageratum conyzoides has documented anti-inflammatory properties spanning multiple inflammatory pathways. Chronic low-grade scalp inflammation contributes to hair follicle miniaturization in androgenetic alopecia. No human study has measured scalp inflammation with this ingredient, so this remains a proposed mechanism drawn from cell and animal work rather than something shown in people.
Antimicrobial and antioxidant support
Preclinical research documents broad antimicrobial activity (supporting the patent's dandruff indication) and antioxidant activity. Both effects support a healthier scalp environment for hair follicle function. Oxidative stress at the follicle is thought to contribute to age related decline in hair quality. This is a rationale drawn from cell and animal work, not a demonstrated result: the oral trial did not show a significant reduction in hair shed on the combing or pull tests, and it did not measure dandruff at all.
Clinical trials
Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial evaluating oral HairAge (Ageratum conyzoides extract) at 250 mg/day for 12 weeks. Outcomes measured via combing test (mean hairs lost in one-minute combing), hair tug/pull test, Norwood/Hamilton and Ludwig-Savin hair recession scales, and blood biomarkers (prostaglandins, type-2 5α-reductase). Published in Trichology and Cosmetology;6(1):1-6, a journal that is not indexed in PubMed or MEDLINE, so this paper has not passed through the indexing filters that apply to most studies cited on this site. The trial was funded by the ingredient supplier and no independent group has repeated it.
84 healthy women and men experiencing hair loss. 12-week intervention.
Significant reduction in hairline recession versus placebo, measured as the distance from the eyebrow to the start of the hairline. The Norwood/Hamilton and Ludwig-Savin pattern scales, the one minute combing test and the hair pull test all showed no significant difference between groups, and hair density reached a trend only. Decrease in total prostaglandins in the HairAge group versus placebo. Total prostaglandins in blood is a broad marker and is not the same as PGD2 in the scalp, so this supports the proposed mechanism rather than proving it. In males, statistically significant reduction in type-2 5α-reductase from baseline (HairAge group decreased, placebo increased). No safety concerns. Ethics committee approval restricted to 12 weeks, so longer-term effect sustainability requires further trials.
Randomised double blind placebo controlled trial of a topical Ageratum conyzoides gel at 0.5 percent strength, applied to the scalp twice daily for 12 weeks, run by a contract research organisation in Australia and published in 2022 in the Journal of Cosmetology and Trichology, a journal that is not indexed in PubMed. Product was supplied by the ingredient maker. Outcomes included hair density measurement and Hair Loss Ratio (HLR) assessment. Established the topical proof-of-concept that preceded the oral formulation development.
Adults with self reported hair loss, men and women, with 80 enrolled and 67 included in the final analysis. Topical scalp gel applied twice daily for 12 weeks, not an oral dose.
Topical Ageratum conyzoides extract considerably increased hair density and decreased the Hair Loss Ratio (HLR) in alopecia patients. In the same trial there was no significant change in the one minute combing test, the hair pull test, or the Hamilton-Norwood and Savin pattern scales, and quality of life scores did not differ from placebo. This is the wrong route for the oral supplement described on this page: a gel rubbed into the scalp puts the extract directly at the follicle, and swallowing a capsule does not. It is background to how the oral product came about, not evidence for it.
Laboratory cell-culture studies of HairAge extract on dermal papilla cells — the specialized fibroblast cells at the hair follicle base that regulate hair growth and the growth phase transition. The published version of this cell work, in Nutrients in 2025, tested 5α-reductase activity, oestrogen receptor signalling, Wnt and MAPK pathway activation and oxidative stress markers, and paired the cell work with a mouse experiment using oral dosing for 21 days. It reports no PGD2 measurement anywhere. The extract was supplied by Gencor Pacific, the company behind the branded ingredient described here, and two of the authors were employed by a commercial partner, so this is industry linked work rather than independent confirmation. Cell and mouse results do not establish what happens in people.
Laboratory cell culture in human follicle dermal papilla cells, plus a separate C57BL/6 mouse experiment using oral dosing. No human participants.
The published cell work in human follicle dermal papilla cells reports inhibition of 5α-reductase activity, activation of Wnt and MAPK signalling, higher VEGF and lower DKK-1, and reduced reactive oxygen species. It reports no PGD2 measurement, so the frequently repeated claim that this extract inhibits PGD2 release in these cells is not something we can find in any published paper. PGD2 is implicated in hair follicle miniaturization in androgenetic alopecia; 5α-reductase converts testosterone to DHT, the androgen driving male pattern hair loss. Established the dual-mechanism rationale that was subsequently validated in the human pivotal trial.