Molecular target
5α-Reductase
Enzyme converting testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Inhibition (finasteride, dutasteride) reduces DHT — the basis for benign prostatic hyperplasia and androgenetic alopecia therapy. Saw palmetto and several other plant extracts have weak 5α-reductase inhibition.
Educational use only. This page summarizes published research and traditional-use records for educational purposes. It does not diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Do not start, stop, or change medications based on this information. Discuss any decisions about therapies — pharmaceutical or botanical — with a qualified clinician who knows your medical history.
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Pharmaceutical agents
Drugs that act on 5α-Reductase
These medications have 5α-Reductase among their molecular targets. Sharing a target is a mechanistic relationship — it does not make any plant below an alternative to, or substitute for, these drugs.
Botanical connections
Plants whose compounds act on 5α-Reductase
Each plant below contains a named compound documented to act on 5α-Reductase. The compound and the reason for the connection are shown on every edge — a shared mechanism, not a therapeutic equivalence.
- Free fatty acids (lauric, myristic, oleic)Fatty acid mixture
Lipophilic fraction of the berry; weak 5α-reductase inhibition. Preferential extraction by hexanic methods (Permixon) is the basis of standardized products.
- β-SitosterolPhytosterol
Plant sterol with 5α-reductase modulating activity; also found in pygeum, pumpkin seed, and many other plants.
- β-SitosterolPhytosterol
Same mechanism as saw palmetto — weak 5α-reductase inhibition; phytosterols are concentrated in pumpkin seed oil.
- β-SitosterolPhytosterol
Same primary phytosterol as saw palmetto; weak 5α-reductase inhibition with anti-inflammatory effects on prostate tissue.
- β-sitosterol + lectin (UDA)phytosterol + glycoprotein
Inhibit conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and bind to sex-hormone-binding globulin in vitro; the principal mechanism for the modest BPH symptom relief observed with nettle root extract.