Condition
Hirsutism
Hirsutism is excess hair growth in women in areas where men typically grow it, like the face, chest and back, usually from extra androgens (male hormones) or heightened sensitivity to them. Spearmint tea and inositol have the most support, both moderate, with spearmint studies finding lower free testosterone and inositol linked to improved blood glucose. The inositol glucose finding came from two small studies, and other supplements have only limited evidence.
Sources: PMID 19585478; PMID 36703143
- Supplements studied
- 1
- Graded outcomes
- 1
- Trials
- 1
- People studied
- 46
Evidence by supplement
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blood glucose Small Improvement | Improves (the measure goes down) | Small effect | 2 studies | 46 people | ||
| Excessive Hair Growth | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 46 people | |||
Studies that measured excessive hair growth | ||||||
| Insulin | Changes; see studies | 1 study | 46 people | |||
Key findings
- Blood glucoseImproves (the measure goes down)
The Hirsutism Management Support protocol
2 primary supplements · 6 supporting supplements
- Spearmint Tea2 cups spearmint tea daily (1 cup twice daily)
- Inositol (Myo-inositol)2–4 g myo-inositol daily
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Studies cited
55 studies from PubMed
- Myo-Inositol in Patients with PCOS: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- Myo-Inositol and D-Chiro-Inositol in PCOS Treatment: A Meta-Analysis
- Inositol and Insulin Resistance: Mechanisms and Clinical Evidence
- Inositol and Depression: A Systematic Review
- Inositol and PCOS: A Comprehensive Review of Clinical Evidence
- Inositol in Anxiety Disorders: A Systematic Review
- Myo-Inositol in Gestational Diabetes: A Meta-Analysis
- Inositol and Fertility: A Comprehensive Review
- Safety and Efficacy of Inositol in Clinical Practice: A Review
- Inositol Effects on Metabolic Syndrome: A Systematic Review
- The combined therapy with myo-inositol and D-chiro-inositol reduces the risk of metabolic disease in PCOS overweight patients compared to myo-inositol supplementation alone
- Effects of inositol on ovarian function and metabolic factors in women with PCOS: a randomized double blind placebo-controlled trial
- Differential insulin response to myo-inositol administration in obese polycystic ovary syndrome patients
- Inositol administration reduces oxidative stress in erythrocytes of patients with polycystic ovary syndrome
- Effects of d-chiro-inositol in lean women with the polycystic ovary syndrome
- Insulin sensitiser agents alone and in co-treatment with r-FSH for ovulation induction in PCOS women
- Efficacy of myo-inositol in the treatment of cutaneous disorders in young women with polycystic ovary syndrome
- Metabolic and hormonal effects of myo-inositol in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a double-blind trial
- Myo-inositol administration positively affects hyperinsulinemia and hormonal parameters in overweight patients with polycystic ovary syndrome
- Pharmacological and Non-Pharmacological Interventions for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) in Indian Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
- Inositol is an effective and safe treatment in polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
- Effects of myo-inositol supplementation on oocyte's quality in PCOS patients: a double blind trial
- Myo-inositol rather than D-chiro-inositol is able to improve oocyte quality in intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles. A prospective, controlled, randomized trial
- Myo-inositol may prevent gestational diabetes in PCOS women
- Inositol for subfertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome.
- Myo-inositol treatment increases serum plasmalogens and decreases small dense LDL, particularly in hyperlipidemic subjects with metabolic syndrome
- One-year effects of myo-inositol supplementation in postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome
- A phase I study of myo-inositol for lung cancer chemoprevention
- Treatment of hirsutism with myo-inositol: a prospective clinical study
- Inositol for depressive disorders.
- Double-blind, controlled trial of inositol treatment of depression
- Treatment-resistant bipolar depression: a STEP-BD equipoise randomized effectiveness trial of antidepressant augmentation with lamotrigine, inositol, or risperidone
- Inositol addition does not improve depression in SSRI treatment failures
- Effect of inositol on bulimia nervosa and binge eating
- Inositol Nutritional Supplementation for the Prevention of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
- The effect of myoinositol supplementation on insulin resistance in patients with gestational diabetes
- Dietary supplementation with myo-inositol in women during pregnancy for treating gestational diabetes.
- A phase 2 randomized trial of ELND005, scyllo-inositol, in mild to moderate Alzheimer disease
- Inositol treatment of Alzheimer's disease: a double blind, cross-over placebo controlled trial
- Lack of effect of inositol treatment in chronic schizophrenia
- CSF inositol in schizophrenia and high-dose inositol treatment of schizophrenia
- Double-blind, controlled, crossover trial of inositol versus fluvoxamine for the treatment of panic disorder
- Double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of inositol treatment for panic disorder
- Acute inositol does not attenuate m-CPP-induced anxiety, mydriasis and endocrine effects in panic disorder
- Myo-inositol in the treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder
- Myo-inositol has no beneficial effect on premenstrual dysphoric disorder
- Inositol as an add-on treatment for bipolar depression
- Inositol treatment of autism
- Inositol treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Inositol treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder
- Lack of effect of 6 g inositol treatment of post-ECT cognitive function in humans
- The effect of inositol supplements on the psoriasis of patients taking lithium: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial
- Pretreatment with myo-inositol in non polycystic ovary syndrome patients undergoing multiple follicular stimulation for IVF: a pilot study
- The effects of inositol supplementation on lipid profiles among patients with metabolic diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
- The efficacy and safety of inositol supplementation in preterm infants to prevent retinopathy of prematurity: a systematic review and meta-analysis.