Pea Sprout Extract for Hair Loss: Shedding Counts, Scalp Tests and Mice

The oral pilot counted hairs collected during brushing

The 2020 paper¹ reported 21 completers, including 18 women, taking 100 mg AnaGain Nu pea sprout extract daily for eight weeks. Participants collected shed hairs from morning and evening brushing; a technician counted them.¹

Mean collected hairs fell from 163.7 at baseline to 100.4 at eight weeks. There was no placebo group. This was a change during supplementation, without a controlled estimate of how much the extract contributed. Fewer collected shed hairs also do not directly measure new scalp growth.¹

Mibelle supplied the extract and funded the study; the authors listed Mibelle affiliations. They declared no conflicts of interest.¹

The earlier scalp study used a different formulation

A 2013 trade-publication report described 17 women and three men applying 4% AnaGain gel twice daily for twelve weeks. Scalp photographs distinguished growing anagen hairs from resting telogen hairs. Growing-hair density increased 7.9% and resting-hair density decreased 28.3%. The report described no untreated or placebo comparison for this study.²

The same report examined hair-follicle gene activity after two weeks of a 2% scalp preparation. Changes in signaling genes are a mechanistic finding, not a measurement of visible regrowth. Neither formulation can be treated as a trial of every serum containing pea sprout extract.²

The 2025 paper added cells and mice

The newer experiment used cultured cells and male mice, with five mice per treatment group in the reported analyses. Oral treatment lasted fourteen days. Pea sprout extract promoted regrowth of shaved mouse-back hair and altered growth-related signaling.³

This was not a new human treatment trial. It cannot establish a woman’s expected regrowth, an effective consumer dose or long-term safety. CKD Healthcare supported the research.³

Match the proposed treatment to the cause of hair loss

The AAD describes diagnosis beginning with the timeline, a scalp examination and assessment of the hair. Blood tests or a scalp biopsy may be appropriate when an underlying condition is suspected. Some hair can regrow without treatment, depending on the cause.⁴

Bring the full ingredient list to an appointment, together with when shedding or thinning began and any changes in medicines, illness or diet. Ask which outcome would be measured: shedding, hair density, strand thickness or appearance in comparable photographs. Ask what evidence applies to the specific formulation being offered.

“Counting Hairs for Science” in Chapter 3 of Hair, Everywhere explains the clinical hair-pull test and the history and examination that accompany it. A brush-hair count from a supplement study is a different measurement.