J Dermatol 2002 Jun;29(6):343-6
Onion juice (Allium cepa L.), a new topical treatment for alopecia
areata.
Sharquie KE, Al-Obaidi HK.
Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Baghdad Teaching Hospital, Iraq.
Alopecia areata is a patchy, non-scarring hair loss condition. Any hair-bearing surface
may be involved, and different modalities of treatment have been used to induce hair
regrowth. This study was designed to test the effectiveness of topical crude onion juice
in the treatment of patchy alopecia areata in comparison with tap water. The patients were
divided into two groups. The first group [onion juice treated] consisted of 23 patients,
16 males (69.5%) and 7 females (30.5%). Their ages ranged between 5-42 years with a mean
of 22.7 years. The second group [control; tap-water-treated] consisted of 15 patients, 8
males (53.3%) and 7 females (46.6%). Their ages ranged between 3-35 years with a mean of
18.3 years. The two groups were advised to apply the treatment twice daily for two months.
Re-growth of terminal coarse hairs started after two weeks of treatment with crude onion
juice. At four weeks, hair re-growth was seen in 17 patients (73.9%), and, at six weeks,
the hair re-growth was observed in 20 patients (86.9%) and was significantly higher among
males (93.7%) compared to females (71.4%) P<0.0001. In the tap-water treated-control
group, hair re-growth was apparent in only 2 patients (13%) at 8 weeks of treatment with
no sex difference. The present study showed that the use of crude onion juice gave
significantly higher results with regard to hair re-growth than did tap water
(P<0.0001), and that it can be an effective topical therapy for patchy alopecia areata.
Publication Types:
- Clinical Trial
- Controlled Clinical Trial
PMID: 12126069 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]