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Chaga has long been noted in folk traditions for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and chaga extracts have also been used effectively to maintain healthy hair. Hair care company Svenson and the Svenson Group have focused on these characteristics and have conducted a series of studies on the effects in relation to healthy hair.
We have also conducted joint research with Tokushima University on the effectiveness of chaga and developed our own raw materials, working to apply the benefits and power of chaga to hair growth products and other hair care products.
Chaga (chaga mushrooms) are widespread throughout Japan (Hokkaido),
Europe, Asia, North America, and other parts of the Northern Hemisphere.
Chaga mushrooms
In the West Siberian region of Russia, chaga has been used in
“folk medicine” for cancer.
This has led to an intense research effort focused on antitumor effects, as well as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-HIV, anti-HSV and anti-influenza virus effects.
It has also been reported in academic papers by research institutes to have preventive effects against diabetes, arteriosclerosis, and other diseases.
In Mongolia, on the other hand, extracts of chaga have been
traditionally used in hair washing to “maintain healthy hair”.
Chaga is mainly a parasite of white birch trees.
Believing that chaga could have effects not only on the hair, but also on the scalp and hair growth and regrowth, the joint research team of Svenson Inc. and the Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences of Tokushima University (Prof. Yoshiki Kashiwada) conducted a search for ingredients as part of their research on ethnic traditional drugs.
（Tokushima University web site）
The joint research team of Svenson and Tokushima University has found
that chaga extract is more highly effective in inhibiting testosterone 5α-reductase activity and promoting hair papilla cell (HFDPC) proliferation compared to target drugs.
As a result, it was confirmed that even at low concentrations,
the effect was approximately 145% higher than that of minoxidil.
Ultimately, the ingredients were isolated based on their growth-promoting
activity in normal human hair papilla cells (HFDPC), and it was found that the compound isolated as the active ingredient showed a growth-promoting activity of HFDPC that exceeded that of the control drug minoxidil, and also promoted the production of various growth factors (FGF-7, VEGF, IGF-1, HGF) that promote hair growth and regrowth.
Next, we found that among the compounds compared to adenosine,
those with higher stimulated production showed approximately 102% to 135% activity for FGF-7 and approximately 132% to 220% activity for VEGF.
Target compound：
Lanosterol, 3beta-Hydroxylanosta-8, 24-diene-21-al, Inotodiol, 3β, 21-dihydroxylanosta-8, 24-diene, Trametenolic acid, Ergosterol, Stellasterol, Inotolactone B, Betulin, Sodium beta-sitosterol sulfate, Ergosterol peroxide, Inonotusane C, 3β, 22R, 25-trihydroxy lanost-8, 23E-diene, Inonotutriol A
This section describes various growth factors that promote hair growth and regrowth in addition to the papilla cell proliferation-promoting activity described above.
Produced by hair papilla cells, FGF-7 (KGF) acts on hair matrix cells to promote hair growth by stimulating their proliferation and division, and is also known as a hair growth promoting factor that is used in many hair growth studies.
Vascular endothelial growth factor, VEGF, works by binding to receptors on the surface of vascular endothelial cells to promote cell division and the formation of new blood vessels, which in turn nourishes hair follicles and leads to hair regrowth and growth.
Insulin-like growth factor 1, a growth factor with a structure very similar to insulin, is produced in the liver and other tissues (e.g., skeletal muscle) by growth hormone. It promotes normalization of the hair cycle, hair growth and regrowth.
Hepatocyte growth factor normalizes the hair cycle and promotes hair growth and nurturing.
Svenson and the Tokushima University presented a poster on these joint studies at the 2018 Pharmaceutical Society of Japan and a research paper was published in the 2019 Journal of The Japanese Society of Pharmacognosy (JSP).
2018 The 138th Annual Meeting of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan
Kazumi Sagayama*1、Kanji Niwa*1、Naonobu Tanaka*1、Takatoshi Fukumoto*2、Yoshiki Kashiwada*1（*1Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Tokushima University、*2Svenson Corporation）
Sagayama, K.; Tanaka, N.; Fukumoto, T.; Kashiwada, Y. J. Nat. Med., 2019, 73, 597-601.
2021 46th Convention of the Japanese Cosmetic Science Society Kazumi Sagayama*1,*4、Naonobu Tanaka*1、Takatoshi Fukumoto*2、Kikuji Yamashita*3、Yoshiki Kashiwada*1（*1 Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Tokushima University、*2 Svenson Corporation、*3 Niigata University of Pharmacy and Medical and Life Sciences、*4 Okayama University Industry-Academia Collaboration Organization）
Svenson and Tokushima University received a patent (patent number: 6582322) in 2019 as a result of these joint studies.
A joint research team from Svenson and Tokushima University extracted and isolated compounds contained in chaga and evaluated the effects of each ingredient on hair growth and regrowth.
They found that a combination of several compounds in chaga was effective for hair growth and regrowth.
Combination of R1 and R2 in the above general formula (LTT)
a）R1=CH3かつR2=H
b）R1=CHOかつR2=H
c）R1=CH3かつR2=H
d）R1=CH2OHかつR2=H
e）R1=COOHかつR2=H
Five lanostannic triterpenoids can be obtained, for example, by extraction and isolation from plant matter. Five lanostane-type triterpenoids represented by the above general formula (LTT) are obtained by separation and purification of the extract obtained by solvent extraction from the fruiting bodies of chaga (kabanoanatake) using appropriate separation and purification methods such as column chromatography, ion exchange chromatography, and high-performance liquid chromatography.
Through repeated extraction and isolation of these lanostane-type triterpenoids and many other compounds, we discovered substances that are effective for hair growth and nurturing.
Svenson subsequently conducted research on the practical application of chaga extract as a quasi-drug ingredient. This was the first time that the company had made an effort to develop a proprietary raw material that could be used in quasi-drugs.
Chaga mushrooms
Based on joint research with Tokushima University, we have conducted research and development on the application of chaga to products, and have reached approval as a new raw material for quasi-drugs such as hair-growth agents. The Svenson Group will continue to offer and propose hair care products such as hair growth tonic and medicated shampoos that effectively utilize the efficacy of chaga extract.
In addition, the Svenson Group will consider initiatives to promote chaga’s hair care products not only through its own brand products but also through OEM/ODM contracting.
OEM, a member of the Svenson Group, will undertake OEM/ODM of hair growth products, shampoos, treatments, and other hair care products using chaga extract.
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