L-Ergothioneine Patent Filed for Hair, Nail Growth

Total Nutraceutical Solutions (TNS; Stevenson, WA) has filed a provisional patent covering the ingestible and topical use of natural, as well as synthetic, amino acid L-ergothioneine (ERGO) for improving hair and nail health, growth, and natural coloring.

The company says that as a master antioxidant, L-ergothioneine may reduce the damage caused by oxidative stress, free radicals such as cytokines, and inflammation. The company says these findings stem from a research partnership it has with Lifespan Biosciences to validate the physiologic role of L-ergothioneine and the ERGO transporter in human health. Specifically, the company says it discovered significant ERGO transporter expression in the germinative layer of the cells responsible for hair growth.

The company plans to start a human clinical study in coming months to measure L-ergothioneine’s effects on hair and nail growth in patients 60 days before and 90 days following supplementation. The company also sells its own Groh nutritional supplement that is sold in North American hair salons and features the ErgoD2 ingredient with L-ergothioneine and vitamin D2.