5 Chinese Herbs Effective at Treating Hair Loss – Backed by Science

Hair loss affects up to 50% of men and women at a certain point in their lives, creating stress and helplessness that can have a major impact on a person’s quality of life. [1–2] The problem has been connected to various of reasons: hair follicle disorder, genetic background, hormones, medication, and psychological stress, all of which can affect the hair follicle cycle. [3, 4] Many research have been conducted in an attempt to understand the pathogenesis of hair loss. However, the complicated molecular interactions between hair follicle cells are not completely understood, and the actual causation of alopecia is still uncertain.

Medications like finasteride and minoxidil have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration of the United States (FDA, USA) to promote hair growth. However, the effectiveness of these drugs varies greatly among individuals, which includes having unwanted side effects. Relatedly, many people who suffer from alopecia are concerned about the side effects associated with conventional therapies, and complementary and alternative medicine. Thus, a new suggestion of a new treatment can help hair loss and alopecia.[5] It has been found that traditional Chinese herb is an important part of healthcare in East Asia, and it is commonly used to treat alopecia patients. [5, 6]

Chinese Herbal Remedies For Hair Loss You May Try

1. Reishi
2. Radix angelicae sinesis
3. Fo-ti (Radix ploygoni multiflora preparate)
4. Herbal Eclipta prostratal
5. Fructus ligustri lucidi

Reishi

The Reishi mushroom, also known as Ganoderma lucidum or Lingzhi, is a historical herb known as the "herb of divine energy" in China, Japan, Korea, and other Asian nations(Wasser,2005). For about 2000 years, this nutritious mushroom has been used in combination with other herbal medicines such as Fo-ti to cure and avoid a variety of severe illnesses and diseases. This herbal mushroom has a wide list of health benefits, including lowering blood pressure, boosting your immune system, improving cholesterol level, decreasing anxiety, and lowering the risk of heart disease. Moreover, the Reishi fungus has been shown to be beneficial to the skin, preventing hair loss and premature hair loss.

Reishi mushrooms also have effects on our hair as it has an anti-inflammatory benefit, in combination with being packed in antioxidants. Reishi do not only enhance the circulation of our blood and increases the blood flow, but it also enables more oxygen, nutrients, and minerals to enter the scalp and encourages healthy hair development. Furthermore, hair breakage and hair loss can be due to different health concerns, one cause of poor hair growth is caused by inadequate blood circulation in the scalp. Research has shown that Reishi also helps treat and restore hair loss as it could serve as a DHT blocker. When hair follicles become more responsive to DHT, DHT connects to receptors in the hair follicles, causing them to diminish and resulting in androgenetic alopecia (as known as female and male pattern hair loss and baldness). In a study done on the anti-androgenic properties of mushrooms, Reishi was found to prevent the conversion of testosterone into DHT, a significant factor in male pattern baldness. This suggests that Reishi may have the ability to prevent pattern baldness (Ogdon-nolan, 2021) It is believed that Reishi includes properties that increase hair growth, strengthen roots, and enhance fullness, thereby significantly improving overall hair health.

Radix angelicae sinesis

Angelica is a plant and herb group that is widely used in traditional natural herbal medicine, especially in Asian countries. Herbal medications are made from the roots of various Angelica species. Radix Angelicae sinensis or as known as female ginseng is well-known for its beneficial properties and healing capabilities. the National Institutes of Health stated that A. sinensis root is used in traditional Chinese medicine, primarily for women’s health purposes is highly effective for preventing hair loss and boosting hair growth since it includes all of the vital nutrients including vitamin B, zinc, minerals, iron, and Ginsenosides. Ginsenosides are the major constituents of ginseng that enter the hair fiber directly and help to prevent hair concerns including thinning, greying, hair loss, and baldness. It does not only promote healthy hair growth, but it is beneficial for various purposes including supporting healthy blood circulation, hormonal balance, digestive support, liver detoxification, and overall well-being.

Fo-ti (Radix ploygoni multiflora preparate)

Fo-ti or also known as Radix Polygoni Multiflori (RPM) is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine with a long history in hair growth promotion and hair blackening. A study called Mechanistic Studies on the Use of Polygonum multiflorum for the Treatment of Hair Graying was done using double-blind, placebo-controlled and has shown that after taking P. multiflorum for 3 and 6 months, studies revealed a significant improvement during the treatment of hair loss (25 in 26 participants, 97%) and perceived hair appearance (20 in 26 participants, %). Furthermore, 77% of women who took polygoni multiflora reported “thicker hair,” which was rated as “significant” and “dramatic improvement”. Another study employing men and women who had hair loss due to age-related, stress, medication induce, or received a standardized extract of PMR twice daily reported an improvement of 91% for men and 87% for women after 1 month of treatment.

Fructus ligustri lucidi

Fructus Ligustri Lucidi (FLL) is a dried ripened fruit of Ligustrum lucidum and is commonly used in herbal medicine to cure and prevent a wide range of illnesses and diseases. According to the Chinese traditional medicine theory, Fructus Ligustri Lucidi has the benefits of tonifying the middle five Zang organs: the heart, lung, liver, spleen, and kidney. It may also be used to enhance vision, replenish the liver and kidneys, and promote the growth of black hair. Fructus ligustri lucidi promotes the growth of hair as it contains antioxidant qualities that are beneficial in improving scalp health. It does not only help eliminate and clear the toxins from the body but it also helps boost the immune system and stimulates blood flow to the scalp.

Herbal Eclipta

Eclipta prostratal is an annual plant that is used as a medicinal herb. It has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to tonify the kidneys and liver, which are essential for the body's vital fluids (Lin et al.2010). It has been also used to cure and treat skin conditions and diseases (Tewtrakul et al. 2011) Eclipta Prostratal has been shown to have anti-inflammatory  (Ryu et al. 2013; Kim et al. 2017; Morel et al. 2017), antioxidative  (Kim et al. 2008; Lee et al. 2009), and anti-hyperlipidaemic properties (Ryu et al.2013; Kim et al.2017; Morel et al.2017) (Kumari et al.2006; Dhandapani2007). According to the results of this study, Eclipta prostrata is believed to be a harmless and safe anti-hair loss substance and scalp condition enhancer, and it is regarded to have significant potential as a cosmetic with an anti-hair loss function.

Another finding in a study investigates the potency of Eclipta Prostrata in promoting hair growth in research that is done with or within an entire, living organism (mice). In the study, mice were divided into four control groups: topical 3% minoxidil, topical treatment of normal saline, and low (1mg/day) and high doses (10 mg/day) of Eclipta Prostrata orally provided once a day for 14 days. The study results suggest Eclipta Prostrata promotes the induction of anagen and sustains the anagen phase in the dorsal skin of mice, and intaking eclipta prostrata has a potency to enhance the growth of hair follicles, promoting hair growth (Keun-Hyeun et al.2019).

Vita Hair has ALL Those Herbs… and More!

If you're exhausted and frustrated with the same old hair care treatments that don't work or have no results, try giving these Chinese herbal ingredients for your hair loss problems a try. You can try the Vita Hair product as it is a proven herbal supplement for faster hair growth, hair loss & thinning hair that merge the benefits of western science to redefine eastern herbal tradition as ancient Chinese herbal tradition. Vita Hair also uses 13 types of natural herbs as the key ingredients to improve blood circulation and nutrient supply to the hair follicles in order to grow longer and thicker hair, research shows that taking Vita Hair increased 60% hair growth than the control group in 90 days. Begin utilizing these Chinese herbs or trying the Vita Hair herbal supplement which includes all five Chinese herbal remedies: Reishi, Radix angelicae sinesis, Fo-ti (Radix ploygoni multiflora preparate), Herbal Eclipta prostratal, Fructus ligustri lucidi on a daily routine to discover and notice how much of a difference using herbs may achieve in a short amount of time.

Herbal Essence: Rosemary & Herbs Shampoo

Another product you can try is the shampoo from Herbal Essences: Rosemary & Herbs Shampoo which came from a plant botanicals formula that has been certified. It includes ingredients like rosemary which is an evergreen herb from the Mediterranean region that has been used for centuries as a food or for medicinal purposes. At times, the rosemary herb can be found in the form of essential oil too. Herbal Essences Rosemary & Herbs Shampoo is silicone-free and crafted to cleanse with light hydration and made with at least 90% natural origin ingredients including water and any ingredient unchanged from its natural state or which has undergone processing but keeps more than 50% of its original structure.

Reference:

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