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Hair Loss and Herbal Medicine
ShareWhat is Herbal Medicine?
Herbal medicine is an alternate form of medicine that uses plant and plant-extract based remedies to treat illness, disease and to generally encourage good overall health. Herbal medicine can be an effective hair loss treatment.
What is Hair Loss?
Hair loss, or baldness in its extreme, is the medical term used to describe inexplicable hair loss from the head and body. Most people lose anywhere between 70-150 hairs per day, mainly through washing, brushing and combing. And when hair is lost faster than it can be replaced, hair loss results. Approximately forty percent of the scalps hair has to fall out before the thinning becomes noticeable.
When hair loss is permanent, it is normally an issue of genetics in which the person has inherited the condition. On the other hand, temporary hair loss may be the result of illness, diet deficiencies, stress, hormones and fatigue.
How Can Herbal Medicine Help with Hair Loss?
More and more people who are losing their hair are turning to herbal medicine as an alternative to prescriptive drugs that carry unknown, long-term effects. Many herbal remedies incorporate more than one ingredient to produce a herbal cure for hair loss and growth.
Herbs for Hair Loss
When it comes to herbs for hair loss, each herb functions in a different way to prevent hair loss and stimulate further hair growth. Read on to see which ones might suit you and your hair best.
Algae Extract
Algae carries potent curative powers and is derived from sea vegetables such as seaweed. It is laden with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, and has long been used as a medicine for the skin and as a tonic for well being. Algae’s amino acid and vitamin content stimulates hair growth and shine, whilst it’s antioxidative properties heal any damage done to the scalp and hair.
Aloe Vera
Aloe vera carries anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties that may soothe and protects the scalp by restoring moisture pH balance to the hair. It may also be used as a preventative remedy for Alopecia (baldness), and may stimulate hair growth.
Channelled Wrack (Pelvetia Canaliculated Extract)
Channelled wrack comes from a particular kind of seaweed called Phaepphyta, which may be used to thicken the hair and stimulate growth. It’s rich antioxidative Isoflavones content may renew the scalp prevent hair loss in women (by impeding on testerone binding factors).
Gingko Biloba
Gingko biloba is a herb that assists in the prevention and loss of hair. It does so by increasing blood and skin circulation that delivers nutrients to the hair follicle, stimulating hair growth.
Green Tea
Many herbalists believe that green tea can decrease the risk of male pattern baldness when drunk regularly throughout the day. It is rich in catechins that are believed to inhibit the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase believed to cause baldness when overproduced by the prostate, adrenal glands and scalp in both men and women.
He Shou Wu or Fo-Ti
Practitioners in the east have used this Chinese herb for centuries as a remedy for hair loss. It has been shown to stimulate terminal hair growth (and not just fine, baby hairs) and restore hair colour.
Panax Gingseng
Panax gingseng may strengthen and nourish the hair by stimulating circulation and by regulating cellular metabolism.
Pygeum
Derived from the Evergreen tree, pygeum has similar properties to green tea and also works to inhibit the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase believed to cause baldness when overproduced by the prostate, adrenal glands and scalp in both men and women.
Saw Palmetto (Seranoa repens)
Saw palmetto encourages hair regrowth, as well as preventing further hair loss.
Stinging Nettle
When used in conjunction with pygeum or saw palmetto, stinging nettle may prevent male hair loss by inhibiting testosterone conversion into DHT.
To learn more about herbal remedies beneficial to hair loss, speak to your naturopath or herbalist.
Find out about other effective natural hair loss treatments.
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