An ancient Chinese medical text quotes the following: “When blood is exuberant, the hair is moist, sleek and lustrous”.
The blood is the hair’s food, so there must be an abundant quantity of high quality, pure blood to feed the hair. There must also be strong circulation to ensure that sufficient quantities of blood can counteract the earth’s gravity and make it to those follicles up at the highest periphery of the body.
In some, hair loss is genetically predetermined. In a great percentage of people who show premature loss of hair, premature greying of the hair, and dry and splitting hair, we can identify two fundamental patterns of imbalance causing the problem.
In the first, there is a deficiency of blood and some of the subtler essences which are chemically akin to blood. There is, quite simply, insufficient nourishment to the hair.
In the second, there is emotional stress and anxiety. This causes the liver to generate a pattern of inflammation which damages the free flow of blood to the follicles causing the hair to fall out in some cases.
Ancient Romans were observed to use onions and honey to increase circulation and nourish the follicles. The combination was applied to the scalp in order to counteract the loss of hair.
In the traditional medicine of India, they used what is perhaps an easier option – they rubbed the herb Rosemary (rosemary officials) into the scalp. The spicy and cooling action of the plant counteracts the inflammation which is effecting the scalp and hair. Rosemary can also be taken as a tea.
Ancient practitioners of Chinese medicine would press their fingers together in order to stimulate and massage the finger tips. They observed a connection between the meridians in the finger tips and the scalp. They would also tense and contract the hands and fingers in order to capture an abundance of qi in the tips and then give themselves a vigorous scalp rub.
In the modern practice of oriental medicine we have observed that those herbs which boost both blood production and circulation in the body are effective in helping to reverse the effects of these two patterns of premature hair loss. Remannia, Polygonum Multiflora, Angelica Sinensis, Lycium, Ligusticum Wallichi, Cuscuta and Astragalus can be good choices for some when treating premature greying, and loss of hair, and they can certainly be used to improve the quality and appearance of the hair when properly blended.
Hair nourishing foods include: hijiki seaweed, wheat grass, nettles, dark bitter greens, and rice mochi. The consumption of excess sweets and salt should be avoided.