Introduction
Human beings have long associated full, lustrous hair with health, fertility, and overall attractiveness. That certainly remains the case today, and with the overabundance of media coverage of everyone’s looks, it is perhaps even more of a focus today. In the same way that some people pursue anything in order to be thin, hair loss sufferers are susceptible to trying anything that might work to stop hair loss. Modern medicine and the pharmaceutical industry have wholeheartedly jumped on the bandwagon, but those drugs come with a myriad of unpleasant side effects and, put simply, they frequently don’t work.
Concerns with hair loss, though, have been around far longer than western medicine and culture. There are quite a few herbal treatments utilized by various eastern practitioners of medicine, many of which have proven quite effective at stopping hair loss and even at regrowing hair entirely.
Plygonum multiflorum
This herb, most often referred to by its original Chinese name, Fo-Ti, has centuries of evidence to demonstrate its ability to help stop hair loss, rejuvenate hair follicles, restore color in graying hair, and actually even regrow lost hair. Fo-Ti can be found at Asian markets and apothecaries, but users should proceed with caution, under the advisement of an experienced practitioner. It has been known to cause liver problems in a small number individuals with certain sensitivities.
The mushroom of mortality
The Reishi mushroom, also known as Ganoderma lucidum, has multiple health benefits that lead to its commonly used, lofty title: the mushroom of mortality. Along with strengthening the immune system and generally slowing down the body’s aging, this mushroom helps stop balding in its tracks and help regrow hair. It is often combined by experienced practitioners with other herbs for optimal effect.
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy isn’t only for enhancing one’s mood. Essential aromatherapy oils have been used with success in treating hair loss. Oils, including rosemary, lavender, thyme, and cedar wood, can be mixed with a base oil such as jojoba or almond, then massaged into the scalp. Massaging an appropriate mixture of these oils into the scalp on a daily basis can stimulate circulation to the hair follicles as well as strengthening the roots of the remaining hair.
Gingko biloba
In a similar fashion to the essential oils used in aromatherapy, Ginkgo increases circulation to the hair follicles, and it also strengthens the entire length of each hair, rather than being focused entirely on the root.
Conclusion
Centuries upon centuries of humanity’s focus on hair loss has led to the establishment of effective, natural treatments. If a particular treatment doesn’t quite work for someone, it can be combined with another remedy or coordinated with multiple remedies in order to achieve the right balance. Many factors contribute to hair loss, so it stands to reason that there are just as many avenues of treatment as there are causes. Hair loss is an experience created by nature, so in order to effectively combat it, logic dictates that we, too, must use nature as our most powerful weapon.
