Herbs That Stop The Graying Of Hair

The factors people attribute to their graying hair range from the day-to-day stress of working, raising a family or inheriting the tendency from a family member. Usually the normal process of aging begins to add a few gray hairs later in life. As "New York Times" writer Tara Parker-Pope points out in her Mar. 9, 2009, article "Unlocking the Secrets of Gray Hair," understanding why people gray may point to solutions for other diseases. Chinese medicine attributes graying to a deficiency of liver and kidney yin and uses herbs such as Mo Han Lian, He Shou Wu and Nu Zhen Zi to restore hair to its natural color.

Mo Han Lian

From the Asteraceae (aster) family, the brewed herb Mo Han Lian (Ecliptae Herba) is described by Dan Bensky in "Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica" as strengthening the lower body to make the top flourish and tonifying (enhancing) kidney yin. In the form of a black sap described as "pure yin in nature," Mo Han Lian can also be applied externally to assist in blackening the hair.

He Shou Wu

He Shou Wu (processed fleeceflower root) comes from the Polygonaceae (knotwood) family and is thought to nourish the blood and yin. Stewed or steamed, He Shou Wu takes on a warm property, allowing it to "secure the essence and blacken the beard and hair."

Nu Zhen Zi

Part of the Oleaceae (olive) family, Nu Zhen Zi (privet fruit) is bitter, sweet and cooling. Used by Chinese herbalists to tonify (enhance) kidney and liver yin, Nu Zhen Zi is easy on the digestion and is gentle enough to use long term. Bensky recommends this herb to "nourish the yin, blacken the hair and treat premature graying" due to this herb's action of preserving and nourishing the essence of yin, thereby diminishing the graying of hair.

Cautions

Mo Han Lian and Nu Zhen Zi are contraindicated in cases of diarrhea or problems of the stomach related to cold signs and symptoms.

Tip

In a study conducted by the Maine Center for Osteoporosis Research and Education, it was found that "subjects with premature graying but no other identifiable risk factor were 4.4 times as likely to have osteopenia (low bone-mineral density) as subjects without premature graying." Those who started graying as early as their twenties were more likely to exhibit osteoporosis. As part of the findings cited in the study, endocrine disorders and vitiligo, a skin disorder, were also associated with premature graying.