What is the cause of gray hair in Chinese medicine

Condition analysis:
In TCM, the condition of our hair is a direct reflection of the condition of our Blood, Liver and Kidneys. Hair is thick, dark, healthy and glossy when there is an abundant flow of Kidney essence (Jing) and Liver Blood. If there is a deficiency, our hair may turn dull, lifeless and brittle. The deficiency may even lead to premature hair greying and thinning.

According to Huang Di Nei Jing (The Emperor's Inner Canon), hair greying and thinning should start only from the late 30s to 40s for both men and women, in the natural aging process. Premature hair greying and thinning may be attributed to factors such as deficiencies in the Kidneys, Liver, Blood, Spleen and Stomach, Liver-Qi depression, or heat and dampness stagnation.

Both the external application and internal consumption of Chinese medicine, as well as acupuncture treatment, can help to improve hair problems by dispelling the pathogenic factors (Blood heat, wind and dampness), and enhancing the functions of the Liver and Kidneys.

Instructions:
He Shou Wu is a Chinese herb, which is quite commonly used in Chinese medicine to fight anti-aging effects and promote longevity. He Shou Wu is being obtained from the roots of Polygonum Multiflorum. In addition to China, He Shou Wu is also being found in Taiwan and Japan. This herb was named after elderly man in China who took this herb in order to restore his vitality and youth. The result of this experiment was that a man noticed that his hair returned to its natural color – black. There are a few different legends told surrounding this herb and hair color restoration is probably one of the most famous attributes of He Shou Wu.

In traditional Chinese medicine this herb is also being used to treat conditions like Erectile Dysfunction, Constipation, Athlete’s Foot and Acne. TCM uses this herb in two different versions – White Fo-ti (unprocessed & raw) and Red Fo-ti (processed). White Fo-ti is being used for conditions like constipation, Athlete’s Foot and Acne. Practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine use processed He Shou Wu herb (Red Fo-ti) for restoring hair color, treating erectile dysfunction and fighting effects of aging.