In my last post I wrote about dried Shou Wu slices which I bought from my regular herbalist. In this post I am going to let you in about a more convenient method of imbibing this herb especially if you find it tedious to boil your own brew.
I read about Shou Wu Chih or Shou Wu Essence and went to a Chinese medical hall (not my usual herbalist, mind you) and asked about Shou Wu. The owner, a man in his 60s, recommended that I try this product.
Here's what the Shou Wu Chih contains:
It is more than just Shou Wu extract. It also contains ginseng, dang gui, chuan xiong and other herbs.
The liquid is dark coloured and thick, a bit like cough syrup.
The medical hall owner told me that this Shou Wu Chih can be taken nightly, using that given "cup" (which measures about 30 ml).
Between me and the husband, we took about 7 days to finish the entire bottle of 300ml. We each took a 30 ml dose each night just before we went to bed. You can drink some warm water after you take the Shou Wu Chih. It's sweetish and palatable.
We actually felt refreshed and energized when we woke up the next morning. Once our bottle finished, we stopped for a week (the week that we stopped, I bought dried Shou Wu slices from my herbalist from the Lip Sin market to brew a tea).
This Shou Wu Chih product is made in Malaysia so I felt a little bit safer! These days I get quite skeptical about China products. I used to love eating tinned fried dace and luncheon meat but now what with reports of fake food in China and their unscrupulous methods, I am a little more wary if I buy China products, especially manufactured products.
Of course, Chinese herbs still come from China. That is why I try my best to buy herbs from reputable sources (as an aside, I once heard that white fungus is also bleached to make them look whiter and lovelier for sale!). Also, learn as much as you can about the herbs. And talk to your herbalist. Read up books (not just websites).
If you want to know why I was drinking Shou Wu Chih, please read this earlier post about my hair fall issues.
I managed to buy a second bottle of this Shou Wu Chih just last week but the medical hall guy told me that once my hair issues were resolved I should stop drinking this. Actually he thought Nic was the one with hair issues haha!
My hair stopped dropping. When I brush my hair, there is an occasional stray hair stuck to the bristle. When I shampoo, I don't see much hair dropping in the shower. In fact, if I may say so, my hair seems a little more healthy?
I am now waiting for the new hairs to grow, just to see if the white hairs are still popping out or will my hair be dark again! Ah, yes, vanity at 40. Then again, we're all vain, right?
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