Skip to main content

He Shou Wu Herb For Hair Growth

Remember I mentioned about he shou wu, a herb that helps hair growth?

It's also called Fleeceflower Root or Polygonum Multiflorum.

(My hair shenanigans were a big deal to me. You can read about Shou Wu Chih or my hair darkening tea posts.)

I bought some - actually RM5 worth of it - and boiled it a couple of times. Each time I also added some dried black dates too. Initially I'd simmer the herb over the stove but later decided to use my slow cooker. When i couldn't finish drinking it all I'd store it in an old-fashioned thermos flask.

Two weeks ago I was in town buying dried scallops and Chinese sausages for my mother in law when I decided to ask the shop assistant if they had he show wu.

Mind you, this was a Chinese medical store cum grocery store. 

So below was what they recommended to me.

he shou wu slice chinese herb for hair growth and preventing hair loss

It was RM16.50 for a 200gm pack. When I opened it, the slices were thicker and darker. It wasn't sliced thinly - in fact it was hard and knobbly like tree roots.

he shou wu slice chinese herb for hair growth and preventing hair loss

The herbalist said just use 2-3 pieces each time.

he shou wu slice chinese herb for hair growth and preventing hair loss

See how different this is from the previous he show wu that I bought? I used these he show wu pieces and simmered them in my slow cooker for a few hours. The resulting brew looked the same - a light black soup. It tasted the same too.


But the next time i shall ask the herbalist why the difference in the herb's appearance. Nic thinks it is different due to the different parts of the herb that's sliced. One could be from the outer root while the other is from the inner root. 

So now the results of drinking he show wu on a weekly basis. 

I did notice that my hair fall was less obvious. However I also added one more hair care step - i would apply coconut oil to my scalp and leave it on for 30 minutes before I shampooed my hair. 

I read that doing this pre-conditioned the hair and prevents hair loss. Plus hair is also more manageable and I didn't need to use a conditioner after shampooing (not that i am a fan of using conditioner).

I am optimistic about the outcomes of using both he show wu and coconut oil. Another thing is I also drink a tablespoon of coconut oil every other day. It's not as gross as it sounds. Coconut oil from organic stores are aromatic and not as oily as imagined. I started drinking it as I heard a friend's elderly father grew black hair after drinking this for a month. 

It's still quite early to say anything really conclusive but i do feel he show wu works.

The other outcome is that I feel more energised the morning after whenever i drink warm he show wu brew before I go to bed. 

Anything that benefits the liver should also benefit hair. 

I am writing this on my iphone while on a Chinese New Year break in Kuching. 

Before I forget, let me wish you a Goat Year of Goat Fortune and Goat Luck. Lots of goaty puns this year! 




Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tong Sum and Red Date Tea

I caught an interesting cooking show on TV last night. On Astro's Asian Food Channel (Channel 703), I watched a show on TCM. It was a Taiwanese programme where the host and hostess spoke in Mandarin and sometimes a smattering of Taiwan Hokkien. The show featured 3 recipes each segment, using TCM herbs with the herbalist host explaining about the uses of the specific herbs. Then the lady hostess would cook up a dish, usually a main course, using the herbs. While I am not very interested in making dishes like prawn balls with Chinese herbs (it seemed just too much work!), I liked the 2 other recipes they showed. One was a milk beverage with herbs (I can't recall what now). But the other one was easy. A tong sum and red date tea. Tong sum or dang shen is a mild herb which resembles a dry, gnarled twig the size of a finger. It is called the poor man's ginseng in some instances because it shares similar properties with the more expensive ginseng. Dang shen is actually a root wh...
7 comments
Read more

24 Herb Tea - Bitter, Foul-Tasting But Oh So Good For You!

Was out running a couple of errands this entire afternoon and ended up buying groceries at the nearby supermarket. If I had a choice I wouldn't go into this decade-old supermarket because it's small, cramped and you tend to knock into other shoppers with your trolley (yes, the aisles are that narrow). Nic and I figured that we might as well buy our groceries since we were in this vicinity and he did need some coffee. Finally we ended up with a trolley full of cheese, butter, coffee and noodles. Anyway, I was getting thirsty after all the errands and shopping. We decided to stop and have a drink at this stall which sells Chinese herbal tea. This uncle who mans it is actually a Hong Kong native who has been living in Malaysia for a long time. He drives a little white van which he parks at the corner of a junction and opens up for business. You see, he sells hot and cold Chinese herbal teas of all types - the kind that is slowly boiled and brewed. It's common to see Mal...
Post a Comment
Read more

Snow Fungus, Longan, Goji Berry & Red Date Dessert For Lungs & Liver

Just last week I made this dessert because I was rummaging in my kitchen and found some snow fungus. This is a classic dessert that any Cantonese would know. I was just surprised at myself that I haven't made this dessert in a long time. Maybe because I didn't have the key ingredient - snow fungus - at hand! What is Snow Fungus?  It is technically a fungus that grows on dead bark or tree stumps just like wood ear fungus.  Snow fungus or silver ear, snow ear or white wood ear is known as Tremella fuciformis and yes, it is an edible fungus. The pleasanter term is mushroom if that makes you feel better. As most mushrooms go, they contain vitamin D, zinc, calcium, and folate.  Benefits of Snow Fungus Snow fungus is said to have anti-ageing effects due to the presence of superoxide dismutase , an enzyme that acts as a potent antioxidant throughout the body, particularly in the skin. It is best known in TCM for nourishing the lungs and we know how important this fact is right n...
Post a Comment
Read more