Has anyone ever tried using Hou SHou Wu, or Fo Ti, for their hair? An acupuncturist friend of mine recommended it because it's supposed to help grow healthy hair. I guess in Chinese Medicine, hair is sign of healthy kidneys and Chi, and this si supposed to tonify those. Just wondering if anyone has any experience with that.

I also heard that if you put rosemary oil on your scalp it will stimulate hair growth. IS that true?

I have no experience with Hou Shou Wu.

Rosemary is touted to help stimulate the hair follicle resulting in better hair growth.  There are also claims that it can retard greying and even darken white/grey hair.  

Here's a receipe I found for a Rosemary scalp and hair conditioner:

Quote:

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is thought to stimulate hair growth. A great remedy for itchy scalps and dandruff this easy to make recipe will leave your hair feeling softer, more manageable and smelling wonderful. Ingredients: Rosemary essential oil* Carrier oil (sweet almond or olive oil) slightly warmed Directions: Add 2-5 drops of rosemary essential oil with 1 teaspoon of carrier oil of your choice, blend well. Work the oils through dampened hair and massage the scalp. Wrap your head in a warm towel and leave on for 45 minutes to deep condition the hair. Wash out and rinse with cool water. Keep out of eyes. * Ingredients can be found at any health food store. Warning: Avoid if you are pregnant, have high blood pressure or epileptic. Storage: Most recipes require refrigeration since they don't contain preservatives. Shelf Life is approximately 1 week.

Hey Noelkara

We have Hou Shou Wu at our house. It's also marketed as Polygonum multiflorum, and aging Asian women drink it as tea to make their grey hair turn black. My mom takes it as tea. (Strange how it works, but it's worked wonders. and many many women) I'm not sure if it'll make light hair darker though; ours is dark enough as it is so we wouldn't know.  

Essentially it improves your circulation and they call it a "blood tonic"/ purifies the blood. Be careful as prepared HSW is also a sedative, triples sperm count, and increases female fertility.  

There are two kinds of HSW: prepared and unprepared. The prepared kind is what you want. and the older the pHSW the better. (The unprepared kind has totally different properties, including that of a laxative.)

And you'll want to go to an authentic Chinese herbalist.

Anais

Sounds interesting!  I have a Chinese herbalist in my area, perhaps I should check him out. :)

This DOES sound very intriguing.  I am very much into holistic and natural healing as of late, I think I will check more into this...