Hair loss is caused by various factors that prevent the essence and blood from nourishing the hair. Tracing back to its source, the kidney stores essence and manifests its glory in the hair, while the liver stores blood, and hair is considered as surplus of blood. Therefore, hair loss is most closely related to the liver and kidneys, which should be the focus of clinical care. Based on its pathomechanism, a self-formulated hair growth decoction has been developed for treating hair loss, achieving good therapeutic effects in clinical practice, as discussed below.
Hair Growth Decotion
20g Rehmannia glutinosa (prepared), 20g Rehmannia glutinosa (unprepared), 20g Angelica sinensis, 15g Platycladus orientalis leaves, 30g black sesame seeds, 25g Polygonum multiflorum (processed), 20g Eclipta prostrata.
This formula nourishes the liver and kidneys, darkens and promotes hair growth. Among them, Polygonum multiflorum (processed), Rehmannia glutinosa (prepared), and black sesame seeds all enter the liver and kidney meridians to nourish the liver and kidneys, generate essence, and nourish blood, serving as the main ingredients for promoting hair growth and darkening hair, especially indispensable for alopecia areata. Eclipta prostrata and Rehmannia glutinosa (unprepared) nourish yin and clear heat, aiding in blood generation and hair growth, acting as auxiliary ingredients; Angelica sinensis removes stasis and generates new tissue, nourishes and activates blood, with its warm and unblocking nature assisting nourishing drugs in promoting blood circulation to nourish hair. Platycladus orientalis leaves are “essential medicine for replenishing yin,” their nature being mostly drying, benefiting spleen earth greatly when taken for a long time, greatly nourishing the lungs, capable of growing hair and preventing previous drugs from being overly yin-nourishing and dampness-causing, hindering the spleen, also serving as an adjuvant ingredient. All these herbs work together, complementing each other, jointly achieving the effect of tonifying the liver and kidneys, enriching and nourishing blood, darkening and promoting hair growth.
Hair loss is a common skin disease. Clinically, the most common types are alopecia areata and seborrheic alopecia. Symptoms of alopecia areata include rapid hair loss, all within the scope of application for this formula.
For those with more severe liver and kidney deficiency, often suffering from alopecia areata, add 20g Lycium barbarum, 20g Cuscuta chinensis, 20g Ligustrum lucidum, 10g Schisandra chinensis;
For those with strong wind and hot blood often suffering from seborrheic alopecia, remove Rehmannia glutinosa (prepared), black sesame seeds, add 10g Cicada slough, 20g Dictamnus dasycarpus, 10g Kochia scoparia, 15g Sophora flavescens, 10g Paeonia suffruticosa, 10g Ligusticum chuanxiong, 3 whole Centipedes (ground into powder). For those with qi stagnation and blood stasis, add 10g Carthamus tinctorius, 10g Prunus persica kernels, 15g Paeonia lactiflora rubra, 30g Spatholobus suberectus.
Case Example
Patient: Tian, female, 23 years old. Last June, she discovered hair loss, noticing many hairs falling out every morning while combing her hair, with itchy scalp, easy bleeding gums, palpitations, fatigue, poor appetite, normal bowel movements and urination, slightly red tongue without coating, thin and slippery pulse. The diagnosis was “insufficient liver and kidney, disharmony between nutritive and defensive qi,” treatment principle was “regulating and tonifying the liver and kidneys, nourishing and cooling the blood.”
Medication used
20g each of prepared and unprepared Rehmannia glutinosa
10g Paeonia lactiflora
10g Polygonum multiflorum
12g Angelica sinensis
12g Salvia miltiorrhiza
10g Gardenia jasminoides
10g Paeonia suffruticosa
10g Platycladus orientalis leaves.
After taking the above prescription for 15 doses, hair no longer fell out, followed by Ren Shen Gui Pi Wan for further recovery.
