The color of hair is determined by the pigment produced in hair follicles. If the pigment cells are damaged and produce less pigment, gray hair will appear. In addition to genetics and aging, stress can also cause gray hair.
Dr. Ya-Wen Yu, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioner at the Royal Jade TCM Clinic in Taiwan, outlined ways to reduce stress-induced gray hair on a program of The Epoch Times. If no improvements are made to stress or physiological conditions, plucking out gray hairs will not alter the color of regrown hair from the same follicles.
Moreover, frequent plucking of gray hair can damage the follicles. Dr. Yu noted that the condition of the hair, nails, and skin can serve as indicators of internal organ health.
According to TCM, the health of the kidneys can be reflected in the condition of the hair. Additionally, the kidneys are believed to be associated with the emotion of fear. When a person is frequently in a state of fear or stress, the over-secretion of the adrenal glands can deplete kidney qi .
According to traditional Chinese medicine, black-colored foods are associated with the kidneys. Eating more black-colored foods, such as black beans, black sesame seeds, and black fungus, as well as the Chinese herb Fo-Ti (He Shou Wu), can help nourish the hair by supplementing qi and blood. Hair is made of protein—so eating high-quality proteins like fish, pork, and chicken can help maintain healthy hair.
Anthocyanins possess potent antioxidant prope.
