Bhringraj Oil

What is Bhringraj Oil?

Bhringraj Oil is a topical oil made by infusing a water-based decoction of Eclipta, and some supportive herbs, mixed with Goat's milk into a light carrier oil, such as Sesame or Coconut oil. It is the primary oil used in Vedic Medicine (Ayurveda) to address Hair loss, due to its ability to cool the excess Heat in the scalp that is causing the loss, as well as clear the energy meridians (nadis) of any Heat-blockages and clear toxins (ama) from the physical micro-channels that are obstructing the flow of energy (prana) and nutrients, respectively, to the Hair follicles.

Vedic Philosophy

In Vedic Philosophy, the five basic elements of Earth, Water, Air, Fire, and Ether make up everything on the Earth. The five elements then further reorganize themselves into three basic energy patterns, called doshas. The three doshas, Vata (Air, Ether), Pitta (Fire, Water), and Kapha (Earth, Water), cycle twice throughout the day, taking turns in 4 hour shifts, during the 24 hour cycle, regulating our rest and active functions. Furthermore, the three doshas and are always present in us, though 1 or 2 tend to dominate, which causes imbalance, and therefore disease. The aim in Vedic Medicine is to restore balance to the three doshas through interventions such as lifestyle adjustments, dietary choices, toxin purging, various internal and external herbal remedies, and even aligning interventions with astrological influences.

Hair Loss in Ayurveda

In Ayurveda (Vedic Medicine), Hair loss is caused by an aggravated Pitta dosha. This is an imbalanced state whereby the Fire element becomes excessive due to stress, overwork, and too much activity, without being properly balanced by restful activities, such as sleep and meditation, and all exacerbated by ambient Heat and dietary choices, to the extent that the exuberance of the Fire Element can no longer be restrained by the cooling nourishment of the Water element. The result is excess Heat in the body, which can damage tissue and even further deplete the Water elements cooling and nourishing reserves, thus compounding the issue.

The Heat damage that results from the Fire-Water imbalance predominantly impact the area of the head, the seat of the Pitta in the body. Excess Heat tends to concentrate at the crown of the head, which impairs Hair growth in the following ways:

• It damages the follicle structure, causing hair to fall out or become brittle.

• It "burns" or corrodes the inner walls of the blood channels supplying the scalp, leaking nutrients from the channels before the blood arrives at the follicle and changing the nature of the blood that is delivered from nourishing to toxic.

• It disrupts digestion (Agni). This leads to the creation of Ama (metabolic toxins), which adhere to the inflamed walls of the srotas (micro-channels), creating a physical obstruction in the flow of nutrients and waste to, and from, the Hair.

• Thermal stress dries up the moisture within the srotas that are meant to lubricate and nourish the tissues, which dries the Hair and makes it more susceptible to shed.

• It destabilizes the subtle, cool movement of prana. Instead, it becomes scattered and erratic, ultimately failing to deliver the life-force to the hair roots, causing them to weaken and shed prematurely.

• It creates Heat blockages in the nadis (energy meridians), severing the flow of prana altogther.

• It depletes the Ojas, which is the essence, or source, of our vitality and immunity that lubricates the energy channels. Without adequate Ojas, friction in the nadis further inhibits the flow of prana.

In addition to an aggravated Pitta-Fire state, Hair loss can be exacerbated by an imbalance of the Vata relative to the Kapha energy pattern. In this disorder, Vata's Air element becomes over-exuberant, making the Hair vulnerable to movement and dryness. Ungrounded by the oily Earth element of the relatively weak Kapha dosha, weakly-rooted Hair is susceptible to "wind", making it more prone to shed. The result is thinning Hair.

Imbalanced Vata-Kapha can often the underlying root energetic cause for Hair loss. Because of its Air and Ether element, Vata governs the nervous system and mental activity. Therefore, those with dominant Vata-Air energy, without being effectively balanced with Kapha's heaviness, stability, and grounding, are prone to anxiety, overthinking, fear, worry and mental restlessness. While this imbalance creates its own problems, manifesting as various forms of dryness, instability, and lack of clarity, the swift and erratic movement of the energy, prana, that results from this state will fan the flames of Pitta-Fire, exacerbating a lesser imbalance in that dosha. This, of course, generates the Heat in the crown that damage the Hair, and the energetic and metabolic pathways to the Hair, ultimately causing the pattern loss IN ADDITION to Hair that is easily un-rooted from "wind" (i.e. sheds).

Aside from energetic imbalances, weak physical constitutions can impair Hair growth. In Ayurveda, Hair is theorized to be an extension of bone tissue. Weak Hair, then is an indication of a weakened skeletal structure that needs to be addressed, due to malnutrition or other cause of loss of vitality, or Ojas. This is very similar to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) philosophy, in which a primary principle of Hair is that "the Kidneys manifest in the Hair", which is the organ system responsible for governing the bones, filling them with marrow, and growing the Hair with what leftover vitality, or Jing, there is in the reserves. In other words, Hair is a reflection of vitality, or lack thereof.

How Bhringraj Oil Works for Hair

Eclipta, or Bhringraj, addresses most of the energetic pathologies that are impacting the Hair. It's primary benefit is its potent cooling abilities. As an internal decoction, it clears Heat from the Blood, helping to support Kidney and Liver function, which are the critical organ networks in TCM that determine healthy Hair growth However, as a topical oil infusion, it clears the Heat at the scalp that is damaging the Hair follicle, the integrity of the tissue around the follicle, and the srota and nadi networks to the follicle, thus counteracting the primary cause of Hair follicle loss.

In addition to extinguishing scalp Heat, its bitter and astringent properties have a detoxifying effect on the scalp, working to clear ama buildup that is obstructing the energy pathways. This helps to restore the free flow of prana, nutrients, and metabolic wasted back to and from the Hair.

Lastly, as vitality enriching herb, it strengthens the bone tissue, which reflects in the quality of the Hair. This is more of a benefit reaped as an internal formula (see the Er Zhi Tonic page). However, topically it can help strengthen the tissues in the scalp, ultimately helping to repair the physical damage done from Heat and toxins.

The carrier oil used to drive the essence of the herb through the skin layers has inherent therapeutic properties as well. A cooling oil, such as coconut, can augment the Heat purging effect of Eclipta, as well as provide the Earthy oiliness that the scalp needs to supplement our own scalp oil (sebum) and counteract the drying effects of a Vata-Air imbalance. The oil helps ground the hair follicle, making less susceptible to shed, as well as moisturizes the tissue to add addition Heat protection.

Adding supportive herbs and Goat's milk enhances the therapeutic effect of the oil. In addition to being a cooling herb to counteract scalp Heat, Brahmi's impact primarily effects the nervous system, helping to calm Vata influences, due to emotional turbulence, in the scalp and restore coherence to the flow of prana. Amla is a another cooling herb that both builds Ojas and remove ama, which assists in clearing the blockages from the energetic pathways as well as in repairing the damage. Lastly, Goat's milk moisturizes and nourishes the scalp, promoting Hair strength, growth, and hydration.

The way in which the oil is delivered is the final layer of the therapeutic effect. Warming the oil and then massaging it into the scalp serves to aid skin penetration, of course, but also direct the prana into the base of the follicle, then upward and outward along the shaft. This is supplementary, but necessary, measure to ensure the benefits of the oil are maximized and directed to the Hair.

How to Make Bhringraj Oil:

1. Gather the following amounts of herbs in a stainless steel or ceramic cooking vessel:

• Eclipta (Bringraj): 16 g

• Brahmi: 4 g

• Amla Berries: 4 g

In addition, gather the following amounts of liquid to be used at different times in the process.

• Spring Water: 2 cups

• Coconut Oil (*): ½ cup

• Goat's Milk: ¼ cup

(*) affiliate link

2. Add 2 cups of Spring Water to the herbs. If you do not use Spring Water, then use structured-filtered (*) water, as \water must be "coherent" to properly absorb the essence of the herbs.

3. Bring water to a boil.

4. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until ½ cup of liquid remains (~60-90 mins).

5. Strain liquid from herbs (squeeze them out thoroughly).

6. Combine the decoction liquid from Step 4 with the Goat's Milk and Coconut Oil in a stainless steel or ceramic cooking vessel.

7. Heat on the lowest setting and stir CONTINUOUSLY (i.e. no breaks) until all of the water based liquid has evaporated (~ 2 hours).

8. Strain through mesh and/or cheese cloth in order to separate the oil from the dried solids.

• Store at room temperature.

Application Instructions:

1. Gently heat the oil until it liquifies.

2. Apply all over the top of the scalp with a glass dropper.

3. Gently massage the oil in clock-wise circles for 10-15 minutes.

4. Wait at least an hour before washing. Best to leave overnight.

• For best results, only apply on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday to align with Vedic Astrology auspices.

Sesame vs. Coconut Oil:

Coconut oil is more heat resistant and more cooling oil than Sesame. Theoretically. it is better for Male Pattern Baldness due to aggravated Pitta-Fire. However, Sesame oil is traditionally used as the base, despite it being more susceptible to oxidation in the heating process and exacerbating scalp Heat. If using Sesame, be VERY careful to gently heat the concoction, and consider cutting it with coconut oil to mitigate the scalp Heat-generating effect.