Can Traditional Chinese Medicine Really Treat Hair Loss? Myths, Risks, and Real Solutions

Hair loss has always been considered a long-standing and difficult problem.

However, today I came across a medical student’s classroom PPT photo that actually gave me a bit of hope.

Traditional Chinese medicine can treat baldness—and there are even three different methods!!!

I instantly got excited after seeing it.

Hair regrowth and hair loss prevention suddenly felt within reach.

But the real question is: where do you even get these ingredients?

Fresh Platycladus orientalis leaves, alcohol, sesame oil, He Shou Wu, Sheng Huang Min, and angelica root—these materials are actually quite common.

You can either buy them online or get them directly from a traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy.

Alright, the ingredient issue is solved. But the bigger question is: do these methods actually work?

The first method involves soaking fresh Platycladus orientalis leaves in 60% alcohol.

Wait—this concentration might be a bit too harsh for your scalp.

And for people who are sensitive to alcohol, it might even make things worse.

And indeed, there are netizens who tried it and came to warn others.

The results were honestly not very encouraging.

The first two methods didn’t really work. Some users also tried another folk remedy using cactus and mulberry leaves.

But again, the results were only average.

So naturally, all hope was placed on the third method.

However, someone pointed out that excessive use of He Shou Wu can lead to kidney failure.

Wait… what?

After checking, it turns out this is actually true.

According to reports, a young man from Feidong, Anhui, took He Shou Wu in excessive amounts (a total of about 5.9 pounds) to treat hair loss and eventually died from drug-induced liver failure.

At that point—no thanks, I’m out.

If the dosage is not controlled properly, not only will it fail to regrow hair, it could even be life-threatening.

It is definitely not something you should try on your own casually.

However, since traditional Chinese medicine is included in teaching materials and even taught in classrooms, it must have some effectiveness.

It’s just that hair loss has many different causes, so these methods may not apply to everyone.

If you are truly experiencing hair loss, it’s best to see a doctor and get proper treatment—never randomly buy medications based on online prescriptions.

Additionally, some medical students mentioned that their hospital mentors used minoxidil and it did help with hair growth, although it is somewhat expensive.

Most people dealing with hair loss have probably heard of this medication.

It can indeed produce fine vellus hairs, which is encouraging—but whether those hairs can fully develop into terminal hair is uncertain.

Some users report that only fine baby hairs grow, and they eventually fall out.

According to barbers, what grows is actually body hair-like fuzz, not real thick hair.

Others who have tried it say it works while using it—but once they stop, the hair disappears.

So minoxidil is not a perfect solution either, especially considering its side effects.

Sigh… it seems hair loss really isn’t that easy to solve.

Restoring real hair and truly treating hair loss is still a long journey ahead.

We often see comments under influencers with thick hair saying: “Please share half of your hair with me.”

Some people even grow their hair long, cut it, and sell it to wig makers.

Then people experiencing hair loss buy wigs made from real human hair.

Interestingly, even though it’s not your original hair, once worn it fits so naturally that it feels like your own.

In a way, this is like indirectly “sharing half your hair” after all.

So what about you—have you ever tried any hair regrowth remedies?