Understanding Hair Loss Through the Lens of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
Why It’s More Than Just a Cosmetic Issue
5/8/20245 min read
Hair loss and shedding can feel frustrating, confusing, and at times, deeply emotional. For many of us, it’s more than just a vanity issue—it’s a signal that something deeper may be out of balance. While conventional approaches often focus on topical treatments or supplements, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers a holistic view that treats hair loss not as the disease itself, but as a symptom of an underlying issue.
Let’s break it down.
In TCM, Hair Reflects Your Internal Health
In TCM, the condition of your hair is closely connected to the health of your blood, kidneys, and liver. When these organs or systems are out of balance, your hair may become dry, brittle, or start falling out.
Hair loss is not viewed in isolation. It’s a signal, not the root problem. That’s why, instead of just treating the hair, a TCM practitioner will ask about a wide range of symptoms to uncover what’s going on inside.
Common Patterns Behind Hair Loss in TCM
Let’s look at some typical patterns that might be causing your hair concerns:
1. Kidney Deficiency
Symptoms: Hair thinning or loss + lower back pain, sore knees, fatigue, dizziness, night urination, or premature graying.
In TCM, the Kidneys are believed to "store essence" (Jing)—a vital energy responsible for growth, reproduction, and the health of bones, teeth, and hair. When your kidney energy is weak (often due to stress, overwork, aging, or chronic illness), your hair may begin to shed more than usual.
TCM Insight: Kidney deficiency is especially common in those experiencing gradual hair thinning or hair loss related to aging or chronic exhaustion.
2. Liver Blood Deficiency
Symptoms: Hair loss + dry or brittle hair and skin, blurry vision, light periods, dizziness, or tinnitus (ringing in the ears).
The Liver in TCM stores blood, and healthy blood nourishes the scalp and hair follicles. If liver blood is deficient—whether due to poor diet, heavy menstruation, or emotional stress—your hair may not get the nourishment it needs to grow and stay anchored.
TCM Insight: This is a common pattern in women, especially those who are anemic, postpartum, or have irregular periods.
3. Blood Deficiency / Anemia Connection
Even though anemia isn’t a TCM diagnosis, its symptoms often overlap with blood deficiency—a key concept in TCM. Pale skin, fatigue, dizziness, and cold hands and feet, along with hair loss, often indicate a blood deficiency pattern.
TCM Insight: If your body isn’t producing enough quality blood to nourish your organs (and scalp), the hair is often one of the first places to suffer.
Sudden vs. Gradual Hair Loss: What’s the Difference?
In TCM, how the hair falls out matters:
Sudden Hair Loss (Alopecia Areata): Often linked to strong emotional stress, sudden Qi stagnation, or blood stagnation. The immune system may be attacking the hair follicles due to an internal imbalance.
Gradual Hair Thinning: More likely tied to chronic deficiencies, especially kidney Jing and liver blood. It’s your body slowly signaling that deeper nourishment is needed.
Understanding the pattern behind the hair loss allows for a much more tailored and effective approach to healing.
(If you would like more information on this topic, please visit acupuncturist practitioner Dr. Detwiler’s blog post about Hair Loss in Chinese Medicine)
Healing Hair Loss Naturally—The TCM Way
Rather than jumping into the latest shampoo or supplement, TCM encourages you to look within:
Nourish Your Blood: Eat iron-rich foods like black beans, spinach, molasses, dates, and liver (if you eat meat). TCM favorites include goji berries, dang gui (angelica sinensis), and he shou wu (polygonum multiflorum).
Support Your Kidneys: Rest deeply, avoid overworking, and nourish your Jing with warm foods like bone broth, walnuts, black sesame seeds, and cooked root vegetables.
Move Stagnant Qi: Gentle exercise, acupuncture, and stress-relief practices (like Tai Chi or meditation) can help free up emotional and energetic blockages.
Final Thoughts
Hair loss can be a powerful wake-up call—not just for vanity, but for vitality. Traditional Chinese Medicine teaches us that the body speaks in symptoms, and hair loss is just one way it asks for attention.
Whether you’re dealing with postpartum shedding, age-related thinning, or unexplained alopecia, consider approaching it not with panic, but with curiosity. Your body is wise. Listen to it. Nourish it. And let your healing begin from the inside out.
Interested in learning more?
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My Recommended Herbal Hair Supplement: Healthy Hair Tonic by Meridian Remedies
Support your hair from the inside out with this time-tested Traditional Chinese Medicine formula designed to nourish blood, strengthen the kidneys, and restore vitality to hair and scalp.
Key Ingredients & Their Benefits:
1. Fo Ti (He Shou Wu / Polygonum multiflorum)
TCM Function: Tonifies the liver and kidneys, nourishes blood, and supports longevity.
Hair Benefit: Traditionally used to prevent premature graying, strengthen hair follicles, and promote hair regrowth.
Bonus: Believed to restore vitality and slow aging.
2. Dang Gui (Angelica sinensis)
TCM Function: Nourishes and invigorates the blood, regulates menstruation.
Hair Benefit: Enhances blood flow to the scalp, supporting healthy, nourished hair growth—especially useful for women with blood deficiency or postpartum shedding.
3. Gou Qi Zi (Goji Berry / Lycium barbarum)
TCM Function: Nourishes liver and kidney yin, benefits the eyes, and moistens the lungs.
Hair Benefit: Supports liver blood and kidney essence, helping maintain shiny, strong, and well-nourished hair.
Bonus: Antioxidant-rich and great for overall vitality.
4. Hei Zhi Ma (Black Sesame Seed)
TCM Function: Tonifies liver and kidneys, moistens intestines, and nourishes blood.
Hair Benefit: Commonly used in TCM to promote thicker, darker hair and reduce dryness and brittleness.
Bonus: Excellent for dry skin and constipation too.
5. Eclipta (Eclipta prostrata / Han Lian Cao)
TCM Function: Nourishes the yin and blood, cools the blood, and supports liver and kidney function.
Hair Benefit: Revered in TCM for strengthening the hair roots and combating hair thinning and hair loss—often called a "hair restorative herb."
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Interested in learning more?
Follow for more posts on natural healing, TCM, and restoring balance to your body—one strand at a time