Ginger: A question for the Herbal Gurus amongst us

[Shadow]

For the past few days the weather in the UK has been freezing and as usual my circulation seems to have stalled with the sunshine, leaving my normally cool hands and feet pretty darn chilly indeed. I have taken a ginger supplement for this before with great success but thinking about ginger and it's circulation boosting abilities got me thinking ...I was wondering if any of you have any opinions of what sort of effect/benefits that the improved circulation that ginger could bring to hair growth?

I've done some reading up on ginger and it's pro's, con's and warnings and overall the benefits seem to outwieght any minor concerns.

Do any of you have any thoughts on this?

[Anje]

First of all, I do not claim to be an herbal guru...

There is some definite thinking that improving circulation to the scalp will improve hair growth. (For those who are prone to DHT-related hairloss, I can't help but wonder if improved circulation without something to degrade the DHT might be counter-productive to hair growth.) To that end, several folks on the forum have gone so far as to add cayenne pepper or oil to products applied to their scalp. Be careful doing that, simply because you don't want it in your eyes.

If ginger helps cause better circulation when taken internally, it may help hair growth. I don't know that it would increase circulation when applied topically, the way cayenne does, though I might have to make a ginger paste and apply it to my skin when I get home to see if it does anything. In any case, I wouldn't worry about taking normal quantities of ginger internally -- people have been eating it for thousands of years, and it's yummy.

[ChloeDharma]

Anything that stimulates the circulation would give the benefits that brings to hair growth.
This site specifies that ginger stimulates circulation to the skin when applied topically http://health.howstuffworks.com/ging...l-remedies.htm
It also mentions it stimulating menstrual flow so one to be carefull of if pregnant i'd assume.
I have seen it suggested in articles on herbal remedies for hairloss too though.
In terms of circulation and DHT the idea is that increasing blood flow actually flushes it away keeping it from staying attached to the root and reducing the anagen phase. Though if androgenic alopecia is an issue then a combination of stimulating the circulation plus something to deal with the DHT would be best.

[Finoriel]

Not claiming the guru title either

Good old sport and being active in some sort of way was and is the best way to support onew health and increase blood flow. Followed by healthy fresh food containing all things your body needs to work properly. No supplement will replace a healthy way of living, they can just assist and help a bit if there are deficites for whichever reason, but won´t do the job alone.
If you like to eat ginger eat it and enjoy it, it´s healthy in normal amounts and may support blood flow. Just do not expect remarkable hair-growth-miracles from it.

Possibly there would answer more herb interested people, when you would have asked your question in the Herbal haircare section just saying for next time.

[Nightshade]

Only somewhat claiming to be an herbal Guru

Ginger does help circulation, but doesn't impart much (if anything) in the way of color.

A lot of people here use it to mask the smell of henna, but the best thing I use it for is a tea to calm an upset stomach (or to drink before I play first-person shooters or read in a car- it helps motion sickness), and the tea also helps a lot with menstrual cramps.