Skin
Hair Loss
Thinning hair or bald patches. See a doctor if hair falls out suddenly or in patches, or comes with other symptoms such as tiredness or weight change, since some causes need treatment.
Most minor skin problems can be cared for at home, but see a doctor for deep, infected or slow-healing wounds, serious burns, or rashes that come with a fever. Several of these herbs can cause skin allergies, especially plants in the daisy family such as calendula and mugwort. These herbs are listed because of traditional use or research, not because they're proven treatments.
10 herbs
Each note says whether the link comes from traditional use or research, and what the research found.
AloeAloe veraTraditionally used to soothe the scalp. No trials of aloe on its own for hair loss were found.
BatanaElaeis oleiferaTraditionally used to care for hair. There's no good evidence that it regrows hair or reverses baldness.
BhringarajEclipta prostrataTraditionally used for hair loss and graying hair. In animal studies a leaf extract helped hair regrow; it hasn't been tested on its own in people.
Castor OilRicinus communisTraditionally used to thicken and condition hair. A compound in it may block a hair-loss signal in lab research, but it hasn't been tested for hair loss in people.
Cornelian CherryCornus officinalisA traditional use in Chinese medicine. Not studied in modern research.
Fo-TiReynoutria multifloraProcessed fo-ti is traditionally taken to darken graying hair, and gray hair and hair loss were the most common reasons people took it in reported liver injury cases. Not shown to work in trials, and it can damage the liver.
GinsengPanax ginsengA few small human studies found Korean red ginseng increased hair thickness and density, and helped alongside standard treatments.
NettleUrtica dioicaOnly tested as one of six herbs in a shampoo and scalp solution, which reduced hair shedding in a 6-month trial.
RosemarySalvia rosmarinusIn one 6-month trial in men with male-pattern hair loss, rosemary oil on the scalp worked about as well as 2% minoxidil.
Saw PalmettoSerenoa repensStudied for male-pattern hair loss, but the evidence is too limited to draw conclusions.