oil stories — bhringraj
There is an herb that has been called "King of Hair" in India. It's called Bhringraj, or Takasaburo in Japanese. It's an important oil found in Nagaraj's scalp oil.
The herb called "King of Hair"
This herb appears under several names in ancient Ayurvedic texts.
- KeshrajaKing of Hair
- BhringarajaKing of Bees
- MarkavaClassical name
Kesha means hair, and raja means king, so it literally means "King of Hair."
On the other hand, Bhringa means bee. It is said that this herb was named "King of Bees" because bees often gather around its small white flowers.
One herb, the King of Bees and the King of Hair. It has quite a lot of "kings" in its name.
It actually grows in Japanese rice paddies
This may be the most interesting part about this herb.
Bhringraj is an annual plant in the daisy family. Its scientific name is Eclipta prostrata. It has small white flowers. In English, it is called "false daisy."
And this herb also grows in Japan.
Its Japanese name is Takasaburo. It is a very common herb that grows as a weed in rice paddies or in damp soil. If you walk along the ridges of rice paddies, you've probably stepped on it.
What has been called the "King of Hair" in India is pulled out in Japan without even being remembered by name. It's the same herb, but it's treated quite differently.
By the way, there are various theories about the origin of the Japanese name "Takasaburo," and it is said to be unclear. It sounds like a person's name, but it's not clear who it refers to. That's another slightly mysterious aspect of this herb.
When you break the stem, it turns black
This herb has one distinct characteristic.
If you break the stem, the cut surface immediately turns black.
People in the past used to play by writing with its juice as if with a brush, or actually wrote with it.
An herb that turns black when broken,
people called it the King of Hair.
Did it become associated with hair because it turns black? Or did its blackness become significant because it was used for hair? The order is unclear. But "black" always follows the story of this herb.
It has also been used for hair in China
This herb also appears in traditional Chinese medicine. Its name is Hànliáncǎo (旱蓮草).
It is also known as Mòhànlián (墨旱蓮). The character "墨" (ink) is included precisely because the stem turns black when broken. It's the same property that Japanese people played with when writing.
And in China too, this herb has been associated with hair. In old prescriptive texts, it is treated as a crude drug for keeping hair black.
India and China are thousands of kilometers apart. Their systems of traditional medicine are also completely different. Yet, both chose this same herb for hair.
And the same herb grows in Japanese rice paddies.
This is a hypothesis.
Ayurveda originated in what is now India. It gradually spread across the continent to China and the Middle East. And it took root while transforming itself to suit the climate, food, and lifestyle of each land, eventually becoming the traditional medicine unique to that land.
Considering this, it explains why Chinese medicine and other Asian traditional medicines, which seem completely unrelated at first glance, have so many similarities with Ayurveda.
This is how Ayurveda interpreted it
Ayurveda interprets materials not by "what they are good for," but by "what properties they have."
Regarding Bhringraj, classical texts record the following:
- TastePungent and bitter
- QualitiesLight, dry, sharp
- NatureWarming
- CalmsVata and Pitta
Here, there's something puzzling.
It's a warming herb, yet it calms fire. This seems contradictory.
The key is bitterness. In Ayurveda, each of the six tastes has its own properties, and bitterness is considered a cooling taste. Bhringraj is a warming herb, yet it calms heat through its taste.
And this aligns perfectly with how this herb is used.
Ayurveda has associated both premature graying and hair loss with fire accumulating in the head and entering the hair follicles. The core of hair problems, it believes, is fire.
Warming,
while calming heat.
Because it's an herb that calms fire, it was placed in the hair chapter. When you flip through Ayurvedic texts, this herb's name almost always appears in the hair chapter. Among the many herbs, not many are so strongly associated with hair alone.
The reason it was called "King" probably lies here.
How to use it according to your constitution
Pitta
Accumulated heat, prone to redness, warm scalp. – The bitter taste works to calm this fire. Traditionally, this herb has been used specifically for this constitution.
Vata
Dry, rough, brittle, cold. – Its warming property addresses this coldness. However, the herb itself is dry, so it is traditionally used infused in oil.
Kapha
Greasy, heavy, tight sensation. – Its lightness and sharpness address this heaviness.
It's actually in commercially available shampoos
Although not widely known, this herb is already used in modern Japanese hair care.
Its name in the ingredient list is "Takasaburo extract." You can sometimes find it in the ingredient lists of shampoos and conditioners.
Most people probably use it without knowing what it is. They would probably never imagine that it's the herb called the "King of Hair" in India, "Mohanlian" in China, and grows in Japanese rice paddies.
Next time, take a look at the back of your shampoo bottle. It might just be in there.
About Nagaraj Oil
Bhringraj (Takasaburo extract) is one of the core ingredients in scalp oil awaken your roots. It helps maintain a healthy scalp.
Just apply it and leave it on. There's no need to rinse it off. We've designed it to be used by simply applying it to your scalp overnight.