Disclaimer: All herbal teas, medicinal soups, acupuncture and Tui Na described in this article are only auxiliary wellness regimens for traditional health maintenance, not formal medical treatments. They cannot replace professional physician diagnosis, prescription drugs or clinical therapies. Anyone diagnosed with physical diseases shall strictly follow the treatment plans formulated by licensed medical practitioners. All TCM terminology, wellness regulation theories and traditional health philosophies in this text are solely for the inheritance, popularization and cultural exchange of traditional Chinese medicine. No content herein shall be deemed guidance for clinical diagnosis or medical treatment. Read more
1. Rapeseed Oil Hair-Blackening Formula
Extract oil from rapeseeds and apply it to hair to promote hair growth and turn hair black. Rapeseed oil is the edible canola oil used daily.
Source: Prescription by Chen Cangqi, a Tang Dynasty pharmacologist
2. Seven Treasures Hair-Beautifying Pellets
This formula nourishes black hair and beard, strengthens bones and tendons, consolidates vital essence, boosts fertility and prolongs life. It is available in pharmacies; follow the product instructions or doctor’s advice for dosage.
Source: Recipes of Jishan Hall
3. Raspberry Hair-Blackening Formula
Squeeze juice from fresh raspberries and smear it on hair to prevent greying.
Source: Prescription by Chen Cangqi, a Tang Dynasty pharmacologist
4. Maidenhair Fern Hair-Blackening Formula
Burn maidenhair fern into ash and wash hair with the ash water to foster long, black hair. Also known as stone moss, stone lichen and stone algae, maidenhair fern is recorded in Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica, Tang Materia Medica, Compendium of Materia Medica and other classics.
Source: Daming Materia Medica
5. Fermented Glutinous Rice Water for Hair Blackening
Store glutinous rice washing water for two days before shampooing hair with it. Long-term use nourishes and beautifies hair and gradually turns grey hair black.
Source: Folk Dai Ethnic Minority Remedy
6. Coconut Milk Hair-Blackening Formula
Coat the scalp with coconut milk to nourish hair and darken it.
Source: Kaibao Materia Medica
7. Barley Hair-Blackening Formula
Regular consumption of barley prevents premature greying. Mixed with iron filings and gallnuts, barley can also be made into a hair dye to blacken hair.
Source: Prescription by Meng Shen, a Tang Dynasty medical scholar
8. Ginger Peel Formula to Remove Grey Hairs and Regrow Black Ones
Scrape 500 grams of old ginger peel and place it in a greasy cooking pot that has been used for a long time without washing. Seal the pot airtight, then heat gently over low heat to avoid charring the ginger peel. After 5 to 8 hours, take it out and grind into fine powder.
After plucking grey hairs, dab a sesame-seed-sized amount of the powder into each hair follicle, or apply the powder beneath the hair before plucking, then rub it into pores with fingers. Black hair will regrow within three days with remarkable efficacy. Minister Li verified its curative effect.
Source: Illustrated Classic of Materia Medica
9. Lily Formula for Replacing Grey Hairs with Black Ones
On the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, pound fresh lilies thoroughly and seal the puree in a new porcelain jar, then leave it to dry in shade for one hundred days. Sprinkle the powder on follicles after plucking grey hairs to stimulate black hair regrowth.
Source: Illustrated Handbook of Daily Convenience Remedies
10. Black Soybean Hair Dye Formula
Boil black soybeans in vinegar, strain out the beans and simmer the leftover liquid until thickened; apply the syrup to hair to dye it black.
Source: Thousand Golden Prescriptions
11. Roof Stonecrop Beard & Hair Blackening Formula
Simmer 750 grams of dried roof stonecrop in 1000 milliliters of raw sesame oil until the herb is charred, then grind into powder. Soak the powder in raw sesame oil and apply the mixture to hair and beards for glossy black results.
Source: Imperial Records of Sacred Benevolence
12. Kiwi Fruit Hair-Blackening Formula
Regular consumption of kiwifruit treats premature grey hair.
Source: Prescription by Chen Cangqi, a Tang Dynasty pharmacologist
13. Trichosanthes Formula for Black Beards and Strong Teeth
Cut open the top of one large trichosanthes fruit, fill it with 75 grams of crude salt and 21 almonds (shelled with tips removed), then replace and tie the fruit top shut. Seal the opening with a mixture of earthworm mud and salt, calcine over charcoal fire while preserving medicinal properties, then grind into fine powder.
Brush teeth with the powder three times daily until the mouth feels warm; noticeable tooth-strengthening effects appear after one hundred days. For existing grey beards, pluck the grey hairs and daub the powder on follicles to grow black beard hair.
Source: Universal Relief Prescriptions
14. Jinling Decoction for Black Beards and Hair
Harvest 50 kilograms of eclipta alba (also called yerbadetajo) after the sixth lunar month, selecting tender green plants free of soil. Do not wash; pluck off yellow leaves, pound thoroughly and squeeze juice through new cloth, then filter with silk gauze. Simmer the juice over low heat for five days.
Squeeze 500 grams of ginger to extract juice, mix with 500 grams of raw honey, and simmer again while stirring nonstop with a willow spatula until the mixture reaches thin malt syrup consistency—this completes the decoction.
Take one spoonful each morning and afternoon, dissolved in 50 milliliters of warm rice wine. To make pills, simmer further until thickened, roll into pills the size of paulownia seeds, and take 30 pills per dose. It effectively reverses grey hair to black.
Eclipta alba grows on damp grassy ditch banks and paddy field ridges, distributed in Liaoning, Hebei, Shaanxi, East China, Central South China and Southwest China. Ancient medical texts extensively document its hair-blackening and tooth-fortifying effects, with the most detailed records in Compendium of Materia Medica.
Source: Sun Simiao’s Monthly Golden Prescriptions
15. Eclipta Formula for Black Beards and Strong Teeth
Pound eclipta alba to extract juice, simmer the juice with salt until fully dried, then grind into fine powder for tooth-brushing, which darkens beards and strengthens teeth.
Source: Compendium of Materia Medica
16. Chinese Tallow Oil Hair-Blackening Formula
Smear Chinese tallow oil on the scalp to turn grey hair black.
Source: Prescription by Chen Cangqi, a Tang Dynasty pharmacologist
17. Remedy for Juvenile Grey Hair
Mix equal parts (31 grams each) of marchantia polymorpha, stone moss, gallnut and pinellia tuber, plus 62 grams ginger, 10 walnuts and 15 grams chalcanthite. Grind all ingredients into powder and pound into a solid lump.
Wrap a walnut-sized portion in silk cloth, soak in a small amount of hot rice wine to extract liquid, then shampoo hair with the infusion. Visible improvement for juvenile grey hair appears within one month.
Source: Imperial Records of Sacred Benevolence
18. Sesame Hair-Blackening Pills
Steam 1800 grams of black sesame seeds thirty times, lightly stir-fry until fragrant, then grind into powder. Blend with 1800 milliliters raw honey, pound into a thick paste, and roll into paulownia-seed-sized pills. Take 50 pills every morning. Long-term consumption both treats and prevents premature greying of hair and beard.
Source: Prescriptions of Master Sun Simiao
19. Polygonum Multiflorum & Wolfberry Hair-Blackening Formula
Soak 30 grams fleeceflower root and 60 grams wolfberries in 250 grams sesame oil for seven days, then steam the mixture thoroughly and strain out herbal residues. Dip cotton pads in the infused oil and rub into hair; consistent use yields results.
Source: Folk Remedy
20. Rehmannia Formula for Strong Teeth and Black Beards
Place 2500 grams raw rehmannia root in a willow wooden steamer, cover with soil, steam thoroughly and sun-dry. Repeat the steaming-drying cycle three times, then pound into small cakes. Hold one cake in the mouth and swallow its saliva gradually.
Functions: Relieves toothache, promotes body fluid production, and turns grey beards black.
Though highly effective, the preparation process is cumbersome. Alternatively, purchase prepared rehmannia root from Chinese herbal pharmacies and take 10–15 grams daily.
Source: Imperial Medical Institute Prescriptions
21. Ginseng & Fleeceflower Hair-Blackening Formula
Soak 20 grams ginseng, 20 grams fleeceflower root, 30 grams prepared rehmannia root and 15 grams Chinese angelica in 500 milliliters liquor for one week before drinking. Daily intake should not exceed 100 milliliters. Refill liquor to re-soak the herbs 2–3 times after the original liquor is consumed. Hair will turn black after six months of continuous intake.
Source: Folk Remedy
22. Xishi’s Glossy Hair Remedy
Xishi, a famed ancient beauty from Zhuji, Zhejiang Province, regularly washed her hair with Chinese vitex leaf infusion to maintain glossy, beautiful black hair. Villages in Ningbo and Shaoxing still uphold the custom of shampooing with vitex leaf water on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month every year.
Source: Folk Remedy
23. Walnut Kernel Beard-Blackening Powder
Grind equal parts charred walnut kernels and fritillary bulb into fine powder. Brush teeth with the powder daily to darken beards.
Source: Sacred Benevolence Prescriptions
24. Green Walnut Hair-Blackening Ointment
Pound three unripe green walnuts with their husks finely, mix with 100 milliliters milk, blend fully in silver or stoneware, then apply to hair and beard three to five times. Smooth hair with walnut oil daily afterward. Cow or goat milk may substitute human milk, and enamel or glass vessels can replace silver/stoneware for mixing.
Source: Comprehensive Records of the Holy Imperial Court
25. Honey Formula to Remove Grey Hairs and Regrow Black Ones
For juvenile grey hair: pluck grey hairs and daub raw honey into each hair follicle to induce black hair regrowth. If no new black hair grows, crush paulownia seeds into juice and apply to pores—black hair will sprout.
Source: Master Mei’s Prescriptions
26. Chinese Honeylocust Tooth-Cleaning Formula for Black Beards
Take twenty large Chinese honeylocust pods, repeatedly dip them in ginger juice and rehmannia juice before roasting ten times, then grind into powder. Daily tooth-brushing with this powder delivers excellent beard-darkening effects.
Source: Universal Relief Prescriptions
27. Castor Seed Remedy for Dry, Lusterless Brown Hair
Fry castor seeds in sesame oil until charred, strain out residues, and coat hair frequently with the oil three days after preparation.
Source: Mysterious Extract Prescriptions
28. Chinese Arborvitae Leaf Remedy for Reddish-Brown Hair
Mix one liter (approx. 600 grams) raw ground arborvitae leaf powder with 500 grams lard, roll into bullet-sized balls. Wrap one ball in cloth, dissolve in rice washing water, and shampoo hair with the liquid. After one month, hair turns black and lustrous.
Source: Sacred Benevolence Prescriptions
29. Bear Fat Formula to Accelerate Black Hair Growth
Blend equal parts bear fat and ground vitex fruit powder, mix with vinegar and apply to hair to speed up hair growth while rendering hair jet-black and shiny.
Source: Sacred Benevolence Prescriptions
30. Pig Gallbladder Formula to Replace Grey Hairs with Black Ones
Smear pig bile into hair follicles after plucking grey hairs to stimulate black hair regrowth. This remedy was published in imperial medical texts as early as the Northern Song Dynasty.
Source: Sacred Benevolence Prescriptions
31. Beeswax Formula for Black Hair Regrowth
Pluck grey hairs, melt beeswax and dot each hair follicle with the wax to grow black hair.
Source: Prescription by Zhen Quan, a distinguished Tang Dynasty physician
32. Dog Gallbladder Formula to Reverse Grey Hair
Daub dog bile on grey hair roots to foster black hair regrowth.
Source: Thousand Golden Prescriptions
33. Soft-shelled Turtle Fat & White Dog Milk Hair-Blackening Formula
Pluck grey hairs and coat follicles with soft-shelled turtle fat to prevent new grey hair from growing. Follow by applying white dog milk to the pores to grow black hair.
Source: Prescription by Chen Cangqi, a Tang Dynasty pharmacologist
Translation Notes
- Classical Chinese herbal names adopt standard TCM English terminology; ancient book titles use widely recognized official translations.
- Measurement units retain original Chinese metric values with brief English annotations where necessary.
- Dynasties, medical figures and ethnic groups are translated with consistent historical appellations.
- TCM core concepts (vital essence, follicles, calcine while preserving medicinal properties, etc.) follow international standard TCM translation norms.
TCM Terminology Disclaimer:All traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) terms, descriptions, and wellness expressions including but not limited to nourishing lungs, soothing throat discomfort, supporting respiratory comfort, clearing mild internal heat, balancing qi and blood, harmonizing bodily functions, and regulating general wellness featured on this website are traditional TCM cultural descriptions and historical wellness theories only. These phrases are used solely for traditional TCM knowledge sharing and cultural interpretation. They do not constitute medical efficacy claims, have not been evaluated by the FDA, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. All TCM wording describes traditional auxiliary wellness conditioning effects only and should never be interpreted as clinical medical treatment results. Individuals with confirmed illnesses must seek professional medical diagnosis and follow standard Western medical treatment.
FDA Mandatory Disclaimer：These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Chinese herbal dietary supplements and traditional wellness practices are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease and serve only as daily auxiliary health support. If you have been diagnosed with any illness, please seek professional medical care and follow standard Western medical treatment regimens.
Wow, I never knew rapeseed oil could double as a hair remedy! I’ve used canola for cooking, but applying it to my hair sounds intriguing. Might try this Tang Dynasty trick—anything beats chemical dyes. Thanks for sharing these ancient gems!
これ、めっちゃ気になる！菜種油とか七宝美髪丹とか、昔の中国人はすごい発想してたんですね。試してみたいけど、まずは菜種油を髪に塗る勇気がいるかも（笑）
呢篇文真係長知識！原來古代人用菜籽油染髮，仲有七寶美髯丹，勁過而家啲化學染髮劑。不過我諗佢哋都係慢慢養髮，而家嘅人邊有咁好耐性？
Fascinating! I’ve been curious about natural ways to reverse graying without harsh dyes. The rapeseed oil trick seems so simple—I already use canola oil
Fascinating! I’ve been trying natural remedies for my graying hair. The rapeseed oil trick sounds so simple—wonder if modern canola oil works the same? Might give it a shot before going chemical. Thanks for sharing these ancient secrets!
Interesting! I’ve always wondered how people in ancient times kept their hair so dark. The rapeseed oil trick sounds simple enough to try—wonder if modern canola oil would work the same? Thanks for sharing these old remedies!
この記事、面白いですね！菜種油で黒髪になるとは知りませんでした。昔の知恵って意外と効果ありそう。七宝美髪丹も気になるなあ。試してみようかな。