Fo-Ti, PABA, and Solving the Gray Hair Problem
Hello Mr.Rassman.
I heard a lot about Fo-Ti which is a Chinese herb which gives colour to hair. We can Find it in so many websites now I have two questions.
- I am aware that grey hairs cannot be reversed . But If I take Fo-ti atleast can I prevent my existing hairs from truning grey??So many Fo-ti suppliments are available in the market. Please go through the following site which contains the reviews of an over the counter medicine called Shenmin. Folica.com and more information on Shenmin.com
- I also heard about PABA which also helps giving colour to hairs. I think that is an FDA approved medicine will it be of some help in preventing my hairs from turning grey? If it is what is the recommended dosage for adults?
Sorry for such a big question. But you know my questions are always long.
- I believe there are just as many Chinese men and women in this world who have gray hair compared to those of other races in other parts of the world, which makes me think that if something as simple as taking a fo-ti supplement really stopped gray hairs, there would be a disproportionate amount of the Chinese population with black hair. That being said, I’m not an herbalist and my opinion on these types of treatments has been generally poor, because there’s really not much regulation on them and most of the claims people attribute to them are old wives’ tales. Here’s an article about fo-ti on About.com that you might find helpful.
- Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) is a chemical found in the folic acid vitamin and also in several foods including grains, eggs, milk, and meat (source: RxList). PABA is reported to be used for giving color back to hair if the graying was caused by stress or malnutrition, but I can’t find any studies to back up the claims and I have no personal experience with it. Because PABA is a supplement, the FDA does not approve, endorse, or verify claims; I also do not approve, endorse, or verify those claims.
Feel free to try these supplements if you want, but always remember that it is a buyer beware market and there is a lot of money to be made on false hopes and promises. Reviewing supplement information online is often quite daunting due to the seemingly hundreds of websites using unproven claims to sell you things, which helps spread the legend and creates a blurred line between what is real and what is fantasy. For further reading, I’ve written about the problems with supplements before.
Photo: CNN’s Anderson Cooper doesn’t mind his gray hair.
I’ve read stories of people taking EFA’s such as a (Essential Fatty-Acids) high-grade, clean fish oil (Omega 3) and evening primrose oil (Omega 6) and minerals (magnesium, zinc) for proper absorption of EFA’s have had original hair color restored.
Don’t overlook catalase!
I know folic acid can help invigorate the scalp and help hair growth, but I’m not sure about it turning grey hair black or back to whatever color it really was. This was an interesting read, though!
Just wanted to respond to the following:
“I am aware that grey hairs cannot be reversed”
I’ve seen multiple hairs on my head and body that were fully gray with dark roots. So, it would seem that gray can be reversed. I was taking Fo-Ti some of the times, and at other times, not. So, I definitely can’t attribute it to Fo-Ti, but shouldn’t dismiss it either. I had been taking Fo-Ti for quite some time over the past years.
Why can’t you approve, endorse, or verify the claims just because they haven’t been by the FDA?
Do you work for the FDA? Is this an FDA website?
Even if PABA was approved by the FDA you couldn’t legally approve, endorse, or verify it unless you were a medical doctor.
Ridiculous.