Bhringaraj

What is Bhringaraj?

Bhringaraj is a small herb, Eclipta prostrata, that grows low to the ground in the wet, marshy places of India: the edges of fields, ditches and riverbanks. It is easy to miss. It has dull green leaves, a creeping reddish stem and tiny white flower heads. The one part that is hard to miss is the dark juice the plant gives up when it is crushed, almost black, and it is this that the tradition fixed on.

The name tells the story. Bhringa means a black bee, and raja means king. The classical writers heard in it both the colour black and the idea of a king, and they made it the king of the hair. For that reason the herb is also called Kesharaja, which means the same thing in plainer Sanskrit. The whole plant is used, leaf, stem, root and all.

What Ayurveda uses it for

Bhringaraj is, above everything, the hair herb. In Ayurvedic terms it is keshya, which simply means hair-supporting. The texts name it again and again for the care of the scalp, for keeping the hair dark, and for the strength and fullness of the hair. This is why it turns up in almost every classical hair oil.

Beyond the hair, the tradition also treats it as a rasayana, a herb that rebuilds the body over time rather than for a single day, and it has a long reputation for the care of the liver. But it is the hair that made its name, and the hair that most people come to it for.

Its qualities, in plain words

Ayurveda describes each herb by a short list of qualities, and for Bhringaraj they sit together in a useful way.

It is bitter and slightly pungent, the tastes the tradition links with cooling and clearing. It is light and dry, so it does not sit heavily, and it is warming in its overall effect. Put together, the texts read it as a herb that settles the heavy, sluggish quality they call Kapha and the cold, dry quality they call Vata, while keeping a gentle warmth of its own. That mix is exactly what the tradition wants for a scalp that needs to be kept cool, clear and well fed.

How it is taken

The classic use is external. Fresh Bhringaraj juice, or the dried herb, is cooked into sesame or coconut oil to make a hair oil, and that oil is worked into the scalp. The most famous of these is simply called Bhringaraja Thailam, and the herb is also paired with Amalaki in a much-loved hair oil. The oil is left on for a while before washing, often overnight.

Bhringaraj is also taken internally, as a powder of the dried plant or as the fresh juice, usually as a course over weeks rather than a single dose. Internal use belongs more properly with a practitioner, who will judge the amount and the pairing.

Good to know

Bhringaraj is a herb of patience. Whether oiled into the scalp or taken as a course, the tradition treats it as something done steadily over time, not a quick fix. The old writers also describe more than one variety of the plant, told apart by the colour of the flower, with the white-flowered kind held in the highest regard for the hair.

This entry describes the classical Ayurvedic understanding of the herb. It is not medical advice, and anyone with a health condition should speak to a qualified practitioner.

Frequently asked

Why is Bhringaraj linked with the hair? Because the whole tradition treats it as the first of the hair herbs, the keshya plant above all others. Its dark juice and its cooling, clearing qualities are why the classical hair oils are built around it.

Is it used on its own? It can be, but classically it is most often paired, above all with Amalaki, in oils made for the scalp and hair. The two are a long-standing combination.

Which part of the plant is used? The whole plant, leaf, stem, flower and root together. In Sanskrit this is called panchanga, meaning all five parts.