Proven Formula for Hair Loss — Shengfa Yin (Sheng Hair Growth Decoction, by Veteran TCM Practitioner Zhou Mingqi)

4. Proven Formula for Hair Loss — Shengfa Yin (Sheng Hair Growth Decoction, by Veteran TCM Practitioner Zhou Mingqi)

Zhou Mingqi, one of the first national-level teachers for TCM academic experience inheritance, with over 50 years of clinical practice, became renowned for his self-composed “Shengfa Yin” (Sheng Hair Growth Decoction) for treating hair loss.

Hair Loss Root Is Not in the Hair Itself, but in the Liver and Kidneys

Hair loss appears to be a “skin and hair disorder,” but Elder Zhou considered the root to lie deep in the viscera. TCM has long offered precise theories on hair:

Elder Zhou observed in clinical practice that modern hair loss commonly has three major triggering factors:

1. Excessive overthinking — secretly consumes heart blood; blood deficiency leaves hair without nourishment

2. Late nights and excessive sexual activity — damages kidney essence; essence depletion leaves hair without its root

3. Irregular diet — spleen deficiency with dampness accumulation, dampness stagnating into heat, steaming and scorching the scalp

All three pathways converge on the same core pathomechanism: liver and kidney essence-blood depletion:

Excessive overthinking → heart blood quietly consumed → blood deficiency cannot ascend to nourish

Late nights and excess → kidney essence depletion → essence depletion cannot transform into blood

Irregular diet → spleen deficiency with dampness → dampness stagnating into heat scorching hair

↓

Liver-Kidney Essence-Blood Depletion

↓

Hair not nourished → hair loss

Therefore, Elder Zhou’s treatment of hair loss is not confined to “hair” itself, but directly targets the root — tonifying the liver and kidneys, replenishing essence and blood, so that abundant essence and blood can naturally ascend to nourish the hair. This approach embodies the principle of “treat disease must seek its root.”

Composition of Shengfa Yin:

Efficacy: Tonifies liver and kidneys, benefits essence and nourishes blood, darkens hair and promotes growth

Primary Application: Hair loss (including alopecia areata, seborrheic alopecia) and premature graying of hair

Formula Analysis

Elder Zhou’s formula uses few herbs, but with precise pairing and clear layers. The whole formula can be broken into four herb groups:

Group 1: Tonify Liver and Kidneys, Generate Essence and Nourish Blood

All three enter the liver and kidney meridians, directly tonifying essence and blood; they are the primary herbs for hair growth and darkening. Elder Zhou especially valued Fleeceflower Root combined with Black Sesame in synergy — Fleeceflower Root is tonifying yet astringent, so essence and blood become abundant without leakage; Black Sesame is moistening yet nourishing, so hair receives nourishment and naturally grows. Prepared Rehmannia fills essence and marrow, complementing Fleeceflower Root, together accomplishing liver-kidney tonification.

Elder Zhou’s Clinical Experience: These three herbs are especially indispensable for alopecia areata, because alopecia areata mostly belongs to liver-kidney depletion with essence-blood insufficiency; hair will not grow without major tonification.

Group 2: Nourish Yin and Clear Heat, Assist Blood Nourishment and Hair Growth

Eclipta combined with Ligustrum (Nüzhenzi) forms “Erzhi Wan,” a famous liver-kidney tonifying formula. Here Eclipta is used alone to take its yin-nourishing heat-clearing effect, which both assists Prepared Rehmannia in tonifying liver-kidney and clears deficiency heat in the blood aspect, preventing heat signs accompanying hair loss such as scalp itching and oily hair.

Using both Raw and Prepared Rehmannia is a subtle touch by Elder Zhou — Raw Rehmannia clears heat and cools blood, Prepared Rehmannia nourishes yin and tonifies blood, one raw one prepared, one clearing one tonifying, together accomplishing yin-nourishing and blood-tonifying. Using both Rehmannias simultaneously benefits essence and blood, clears deficiency heat, and addresses both root and branch.

Group 3: Nourish Blood and Invigorate It, Warm and Unblock Upward Nourishment

Angelica in this formula has threefold effects:

1. Tonify blood — assists Prepared Rehmannia and Fleeceflower Root in tonifying essence and blood, enhancing the tonifying power

2. Invigorate blood — removes stasis and generates new, ensuring tonification does not stagnate, so essence and blood flow smoothly

3. Warm unblocking — Angelica is warm in nature; its warming unblocking property assists the nourishing herbs to flow and nourish the hair

Elder Zhou took Angelica’s “remove stasis generate new, nourish blood and invigorate it” effect, deeply understanding the principle of “when blood flows, hair flourishes.” Pure tonification of essence and blood without moving blood means tonification without flow, and essence and blood cannot reach the head; adding Angelica to warm, unblock, and invigorate blood means tonification without stagnation, and essence and blood can flow upward to nourish the hair follicles.

Group 4: Tonify Yin and Promote Hair Growth, Prevent Cloying from Obstructing Spleen

Arar may seem a supporting role in the formula, but is actually indispensable. It has three functions:

1. Promote hair growth — Arar has long been a key herb for hair growth; folk practice commonly uses fresh Arar infused in wine, applied externally for hair loss

2. Tonify yin — Bencao Gangmu records Arar as “the key yin-tonifying herb”; its nature is drying, and with prolonged use it greatly benefits the spleen earth and greatly nourishes the lungs

3. Prevent cloying from obstructing spleen — The preceding herbs use many yin-nourishing cloying substances like Prepared Rehmannia, Fleeceflower Root, and Black Sesame, which easily obstruct the spleen and stomach with prolonged use. Arar’s drying nature prevents the preceding herbs from being too yin-nourishing and cloying, obstructing the spleen

This pairing approach is extremely subtle — liver-kidney tonifying herbs are mostly yin-nourishing and cloying, easily obstructing spleen-stomach transport; adding one drying herb like Arar means tonifying without cloying, nourishing without obstruction, allowing the spleen and stomach to transport properly and the medicinal effects to be sustained. As the mnemonic says, “add Angelica and Arar, blackening hair is a fine formula” — Angelica and Arar are both classified as assistants and guides, one warming one drying, one invigorating blood one tonifying yin, jointly assisting the sovereign herb to tonify without stagnation, nourish without cloying.

Modifications by Pattern

Based on different hair loss pattern types, Elder Zhou set three major modification methods on the Shengfa Yin base:

Modification 1: Severe Liver-Kidney Depletion (mostly alopecia areata)

Modification Key Points: Alopecia areata mostly belongs to liver-kidney depletion with essence-blood insufficiency, hence strengthen the liver-kidney tonifying power on the original formula base. Lycium, Dodder, and Ligustrum used together is a modified form of “Erzhi Wan” (Eclipta + Ligustrum); combined with Schisandra to astringe and consolidate, preventing essence and blood leakage, jointly accomplishing liver-kidney tonification, essence generation, and hair nourishment.

Modification 2: Excess Wind with Blood Heat (mostly seborrheic alopecia)

Modification Key Points: Seborrheic alopecia mostly belongs to excess wind with blood heat; the scalp has more scales and oil, with marked itching. Hence remove the cloying dampness-obstructing Prepared Rehmannia and Black Sesame, add a large amount of heat-clearing dampness-drying and wind-removing itch-stopping herbs. Especially skillful is adding 3 Centipedes powdered for oral use — Centipede moves through and is penetrating, with extremely strong collateral unblocking power, able to guide the herbs directly to the hair follicles, attacking hidden wind in the collaterals; for stubborn seborrheic alopecia unresponsive to prolonged treatment, it often produces remarkable results.

Modification 3: With Qi Stagnation and Blood Stasis

Modification Key Points: Qi stagnation blood stasis hair loss is often accompanied by scalp pricking pain or numbness, dark purple tongue with ecchymotic spots. Although Angelica in the original formula has blood-invigorating effect, its strength is insufficient, hence add Saffron, Peach Kernel, and Red Peony to invigorate blood and resolve stasis, and Spatholobus to move blood and tonify it; together they remove stasis and generate new, blood flows and hair flourishes.

Summary

Elder Zhou Mingqi’s seven-herb Shengfa Yin tonifies liver and kidneys, benefits essence and blood, clears deficiency heat, unblocks blood vessels, and promotes hair growth; one Arar herb transforms cloying into healthy transport, tonifying without stagnation, nourishing without obstruction.