Medicinal Uses of Bhringraj (Eclipta alba)

Very commonly referred to as Karisalankanni keerai in Tamil, Bhringraj in Sanskrit (Ayurvedic term too) and Eclipta alba according to its Botanical name is much reputed as an excellent hair tonic. In English, it is called False Daisy. Agreed, Bhringraj is the best hair tonic. But there are other unknown uses of Bhringraj, which you can explore here.

Karisalankanni is a spinach variety which you can find in almost every household of South India. Every granny was into making a hair tonic with this spinach and this was the mere secret behind those luxurious strands of luscious hair. It has been passed over to many generations even until today, but is a highly kept secret. Apart from its amazing hair conditioning quality, it can also come handy in anemia, skin diseases and cold related problems.

Getting the fresh leaves of Bhringraj is a task these days. You can always reach out to organic shops where this spinach is available in its powdered form. Let us now get into Eclipta alba’s benefits:

1. The most reputed hair tonic that stops your hair woos

Greying, baldness, hair loss, hair fall; whatever is your hair problem, Bhringraj is at your help. Bhringraj oil can be made in your own kitchen. All you’ll need is pure and organic coconut oil or cold pressed castor oil to start with. Grind Bhringraj leaves without adding much water and pat into small rounds and sundry these until it turns crisp. Then add these dried up rounds to a jar of pure coconut oil and castor oil (mix these in equal quantities and keep them ready in a jar) and place the whole jar in hot sunlight until you see the color of the oil changing. This will ideally happen in 3-4 days.

If you only get the powder form of Bhringraj, you can boil your mixture of oils and add the powder to it and let it boil one more time.

Use this oil to massage your scalp and leave it on overnight, if not at least an hour before you bath and then rinse off using plain water and the regular shampoo. Prepare a fresh batch of oil every 3 months once and you’ll see your hair growing like magic! All your greying will vanish and hair loss, hair thinning and hair fall will be problems unknown of!! Baldness can also be driven away with this miracle treatment.

2. The liver medicine

Eclipta alba is also a liver tonic. Steam or cook cut Bhringraj leaves and spice them up with sautéed onion or pepper and salt and have it as a side dish to your rotis or make a sandwich of out this mixture using brown bread and you will be good to go. Eclipta alba has the property of curing liver infections and repairing the liver lining cells.

3. Your skin’s friend:

If you or a loved one has been suffering from skin related disorders like rashes, itching, red bumps, allergy etc., Eclipta alba comes to rescue. The ripen leaves of this plant do the magic. Wash and pound the leaves using a mortar and pestle and apply the juice directly throughout the affected area or sometimes even the whole of your body if you have itching issues. Being consistent with this for a couple of days and applying it at least half an hour before a shower with warm water will help certainly.

4. Eclipta alba for cold and cough:

Boil the fresh Bhringraj leaves and strain the liquid. Add a few drops of honey to the mixture and keep sipping on it at least twice or thrice a day. This spinach has the capacity to treat the cause of your cold and cough and can be administered to kids too.

5. Bhringraj for Anaemia:

If you know of someone who has been constantly suffering from anaemia, then here is a wonderful remedy using Bhringraj. Steam Bhringraj leaves and sauté them with onions, garlic etc. and prepare like a normal soup that you’d do with the other veggies. You can add your innovation to the soup, but ensure that the goodness of these leaves doesn’t fade away from the soup. Having this soup once a day will increase the RBC count and cure the person off anaemia.