HAIR CARE PROMISING HERBS: A REVIEW

Hair is a major esthetic display feature of the human body, especially in social and sexual interactions. Hair loss is not just a cosmetic problem but psycho-sociological problem also. Alopecia is a universal problem, could have an adverse effect on physiological life and self-esteem between both the genders. The side effect associated with synthetic drug has limited its pharmacological benefits hence the drug of choice is plant origin which adds value necessary to replace the synthetic medicine. India is a repository of medicinal plants. Besides healthcare, herbs are also used for beautification of the body and for preparation of various cosmetics. In traditional Indian system of medicine, several plants and herbal formulations are reported for hair growth promotion but lack of sound scientific background and information limits their use. About 1000 kinds of plants extract have been examined with respect to hair growth. This review describe the use of some natural products for hair growth promotion, plant parts used, chemical composition, the active responsible for effect and with a brief description of major use. Thus this article focus the use of variety of medicinal plants traditionally reported with clinical and scientific evidence.