Rosemary often steals the headlines when it comes to strengthening hair health and stimulating hair growth. For decades, this aromatic herb has received praise for its ability to thicken hair and ward off thinning. And while rosemary certainly gets its due, there may be another herb that stands a better chance of improving hair health: ginseng. This age-old root is prized for its widespread benefits for health but has become part of the hair care regimen as a result of its strong influences on encouraging hair growth and scalp wellness.

For ages, ginseng is used as an effective adaptogen: this plant enhances general wellness, decreases stress, and boosts mental functioning. Newer research has shown another excellent advantage of ginseng: its promotion of hair growth. Most people have heard of ginseng in the Chinese traditional healing practices, but only over the last decade have researchers started to analyze it on a deeper level and look into its hair-related impacts. As it turns out, this humble root may hold the key to not just healthier hair, but more voluminous, thicker locks.

While genetics undeniably play a significant role in hair loss and thinning, factors such as stress, diet, scalp health, and circulation are all contributing elements that can exacerbate these conditions. This is where ginseng comes into play. It enhances the circulation of blood on its scalp, hence becomes fundamental in hair development and stimulating healthy growth in nourishing the scalp. That more blood flows into it thus enables the strong transport nutrients to the follicle site.

Recent studies have proven that ginseng is a potent herb that promotes hair growth. Red ginseng extract may significantly enhance hair growth, according to a study conducted in the Journal of Medicinal Food. It is crucial for those individuals who experience hair thinning or alopecia because such a discovery opens up a new window of possibilities through natural, herbal interventions.

Active ingredients of ginseng, especially ginsenosides, are considered to play a crucial role in this process. Ginsenosides enhance blood circulation towards the scalp, thereby stimulating hair follicles and increasing keratin production. The latter is a protein responsible for hair strength and structure. Moreover, the mentioned compounds inhibit the action of 5-alpha reductase, which causes male pattern baldness and female pattern hair loss. This helps ginseng in reducing the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone, a hormone that is responsible for hair loss.

Also Read: This Surprising Chilled Item Can Give You Shiny, Smooth Hair

Other Benefits of Ginseng for Hair Health

Aside from promoting hair growth, ginseng also offers a variety of other benefits that can help in creating a healthier scalp and stronger hair. Here are some reasons why ginseng should be part of your hair care routine:

1. Antioxidant Protection

Ginseng is full of antioxidants, which protect your hair from free radicals with harmful oxidative effects. In other words, these little molecules bring about oxidative damage, hair breakage and thinning, and unnatural aging of hair. All these problems are neutralized by powerful antioxidants in Ginseng from the inside hair cells outwards.

2. Keeps the Scalp Healthy

Ginseng has natural antimicrobial properties that keep the scalp clean and healthy. This is important in keeping conditions such as dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis, and folliculitis away from the scalp, thus impeding hair growth. A clean and balanced scalp ensures that hair follicles are not obstructed to create an optimal environment for hair to grow.

3. Hydration and Nourishment

Another property that is being provided by ginseng is to balance the scalp's natural oils. With fatty acids, it hydrates the scalp without getting greasy, making it ideal for people with both dry and oily scalps. This moisture balance will prevent hair breakage and split ends.

4. Stress Reduction

Stress is one of the most significant causes of hair loss, and ginseng is known to have an adaptogenic property. That is, it will make your body capable of resisting the effects of stress much more effectively. Ginseng would indirectly lead to a healthy scalp, as less stress would impact the body. This indirectly minimizes the chances of hair thinning due to the effect of stress factors.

How to Use Ginseng for Hair Health

If you want to add ginseng to your hair care process, then there are different ways through which you can do that. Many companies now create hair care products with added ginseng extract: shampoos, conditioners, hair masks- all of it. Thus, you'll be using ginseng without doing much.

Others prefer direct application of the ginseng-infused oils right on the scalp. However, pure ginseng oil can be quite strong, and blending it with a carrier oil like coconut or jojoba oil is suggested for the best results. Just apply this mixture to the scalp and massage it very gently to stimulate blood circulation and nourish the roots of the hair. The oil should be kept for an hour before it should be washed off the oily hair.

Another option is to create a nourishing ginseng hair mask. Combine ginseng powder with olive oil to create a mask that you can apply to your scalp. Leave it on for 20-30 minutes before rinsing thoroughly. This mask not only nourishes the scalp but also helps to repair damaged strands and improve overall hair health.

As with any hair care regimen, consistency is key when using ginseng for hair growth. To see the best results, these ginseng-based products should be used two or three times a week. One must be patient while using ginseng; hair growth is slow and gradual. If one suffers from hair thinning and scalp problems even after consuming ginseng, a visit to a dermatologist or trichologist to determine the underlying conditions will be advisable.

Whereas rosemary has long been the darling of herb enthusiasts claiming to help your hair grow, ginseng has emerged as one of the most powerful tools in the quest for healthy, thick hair. Through its properties of enhancing circulation, feeding the scalp with nutrients, and stimulating growth, ginseng proves to be an excellent remedy for people looking to get healthier-looking hair. Whether you use a commercially available product or make your own DIY treatments, you can enjoy great long-term benefits from ginseng when added to your hair care routine. The good news? It's completely natural and very effective as it supports the overall health of your scalp while fostering thicker, fuller hair.

Active ginseng components in cognitive impairment. Oncotarget. 2018

Antifatigue effects of Panax ginseng. PLoS One. 2013

For people living with primary sclerosing cholangitis or PSC, medical options have always been painfully limited. Until now, there has been no approved drug that can slow the disease itself. Treatment has mostly meant managing symptoms and waiting, often for years, until a liver transplant becomes the only option. That is why new results around a monoclonal antibody called nebokitug are being seen as a turning point.

Researchers from the University of California Davis have reported promising findings from a Phase 2 clinical trial showing that nebokitug appears safe and may actually reduce liver inflammation and scarring. The study was published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology and has brought cautious optimism to both doctors and patients.

What Exactly Is PSC?

PSC is a rare, long-term liver disease that mainly affects the bile ducts. These ducts act like tiny pipelines that carry bile from the liver to the small intestine, where it helps digest fats. In PSC, these ducts become inflamed, damaged, and scarred over time. As they narrow, bile starts backing up in the liver, slowly causing liver injury.

Many people with PSC also have inflammatory bowel disease, especially ulcerative colitis. This strong link has led researchers to believe that ongoing gut inflammation may trigger immune reactions that damage the liver as well. Symptoms can range from extreme tiredness and itching to yellowing of the skin and eyes. Some patients have no symptoms at all in the early stages, which makes the disease harder to catch.

Why Treatment Has Been So Difficult

One of the biggest challenges with PSC is that doctors have not had a way to stop the scarring process itself. Once fibrosis sets in, it slowly progresses and increases the risk of liver failure and bile duct cancer. While medications can help with itching or infections, they do not change the course of the disease. This gap in treatment is what makes the nebokitug study so important.

How Nebokitug Works

Nebokitug is a lab-made antibody designed to block a protein called CCL24. This protein plays a key role in driving inflammation and fibrosis in the liver. In people with PSC, CCL24 levels are higher than normal and are found around the bile ducts where damage is most severe.

By blocking CCL24, nebokitug aims to calm the immune response and slow down the scarring process. Earlier lab and animal studies suggested this approach could work. The new trial is one of the first to test this idea in people with PSC.

What the Trial Found

The Phase 2 study included 76 patients from five countries. Participants received either one of two doses of nebokitug or a placebo through an IV every three weeks for 15 weeks. The main goal was to check safety, since this was still an early-stage trial.

The results were encouraging. Nebokitug was found to be safe and well tolerated. More importantly, patients who already had more advanced liver scarring showed improvements in liver stiffness and markers linked to fibrosis when compared to those on placebo. These changes suggest that the drug may be doing more than just easing symptoms.

Experts involved in the study say these findings could change the future of PSC care. Reducing inflammation and fibrosis could slow disease progression and delay or even prevent the need for a transplant in some patients. While larger trials are still needed, nebokitug represents one of the strongest signals yet that PSC may finally have a disease-modifying treatment on the horizon.

Now, drinking beer too could increase the risk of mouth cancer. On Tuesday, researchers at the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) reported this adding new evidence. They found a 59 per cent higher risk of mouth cancer in people who drank, on average, just two grams of alcohol from beer daily, compared with those who did not drink. The research suggests that there may not be any safe limit to drink.

What Did The Study Reveal About Beer And Cancer?

Their study in India's large scale analysis that probs link between alcohol and cancer of the buccal mucosa. This is the pink lining of cheeks and lips. In India, this kind of cancer is the second most common malignancy in India after breast cancer. It also leads to 1,40,000 new cases and nearly 80,000 deaths each year.

Who Are More Prone To Buccal Mucosa Cancer?

People who consume more than one glass of alcohol a day and chew tobacco on a day to day basis are five times more at risk of developing this cancer as compared to those who do not drink or chew tobacco.

The findings of the study was published in the journal BMJ Global Health and it suggests that joint use of both, alcohol and tobacco leads to 62 per cent of all buccal mucosa cancer in the country.

As Telegraph reported, Tata Memorial Centre for Cancer Epidemiology unit's head of molecular epidemiology and population genomics unit Sharayu Mhatre said, "We see an unmistakable pattern: the more alcohol people drink, the greater their risk of buccal mucosal cancer."

Buccal mucosal cancer continues to pose a serious public health challenge in India. Among 100 patients diagnosed with locally advanced stages of the disease, 57 die within five years, a mortality rate that experts say highlights the urgent need for prevention, early detection, and stronger regulation of risk factors.

Alcohol Emerges as a Major Risk Factor

While the link between alcohol and cancer is well known, new findings reinforce just how dangerous alcohol consumption can be for oral health. Researchers found that people who consumed alcohol had a 68% higher risk of developing buccal mucosal cancer compared to non-drinkers.

What stood out most was the type of alcohol consumed. Unregulated, locally brewed liquor carried the highest risk, increasing cancer likelihood by 87%, compared to 72% among consumers of regulated, commercially sold drinks. Experts point out that these local brews often contain significantly higher ethanol concentrations and lack quality control.

Not Just Heavy Drinking—Even Small Amounts Matter

The study analyzed drinking patterns among over 3,700 participants, comparing cancer patients with healthy individuals. Alcohol types ranged from beer and spirits like whisky and vodka to traditional local drinks such as bangla and tharra. Ethanol levels varied widely—from 5% in beer to as high as 90% in some locally distilled spirits.

Alarmingly, increased cancer risk was seen even at low levels of alcohol intake. As little as two grams of alcohol a day from beer, or roughly one glass of stronger liquor, was enough to raise concern.

Alcohol and Tobacco: A Dangerous Combination

The risk escalates dramatically when alcohol use is combined with tobacco chewing. Tobacco alone raised cancer risk by 200%, alcohol alone by 76%, but together, the risk shot up to 346%. Researchers explain that alcohol may damage the mouth’s protective lining, making it easier for tobacco-related carcinogens to penetrate and cause harm.

Health experts stress that these findings underline the need for greater public awareness, stricter monitoring of locally brewed alcohol, and stronger prevention strategies. The World Health Organization has already warned that no level of alcohol is safe, noting that even light or moderate drinking contributes to a significant number of alcohol-related cancers globally.

For India, where oral cancers remain widespread, these insights serve as a critical reminder: everyday habits can have life-altering consequences.

Delhi finds itself in a little relief as the AQI of the city has dropped to 221 as per the CAQM. GRAP IV restrictions have also been lifted, however, pollution and smog continues to take over the city. The Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert for the next few days, which could affect road and air traffic.

While GRAP IV is now removed, measures under GRAP I, II, and III will continue. As per the IMD forecast, this is what could happen for the next 5 days in Delhi

• December 26: Dense fog will prevail in the morning. Visibility is likely to be low.
• December 27: Yellow alert, dense fog in the morning and afternoon.
• December 28: Yellow alert, moderate to dense fog expected in the early morning.
• December 29-30: Fog will reduce slightly, but moderate haze will prevail in the morning.

Union Transport Minister On Delhi's Pollution

Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways also highlighted the alarming conditions of Delhi's smog and pollution. He said, "I stay for hardly two days in Delhi, and get an infection," as he spoke on how pollution impacts one's health conditions. However, he did speak on the severity of pollution and highlighted how the transport sector could play a huge role to bring relief to Delhi.

He highlighted that fuel combustion and transport emission leads to most of Delhi pollution.

In an interview with the news agency ANI, the minister also said that his ministry and Central Government are working on several projects and initiatives that will free Delhi from air pollution in the next five years.

Gadkari stated that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is undertaking projects worth Rs 1 lakh crore in Delhi to ease traffic congestion. He stated that all these efforts will not only help free Delhi of air pollution but also reduce the country's imports, increase job opportunities, and help farmers.

Electric Buses, Cars, and Scooters

The minister highlighted that 40% of the air pollution in the National Capital region is due to the burning of fossil fuels. In this regard, the government introduced electric buses in the city and enabled automakers to introduce electric cars and two-wheelers in the country.

He further stated that alternate fuel vehicles, such as those that run on CNG, LPG, and flex fuels (E20), are also being introduced and that all these efforts combined will reduce the city's pollution levels.

CNG And Bitumin From Rice Straw

Gadkari pointed out that nearly 200 lakh tonnes of rice straw or parali is burnt in Haryana and Punjab, a major cause of air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region. In this regard, the government is setting up 400 plants to convert the rice straw into CNG. At the moment, 60 plants are operational.

The minister also discussed a new project in Panipat in which rice straw is being used to create 1 lakh litres of Ethanol, 1.5 tonnes of bitumen, and 78,000 tonnes of jet fuel.