Shikakai Herb/शिकाकाई (100 Gram)

Shikakai Herb/शिकाकाई: Shikakai Herb has been used traditionally for hair care in the Indian Subcontinent since ancient times. It is one of the Ayurvedic medicinal plants. It is traditionally used as a shampoo. In order to prepare it the fruit pods, leaves and bark of the plant are dried, ground into a powder, and then made into a paste.

While this traditional shampoo does not produce the normal amount of lather that a sulphate-containing shampoo would, it is considered a good cleanser. It is mild, having a naturally low pH, and doesn’t strip hair of natural oils. Usually no conditioner is needed, for shikakai also acts as a detangling agent. An infusion of the leaves has been used in anti-dandruff preparations.

In commercial extracts, when the plant is hydrolyzed it yields lupeol, spinasterol, acacic acid, lactones, and the natural sugars glucose, arabinose and rhamnose. It also contains hexacosanol, spinasterone, oxalic acid, tartaric acid, citric acid, succinic acid, ascorbic acid, and the alkaloids calyctomine and nicotine.

A healthy scalp is literally the foundation for healthy hair growth. Shikakai can soothe an inflamed scalp with its cooling antiseptic properties, restoring its health.

Benefits of Shikakai Herb:

Shikakai Herb is a commonly used herb that has many remedial qualities. It is popularly referred as “fruit for the hair” as it has a naturally mild pH, that gently cleans the hair without stripping it of natural oils. Shikakai Herb is used to control dandruff, promoting hair growth and strengthening hair roots. Shikakai Herb leaves are used in malarial fever, decoction of the pods are used to relieve biliousness and acts as a purgative. An ointment, prepared from the ground pods, is good for skin diseases.

The powder or the extract from the bark, leaves or pods is used as a hair cleansing agent. Shikakai Herb is very effective in removing oil and dirt from hair. The normal practice is to apply oil to hair and scalp and allow it soak for some time. This will keep the body cool, reducing body heat and also prevent the scalp from getting dry. The powdered Shikakai Herb is used as a shampoo to wash off the oil.

Since Shikakai Herb is naturally low in pH, therefore it is extremely mild, and does not strip hair of its natural oils. Usually no rinse or conditioner is used since Shikakai also helps in the disentangling of the hair.

• Actually the bark of Shikakai Herb is high on saponins – chemical compound; these act as foaming agents. Therefore Shikakai is such a good cleaning agent and hence has been traditionally used as a detergent. Owing to the presence of this chemical compound Shikakai Herb is used in Bengal for poisoning fish and are documented to be potent marine toxins.
• The leaves because of the presence of oxalic, tartaric, citric, succinic and ascorbic acids, as well as two alkaloids, calyctomine and nicotine, taste acidic and are used in chutneys. Apart from this the leaves are also used as an infusion in anti-dandruff preparations.
• Extracts of the ground pods have been used for various skin diseases.
• An extract of the Shikakai leaves is used to cure malarial fever.
• A decoction of the pods relieves biliousness and acts as a purgative.

Shikakai Herb Product Details:

• Shikakai Herb Weight: 100 Gram (1 Packet) Provided by AstroMantra.com