Sweet! Can Black Strap Mollasses reverse greying?
Vintage gray hair ( photo credit: April-Mo)
Grey hair is a traditional symbol of wisdom (when feeling optimistic) and old age(when feeling pessimistic). In Ayurveda, grey hair is due to excess Pitta, the fiery dosha, burning out the color in one’s hair. Too much critical thinking and stress in the proximally located brain literally burns out the color in the hair. Monthly trips to the hair salon can get tedious, toxic, and costly. Is there a way to reverse greying without subjecting oneself to the chemicals, expenses, and time commitment of a salon?
I had heard about unsulphered black strap mollasses helping some people reverse their greys. I was skeptical but intrigued. Upon further research, black strap mollasses was found to contain numerous minerals, nutrients, and trace metals: manganese, zinc, iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin B6, selenium, and importantly copper.
Copper Laker (Photo credit: Captain Tenneal)
Why is copper so critical? Tyrosinase is an essential enzyme involved in melanin synthesis. Melanin is responsible for pigmentation of skin and hair. Tyrosinase is a copper containing oxidase. Copper is essential for its’ proper functioning. In animal studies, copper deficiency is associated with abnormal melanocyte function and morphology. Copper deficiency leads to reduction of both skin and fur pigmentation. Melanocytes reside, among other places, in the hair follicle bulb where they impart color to the hair shaft. Hence, it follows that a diet poor in copper can exacerbate grey hair. Black strap mollasses is replete with copper, as well as other nutrients and minerals.
Black strap mollasses is the “waste” product in the refinement of sugar cane and beet into white sugar. It is the liquid left behind after the sucrose(sugar) has crystallized. This so-called- waste product is the most nutrient-dense substance created in the production of white sugar! It is is teeming with minerals, nutrients, and vitamins etc. Incredulously, this “waste” product is used for livestock feed and in some countries, to pave roads!! White table sugar leaches minerals out of the body, while black strap mollases replenishes the body of minerals, nutrients, vitamins, and trace metals.
The unsulphered variety is made with sun-ripened sugar cane, whereas the sulphered black strap mollases is made with green, immature sugar cane. The sulpher is used to process the immature sugar cane. Unsulphered black strap mollases is the better choice.
This is entirely anecdotal, but after taking a teaspoon of black strap molasses once daily for 2 weeks, I did notice that my roots grew out with an undeniable coppery-tint. This is not a bad thing, as it (over time) could hopefully decrease the frequency of salon visits.
References:
Olivares C, Solano F.
Pigment Cell Melanoma Res. 2009 Dec;22(6):750-60. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-148X.2009.00636.x. Epub 2009 Sep 7. Review.
2.Copper deficiency and pigmentation in the rat: morphofunctional aspects.
Miranda M, Bartoli G, Ragnelli AM, Cittadini A, Palozza P, Aimola P, Zarivi O, Bonfigli A.
J Submicrosc Cytol Pathol. 1992 Apr;24(2):273-9
3.Unsulphered black strap mollasses nutrient analysis: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrientprofile&dbid=85
4.http://www.naturalnews.com/026296_molasses_health_sugar.html
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