Shatavari Amla Laddoo for Hormonal Hair Loss: Daisy's Recipe

Hair that keeps falling despite the right shampoo, serum and oil can be frustrating. Daisy’s view is that you cannot shampoo your way out of hormonal hair loss, PCOS-related hair loss, perimenopausal or postmenopausal hair loss, DHT-related hair loss, stress or iron deficiency. She says these need to be addressed from within, every single day. So instead of another product, she eats a laddoo.

Why a laddoo instead of a capsule?

Daisy points out that Indian kitchens had supplements long before capsules did. They were laddoos: small balls built around a few ingredients chosen for one health need. She gives examples such as gond katira laddoo for postpartum recovery, and til and methi laddoo for winter and for new mothers. She also mentions panjiri laddoo, which she calls great for bones, and shatavari laddoo for perimenopause, postmenopause and hormonal issues.

Her argument is that a laddoo uses live whole foods instead of dried, packaged powders in a capsule. You also enjoy it after a meal, so there is no need to force it down. Daisy admits that some ingredients here, such as shatavari, amla and aliv seeds, are quite bitter, but the sweetness hides it. She has eaten this laddoo for about six or seven months and carries a box when she travels, because she noticed her nutrition slipping on the road.

What goes into the hair laddoo and why

Daisy chose each ingredient for a reason. The recipe card above has the quantities. Here is her thinking.

• Aliv seeds (garden cress, also called halim). Daisy calls them one of the richest iron sources. She says they also carry vitamin C, which helps the body absorb that iron. Iron deficiency, she notes, is one of the most common reasons for hair loss.
• Black sesame seeds. She says both Ayurveda and Chinese medicine recommend them for premature greying. She describes them as one of the highest dietary sources of copper, which she links to hair colour. She pairs them with drinking copper water.
• Pumpkin seeds. Daisy says many people take finasteride for hair growth, and that pumpkin seeds act in a similar way naturally, though slowly. A 2014 trial gave men a pumpkin seed oil capsule (more on this below).
• Flax seeds. She says they are good if you have PCOS and your hair is thinning at the top of the scalp or along the parting.
• Walnuts. They are rich in pantothenic acid, vitamin B5, which the hair brand Pantene is named after. Daisy says it makes each strand strong because the follicle is strong.
• Dates. She says dates are there for more than sweetness. They are rich in vitamin B6, which she says the body needs to process the protein in all those seeds.
• Jaggery. It gives iron and sweetness, so the laddoo has no refined sugar. Daisy warns that people with diabetes may need to avoid it.
• Amla and shatavari. Daisy says shatavari mimics oestrogen and smooths hormonal swings across menstruation, pregnancy, lactation, perimenopause and PCOS. She also describes it as an adaptogen, a herb that helps the body cope with chronic stress. Amla is her vitamin C and hair staple.

One important note from Daisy: thyroid problems are also hormonal, but shatavari does not specifically help thyroid-related hair loss.

How she makes it

Soak the aliv seeds for about three hours first. Dry roast the other seeds and nuts on low heat, cool them fully, then grind them with the dates. Roast the coconut gently. Daisy burned hers while distracted by her phone, so keep the flame low and the colour light.

Melt the jaggery, stir in the drained aliv seeds, and expect the mix to turn watery. That is only the gel from the soaked seeds. After about two minutes, switch off the flame and mix in everything else, including the amla and shatavari powders. Roll into balls. Daisy skips oil and ghee because the seeds release plenty of their own.

What research says

The research here is thin. Pumpkin seed oil has one small trial behind it. A randomized, placebo-controlled trial followed 76 men with mild to moderate pattern hair loss. After 24 weeks of 400 mg pumpkin seed oil a day, their mean hair count rose 40 percent, against 10 percent with placebo. That study used oil capsules in men, not whole seeds in a laddoo, so it does not prove the same result for you.

For shatavari, a review of Asparagus racemosus describes its long use in Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha and the saponins and flavonoids found in the plant. It also covers overuse. Evidence for hair loss specifically is limited. Ayurveda has used shatavari for women’s health for centuries.

Daisy’s tips

• Do not expect the laddoo alone to grow your hair. Daisy asks you to eat nutritious food, take a B12 supplement if you need one, get sunlight, stay emotionally happy, drink copper water and exercise.
• After about five or six months of eating it regularly, get a blood test and see how your results look.
• Do not compare it to boondi or besan laddoo. Daisy says this one has zero refined sugar and does not taste the same.
• Use a mixer that works well. If yours is struggling, add the powders after grinding, as she did.
• Use an iron kadai if you have one, as the mix is less likely to stick or burn.
• Hair loss is sometimes only a symptom of something deeper, and a normal blood test does not always explain it. Daisy suggests a whole-body approach with many small habits together instead of a quick fix.
• If you take medicine for hormones, thyroid, PCOS or diabetes, keep your doctor in the loop.

Daisy shows every step in the video above. It takes about 11 minutes.