Vernacularized Approaches to Anti-Aging and Healthy Hair in Medieval Chinese Religions

Research pertaining to the quest for Daoist transcendence or xian-hood has raised vital questions about the intersections between religion, pharmacology, and the body in China. Informed by but departing from studies of xian-hood and adjacent medical and soteriological pursuits, this paper delves into vernacular methods and techniques for anti-aging and healthy hair. Focusing on both excavated and transmitted recipes that target the loss or whitening of hair, I query how and why people in medieval China—potentially both religious practitioners and non-specialist users—used animal, vegetal, and mineral substances to create hair care products either through ingestion, topical application, or hair-combing. By paying attention to the technical knowledge undergirding the creation of these products, this paper explores the religious and somatic dimensions of possessing healthy hair and thus becoming spiritually potent.