Acne

One of the main causes of acne is the build up of toxins in the body therefore the most effective acne treatments have to involve the removal of these toxins. Herbs can provide a potent solution to treating the problem of bacteria and inflammation that come along with acne.

Herbs for Acne

Burdock Root – Root harvested from the Burdock plant (Arctium lappa) Burdock root has anti-inflammatory properties as well as being beneficial at detoxifying the body and as a blood cleanser. It is most often combined with dandelion or yellow dock and is taken internally. Burdock root seed has been known to be very effective in treating all sorts of skin conditions, including, eczema, psoriasis, boils, gout, and of course, acne.

Fresh burdock root or the tincture of dried root is taken internally as a treatment for staph infections, impetigo or obstinate ulceration of the skin or mucous membranes. Often combined with dandelion or yellow dock, burdock root is an effective blood purifier used to treat psoriasis, eczema, oily skin, acne, boils, and gout.

Burdock root can be made into a tea for consumption, said to be a “blood cleaner” it is thought to clear your body of impurities.  Burdock root tea is made by simply boiling burdock root in water.  I know, brilliant.

Neem – Neem  is cultivated from the Neem Tree ( Azadirachta Indica) sometimes referred to commonly as Margosa.  Neem oil is produced by pressing the Neem fruit seed  to extract the oil from the kernels.

How does Neem help with acne?  Well all of the parts of the Neem tree are highly anti-bacterial and also contain anti-inflammatory properties these two things together make a highly effective treatment for mild to moderate acne.

You can now find all kinds of products made from Neem for treating acne from Neem soap to creams infused with Neem.  The only problem with this is you really don’t know how much or how little Neem was used in the making of these products.  Making your own Neem treatments is just as easy and you can control what goes into them.

Creating a face mask of crushed softened Neem leaves is a very effective acne treatment.  If you don’t have access to fresh Neem leaves you can make a paste of Neem powder as an alternative.

Neem has many wonderful health benefits apart from treating acne, to learn more about the uses of Neem visit Brigit’s Neem site which is an incredible resource for all things Neem related.

Chamomile – (Chamomilla recutita) Chamomile is widely believed to have sedative effects and most think of chamomile tea as a soothing sleep aid.  You can also use that tea as an astringent to gently clean your acne affected skin.  Chamomile has anti-inflammatory properties that can help soothe your irritated skin.  So after you make that cup of soothing tea give your face a gentle once over with the tea bag.

Tee Tree Oil – Taken from the leaves of the Melaleuca alternifolia.  Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral.  Usually used diluted tea tree oil is toxic when ingested and should only be used as a topical application.  An application of 5% tee tree oil has shown comparable results when compared to 5% benzoyl  peroxide in treating moderate acne.

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) Lavender oil heals acne when used diluted in a 1:10 ratio with witch hazel being a very beneficial topical treatment.

Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) A natural astringent effective for use in treating mild to moderate acne.  Look for witch hazel distillates called hydrosols or hydrolats which are gentler than “regular” witch hazel that contains alcohol and can irritate already inflamed skin.

Eucalyptus Eucalyptus oil is the generic name for distilled oil from the leaf of Eucalyptus, a genus of the plant family Myrtaceae native to Australia and cultivated worldwide. The leaves of selected Eucalyptus species are steam distilled to extract eucalyptus oil. Eucalyptus oil is highly antiseptic and very useful in use as an astringent to cleanse the skin.

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)  The essential oil of common thyme is the main active ingredient in Listerine mouthwash but I wouldn’t recommend using Listerine as a facial cleanser, ouch!  Thyme is a natural antiseptic which can help in clearing the skin of acne causing bacteria.  Create your own bacteria killing astringent by boiling thyme in water and letting it cool.

Calendula (Calendula officinalis) Calendula extracts have anti-viral, and anti-inflammatory properties.  Calendula in suspension or in tincture is used topically to treat acne, reducing inflammation, controlling bleeding and soothing irritated tissue.

Many commercial acne products contain these herbs in some form.  Plants and herbs have been used for medicine for thousands of years before the invention of pharmecutical companies or the FDA.

Natural herbs for acne can be a very effective cure.

Learn more about natural acne treatments that can cure your acne forever.

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