HEALTHY LIFESTYLE · AUGUST 2018
USING NATURAL HERBS FOR SKIN HEALTH
Everyone is familiar with the proverb “ beauty is only skin deep ,” but unfortunately , when it comes to skin health , the path to beauty actually runs much deeper . There are many factors that influence the luster of our largest organ , including not just what we put on it but what we eat , how much rest we get at night , our stress levels , hormones , acute or chronic illnesses , and so much more ! The skin is so responsive that in the era before lab testing , traditional cultures would use changes in the color , tone , and temperature of different areas of the skin as a diagnostic method to make educated guesses at what might be going on inside the body . in the supermarket . As an herb , it is not considered to have a very strong action , meaning that it is usually taken over longer periods of time or in large doses . Two compounds in the oil fraction of the herb , coixol and coixenolide , have been found to have moderate antiinflammatory properties and are used clinically to help with cystic acne .
Knowing that there are so many factors that can influence skin health , it ' s no wonder that it often leaves people wondering where to begin . After making as many positive changes as possible , many people feel defeated when they are unable to find “ the answer .” Oftentimes , a favorable way to build upon other positive lifestyle changes is dietary supplementation using traditional herbal medicine .
But why herbs ? Besides the typical nutrients like vitamins and minerals , plants produce a spectacular array of chemical compounds . Plants have it hard , being rooted in one spot with only four organs ( roots , stem , leaves , and flowers / fruit ) and still doing all the things we do to live . To survive in their environments , plants have to make different chemicals to compensate for their lack of bones , muscles , nerves , blood , brains , and so on . Take the aloe plant for example , which thrives in full sun and dry soil . In order to do so , our prickly friend produces a number of different compounds with water-retaining and anti-inflammatory properties ; compounds that we can use to soothe our own sun-damaged skin or inflamed bowels . Many of our pharmaceutical medications originally came from herbs . The benefit of going straight to the original source is that you get the natural mix of different complementary compounds rather than one ingredient .
Here are a few well-researched herbs that are commonly used in clinical practice to treat various skin conditions :
JOB ’ S TEARS ( Coix lacryma-jobi ) This plant produces a grain that is often mistaken for barley , giving it the common name of Chinese Pearl Barley
TREE PEONY BARK ( Paeonia suffruticosa ) This beauty is the wilder cousin of the horticultural varieties of peony and has a beautiful bloom to match . Here , the bark is the medicinal component and contains a number of different compounds , although the most important for skin health is paeonol . This cool molecule is a phenolic compound that has been shown in studies to regulate both histamine and TNF , which gives it anti-inflammatory and antimutagenic effects . This means that this sweet-smelling herb is often a great choice for people suffering from either allergic or autoimmune skin conditions .
DRAGON ' S BLOOD RESIN – ( Dracaena spp . and Daemonorops spp .) Several different plants in a couple of genera produce the blood-red sap known as dragon ’ s blood . Although many skin issues can be chronic in nature , the properties of the flavans in this resin are best for acute injury and trauma . Applied topically , the powdered resin can stop bleeding , but when taken internally it improves microcirculation . In addition , the flavans are strong antioxidants , and have antiviral and antibacterial properties when studied in vitro . For those worried that a scrape could turn into a scar , or for those with circulatory issues and recurrent ulcers , this is one of the premier herbs to consider supplementing with .
INDIGO ( Isatis indigotica ) This deep-blue powder was once a rare commodity as it was one of the few blue dyes available . Made from the leaves of the isatis plant , this dye is also a concentrated mixture of that plant ’ s chemical compounds . Indican , indirubin , and glucobrassicins are just some of the many compounds that give indigo a rich blue color , and antiinflammatory , antimicrobial , and even certain antineoplastic effects . In addition , they stimulate the body ’ s NK ( natural killer ) cells to gobble up foreign particles . Several studies have shown that the compounds in indigo exert definite inhibition on the mechanisms underlying psoriasis . This has caused a large market of natural indigo creams and ointments to pop up , but patients must use caution — as little as 3g of indigo is enough to permanently dye an outfit , so they must make sure the clothes they are wearing are already blue !
If you have further questions on how herbs can improve your skin health , feel free to call us at 1.866 . REZILIR .
Dr . Peter Steele is a licensed Acupuncture Physician ( AP ) and Doctor of Oriental Medicine ( DOM ) who sees patients and runs the herbal pharmacy at Rezilir Health . The clinic currently stocks nearly 200 different herbs and herbal drugs that can be processed into all-natural topical ointments to help with many skin conditions . If you or a loved one is suffering from skin issues , please contact our office to find out how we can help .
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