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Skin Problems and Herbal Remedies
This article discusses skin problems such as acne, dry skin and poison ivy. It mentions herbal home remedies that can help with the problems mentioned.
Our skin is the largest organ in the body, and care for it is extremely important. Changes in the skin can show problems found in other organs, and the environment can wreak havoc on it.
One of the most common skin problems is acne. Acne treatments are big business, and they range from mild herbal remedies to powerful, and often harmful, prescription drugs.
Dealing with acne needs to be dealt with on two fronts; first in habits and second in deciding how best to remedy the situation.
Most people have a habit of touching their face with their hands.
Whether it’s resting the chin on the palm or propping up the head with a hand, it’s an easy trait to fall in to. Unfortunately, that spreads oils on the skin and can cause acne to break out. It’s also important to keep hair off the face, to prevent oil from the scalp from getting onto the skin.
While severe acne is best treated by a doctor or dermatologist, minor outbreaks can be dealt with at home. Most over the counter acne treatments use benzyl peroxide, which may dry the skin too much. There are other treatments which use camphor or witch hazel. Camphor may be a problem for some, as it can cause an allergic reaction to sensitive people.
Witch hazel is an herbal preparation, and has been used for ages in dealing with various skin problems, including acne. Oat soap is also useful, and can be found at many grocery stores.
Acne isn’t the only problem with the skin, as the days warm up in Spring, poison ivy, oak and sumac start to become problems for most people. Severe cases should, of course, be seen by a doctor, but for most people, home remedies will ease some of the suffering.
First, carefully wash the affected area, but use care not to spread it. Once that’s done, a paste of either baking soda or corn starch can be applied to soothe the itching.
If you’re fortunate enough to be near walnut trees, pick a green walnut and cut the hull. Rub the juice on the rash. Fair warning, the juice from a walnut hull will stain anything it touches, skin and clothing alike.
Calamine lotion is another over the counter possibility when dealing with skin rashes like poison ivy. It is not something that can be taken internally, and care should be taken not to get it in the eyes. Once the lotion has dried, it may help prevent the weeping that sometimes accompanies these rashes.
Dry skin is another common problem. The lotions and potions on the market for dry skin is amazing in their multitudes. They’re also (mostly) on the expensive side.
Several herbs and at least one common food are very useful in dealing with dry skin. The common food is oats. It has a lot of mucilage, which is soothing to the skin. (It’s also soothing to rashes from things like chicken pox.)
Herbs for dry skin include marshmallow, aloe vera and tea tree oil. One note about the marshmallow, this is not the kind you roast for s’mores on camping trips. Those are now made with corn syrup, although they used to be made with the root of the marshmallow.
Herbs can also be taken internally to help with dry skin. Dandelion is a diuretic, meaning it helps with water weight and chamomile, which has mucilage and is gently calming are two good examples. Oatmeal is a third, and it also is gently calming and provides a great deal of fiber.
Natural herbal remedies are a good way to help maintain good skin quality and protect this impressive organ, the skin. Skin Problems and Herbal Remedies
Info on herbal remedies and link to e-book on the topic
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