Herbs for healthy skin
In our previous blog, we discussed our approach to healthy skin from the inside out. Today, we’re showcasing one of our popular dispensary tools: our herbal medicines for skin health. As always, herbs are treated as medicine, so please do take advice if you are considering using them therapeutically. We are happy to help.
Calendula: traditionally a wound healing herb, calendula has “depurative” qualities (purifying, detoxifying, cleansing). We use it in particular when there is stagnation of the lymphatic system, which may be compromising the body’s ability to cleanse itself.
Burdock: another herb with depurative qualities, this is frequently used by us in our tonics for eczema, psoriasis, skin infections and more. Interestingly, it is also useful for other elimination disorders in the body, e.g. gout and rheumatism.
Nettle: A nutrient-rich herb helpful for elimination of toxins via the kidneys, we use this successfully for eruptive skin conditions (e.g. open acne or wounds).
Chaste Tree: when hormones are out of balance, and this is the driver for skin conditions, this herb really comes to the fore. It is of particular use for hormone-related acne. Dose is carefully calibrated, and a good assessment of other medications with regard to interactions is important.
Chickweed: This herb we love to prescribe topically in our creams. It has great potential for eczema, psoriasis, itchy skin, rashes and boils.
Dandelion (root and leaf): for more chronic skin conditions, we use the liver and gallbladder-supportive herb dandelion.
Whether you have eczema, psoriasis, acne, fungal infections, dry skin or you’re relying on hydrocortisone or other topical treatments without addressing the cause, then herbal medicine could be a great opportunity to try a different approach.
When reading about herbs it can be confusing to figure out how to take them. While some of their active qualities may be extracted in a tea, most need to be extracted using either alcohol or cold percolation. We leave this to the experts - our preferred herbal medicine suppliers (Mediherb, Phytomed), which we then formulate and prescribe according to our patient needs.
Talk to us about herbal medicine - we love to educate and help you to use nature as medicine.
ask@healhealth.co.nz
