10 Herbs to Help Treat Acne

Acne is a long-term skin disease that occurs when hair follicles are clogged with dead skin cells and oil from the skin. It affects as much as 85% of teenagers in North America. Acne primarily affects areas of the skin with a relatively high number of oil glands such as the face, upper part of the chest, and back. Acne prone skin can have a combination of blackheads or whiteheads, pimples, oily skin, and possible scarring. There are ways to treat acne with a combination of Chinese medicinal herbs, facials, and diet modifications.

There are different causes of Acne but can be divided into the following:

• Food

• Dirt

• Stress

• Heredity

• Drugs

• Occupations

• Cosmetics

6 Reasons for Acne according to Chinese Medicine

1. In traditional Chinese medicine, we contribute the cause of Acne to “ heat”. It can be heat in the lung organ. Patients with lung heat, besides having acne, will experience other respiratory problems such as asthma, food allergies or seasonal allergies.

2. It can also be heat in Stomach. Patients with stomach heat usually have acnes in their forehead. Acne can get worse when they have spicy foods or deep fried foods which in Chinese medicine are heat type of foods. They will also have digestive problems such as constipation, acid reflux, and indigestion.

3. It can be Toxic Heat: This type of patients usually have severe acne, strongly inflamed with pus-filled nodules and much reddening of the skin around the lesions. This can be caused by polluted foods we are eating nowadays and also pollution in the environment.

4. It can be Damp Heat: Symptoms include acne composed of deep, pus-filled, inflamed nodules. The skin usually is oily.

5. It can also be Blood Heat: Symptoms include acne that is accompanied by a flushed face. The patient may complain of thirst, dark urine, and dry stools.

6. Also emotionally disturbances can be a contribution factor for flare up of acne in Chinese medicine.

There are many herbs including Chinese herbs and natural methods to help you prevent or treat acne skins. In this article we will mainly talk about 10 herbs that are commonly used and highly effective.

Top 10 Herbs to include in your Acne Treatment

1. Tea Tree Oil

2. Willow Bark

3. Neem

4. Aloe vera

5. Cucumber

6. Pu Gong Ying (Dandelion)

7. Jin Yin Hua (Honeysuckle)

8. Lian Qiao (Forsythia Fruit)

9. Ye Ju Hua (Wild Chrysanthemum flower)

10. Huang Qin (Scutellaria)

Diet & Lifestyle Changes to Treat Acne

Besides herbal remedies, diet change is also a big part to prevent or treat acne skins. Stay away from processed food such as fast foods, deep fried foods or spicy foods and also avoid process sugar such as all soft drinks, sodas and many sugar laced cookies and deserts. When you eat refined carbohydrates and sugar, your body surges with insulin and insulin-like growth hormone which promotes the release of male hormones that cause your pore to release sebum where bacteria grow and lead to clogged pores and inflamed skin. Besides your diet change, lifestyle change is important as well.

• Regular exercise can flush the toxins out from your body through sweating.

• A good night sleep can let your body to rest, rejuvenate and heal;

• Build up proper bacteria balance in your gut which associates the bacurateria on your skin as well by taking probiotics supplement and also naturally fermented foods;

• Enjoy sunshine, the natural way to provide you with Vitamin D. Vitamin D is crucial for our immune system and also has control over all type of infections.

At Bodhi Tree Oriental Health Clinic, we offer a well-rounded treatment plan. We combine herbal tea and acupuncture to address the conditions and imbalances in your body. We also provide a nutritional plan for you to follow as we believe any diseases can be traced back to unhealthy or unbalanced diet and lifestyle. Our acne treatments include an organic skincare line, Eminence clear skin products, which contains the key ingredients mentioned above such as tea tree oil, willow bark, cucumber and probiotics from yogurt.

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Bodhi Tree Oriental Health Clinic is a Chinese Medical facility that takes an integrative approach to your health. Using natural techniques including acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, massage, nutrition and lifestyle coaching, the clinic is a transformative experience. Through our holistic approach, we assist our patients in rapidly achieving their goals for better physical and mental health.

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