The Best Herbs for Getting Good Skin

by Tara Mackey | Blogroll, Health

A few months ago, after my wisdom tooth surgery, my skin started freaking out. My simple oral procedure had turned into an extra nasal surgery, and during recovery I had to stop my normal herbal regiment because it was hard for me to swallow and keep down any more solid things than I had to. What followed was devastating news for my face.

I soon had hard, painful, cystic acne all along my jawline, as well as terrible bouts of psoriasis on my legs and arms. Ughhhh! screamed my ego, I thought we were over this.

I’m super familiar with troubled skin. I talked about it extensively in my book. As a teenager & young adult, the most I could really complain about was random acne popping up on my body. Nothing major. But once I came off all my medication (including birth control), hormones hit me hard.  I got bad, bad acne around my mouth, chin, cheeks, and areas that are impossible to hide. I got it all over my body. Dryness, too. My skin was itchy and oily and messy. I mean, dear baby Jesus – give me some teenage acne any day of the week over lumps on my face and my legs that bleed, itch and are painful.  I had been solving it with herbs, a really good diet, a good outlook, an active body, a ton of skin meditation and a positive mentality for years.

So my post-op face was not only disappointing, but straight up embarrassing for me.  Why aren’t all these good habits, I thought, reflected in my skin?

I knew that falling off the herbal bandwagon was to blame. In fact, it was the only thing I could blame. I kept up all my hikes, yoga and fitness plan, I had ramped up my meditations, had been eating a lot of organic veggies and red meat (at my doctor’s suggestion), was at a super healthy weight, had dove head first into my research… The ONLY change I had made in my lifestyle was putting the brakes on my herbs for a few days.  So, fed up with my face, I decided I was going to dedicate my entire supplement regime (as well as many mantra-driven meditation practices, as mentioned in depth here) to caring for my skin.

 The first supplement that I picked up again was:

DIM

DIM is short for Dimethylglycine, which is an amino acid (the building blocks of proteins.)  It is plant based phytonutrient (plant nutrient), and normally found in small amounts in our bodies, for very small amounts of time.

DIM is mostly found in cruciferous vegetables.  These include cabbage, broccoli, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, rutabaga, and turnip.  These plants have been cultivated for thousands of years and were initially used for their medicinal benefits.  The connection between DIM and hormones like estrogen has to do with similar characteristics between them at the molecular level.  DIM is not an estrogen or a hormone, but like estrogen it shares the common characteristic of being poorly soluble in water.

Dimethylglycine (DIM ) is used for everything from ADHD to acne, but it’s benefits reach far and wide.  For me, it put me on a monthly cycle that I would literally bet my life savings on, has reduced aging lines, makes my skin glow, stabilized my moods, heavily reduced my breakouts, boosted my immune system, and lowered my blood pressure.  I can only imagine what it does for others!

Since I started taking DIM regularly again, I haven’t suffered from any hormonal breakouts.  If I feel one coming on, I will up the dosage and the DIM usually helps my body to take care of it.  This has been an absolute miracle for me, and I cannot go a day without it or I WILL see “under the skin” bumps start to creep back in.  Luckily, it sells for only about $16.

Omega-3-6-9 fatty acids

If it’s golden in colour, you don’t really have to convince me to put it on my skin or in my body.  Omegas, commonly known as the “good fats”, have recently been credited with increasing heart health as well as helping your skin look healthier. The foods highest in omega’s fatty acids include seafood (especially tuna and salmon) as well as walnuts, canola oil, and flax seed.  Not only do they protect your skin from free radical damage, they act as an anti-oxidant that helps your body process the release of enzyme’s that happen when we are exposed to the sun.  Because of their anti-inflammatory properties, omega’s can also help relieve skin conditions like rosacea, psoriasis, and eczema.  Any time my joints hurt, I also pop some of these.  Break one open and add it to dry areas on your face for an extra boost!  I take a supplement that has Omegas 3, 6, and 9 (fish oil, borage, and flax) as well as the Borage pill (mentioned below) itself.

Borage

Borage seed oil is used for everything from acne, to inflammation, arthritis, and has been used as a natural sedative, lifting the spirits and softening the nervous edge some people experience. Borage works well to ease the depression and mood swings often associated with menopause and menstrual cycles as well and is a nice alternative to traditional prescription medications.

It’s an intense blood purifier, and contains high levels of a fatty acid called GLA, which seems to have anti-inflammatory effects.  Taking borage internally or applying it directly to my skin has had amazing effects!

Evening Primrose Oil

Speaking of GLA, this little miracle supplement has truly changed the game for me.  It contains the pain relieving compound phenylalanine and is increasingly being used to treat chronic headaches, aging problems, alcoholism, acne, heart disease, hyperactivity in children, symptoms of menopause, multiple sclerosis, weight control, obesity, PMS and schizophrenia.

Evening Primrose Oil contains a high concentration the fatty acid GLA.  It is this fatty acid that is largely responsible for the remarkable healing properties of the plant. In fact, Evening Primrose contains one of the highest concentrations known of this important substance and only a few other plants contain it at all. This makes Evening Primrose an important medicinal herb, and as studies continue, the list of benefits will likely become much longer. The gamma-linoleic acid, linoleic acid and other nutrients in this oil are essential for cell structure and improve the elasticity of the skin. These fatty acids also help to regulate hormones and improve nerve function aiding problems ranging from PMS to migraine headaches. The hormone balancing effect also contributes to healthy breast tissue.

Fish Collagen

Collagen: It’s the building block for all our body’s major systems and the second most common substance in the body, coming up right behind water, only in terms of volume. I take TruMarine Collagen with my smoothie every morning. It’s tasteless and helps like nothing else! Although abundant in our youth, the body’s natural Collagen production typically slows at a rate of 1.5% per year after the age of 25. As this collagen production slows, the collagen fibers in the body become brittle and begin to break down resulting in a weakening of the skin matrix (dermis). The skin matrix is responsible for the structural integrity and resilience of the skin and its natural degradation results in many of the visible signs of aging such as fine lines, loss of elasticity and eventually, deep wrinkles.

Typically derived from salmon and red snapper, fish collagen is up to 1.5 times more absorbent than other collagen’s because of its low molecular weight. Fish collagen is absorbed through the intestinal barrier into the bloodstream and then carried throughout the body, so it is the best source of collagen for your skin.

Want more natural, herbal cures for your health?

Pick up Cured by Nature today for my full list of go-to herbs for your health!

With Love,