Do Chinese Herbs Work For Acne?
When you hear the term traditional Chinese medicine, you will probably think of chigong, herbal concoctions and acupuncture. Chinese medicine has been in existence for more than 4,000 years. It has been a long-held concept in Chinese medicine that any disease is a physical manifestation of the imbalance or blockage of the flow of life energy or “chi” in a person’s body.
One of the primary beliefs closely held in traditional Chinese medicine is that sickness is the absence of harmony between Yin and Yang, two opposing energies moving in constant harmony. These two energy forces emanate from the Tao and perpetually interact with each other. Thus, the Chinese physician will diagnose and treat the energy imbalance and not directly the disease.
Chinese Herbal Preparations
For many centuries, Chinese herbal preparations have been employed for acne treatment. Medicinal herbs are the most common remedies at the disposal of Chinese physicians to restore the balance of the two opposite forces and bring back the body to a balanced, healthy state or homeostasis. Herbs and acupuncture are among the tools designed to restore balance.
Chinese herbalists don’t normally prescribe just a single herb as a cure. Herbal decoctions are usually made with a combination of various herbs. Each ingredient is weighed, mixed and then boiled into a soup mixture and consumed like tea. The tea can sometimes have a disagreeable taste.
One of the disadvantages of herbal medications is not knowing their inherent properties as there is no specific law regarding their content. Herbs can have the same efficacy and potency as any drugstore medicine. Severe toxic reactions from drinking herbal teas have been reported, so be cautious before taking untested herbal medications.
Here are a few herbal ingredients that are occasionally used for acne treatment. Different herbs are mixed depending on the type of acne condition. Consult an experienced herbalist before trying one of these herbal preparations.
• Chrysanthemum, dandelion and honeysuckle flowers
• Cape jasmine, Forsythia fruit
• Roots of red peony, coptis, scrophularia, scutellaria, red sage, licorice, Chinese angelica, and platycodon.
• Loquat leaves
• Moutan and mulberry tree bark
• Tangerine seeds
• Bulbs of Zhe jiang fritillaria
Efficacy of Chinese Herbs
Very few of these herbs have passed laboratory research and tests. Nevertheless, feverfew, which belongs to the chrysanthemum family, has demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties needed for mild acne treatment when applied to the affected area twice a day for six weeks.
If the taste or smell of an herbal medication offends your senses, you can always go to Chinese drugstores to buy the herb in tablets or capsules. There are also ready-made herbal acne preparations that you can buy without having to mix and boil your own herb mixture.
Chinese Herbal Works Slow
Chinese herbal treatments are meant to work but at a slow pace. Die-hard adherents of herbal medicine stated that if they take it long enough, the herbs can cure as well as prevent their acne.
Many Western physicians, however, claim that acne, like the common cold, would have gone away on its own and any cure is owed to the faith in the treatment itself, not in its efficacy. If you are taking any herbal product, or are considering taking it, first inform your doctor or dermatologist about it.
Monica C. is an online medical researcher on acne treatment and skin care. For more information about acne treatment, please visit her website http://www.10acne.com/ now.
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