Herbs for the Skin

Herbs for the Skin

Jo Francks MH

Our skin is the largest organ of the body. It is often referred to as the third kidney. It is a channel of elimination and also a channel of absorption. The skin absorbs what is applied to it which is why it is so important to be aware of what types of products you are using on your skin and the ingredients that are in those products. Chemicals are absorbed by the skin and are moved through the bloodstream to all the organs of the body.  Our skin is the first line of defense and provides protection to our internal organs. The health of our skin is an indicator or the health of the rest of the body.

All through history there have been many natural botanicals used to promote the health of the skin. Here is a small list of some of the herbs I like to use in skin care products.

Aloe – This is my number one plant for burns. I like to apply the fresh cut leaf to a burn because it is soothing and healing. It has cell proliferant properties and is antiseptic.

Calendula – This is my number one herb for all skin conditions. It relieves pain and itching, prevents infection, and promotes healing. It is used for insect bites and stings, cuts, bruises, and burns.

Comfrey – Historically this herb is the healer of healers. It has nick names of knit bone, and people putty. It’s used for broken bones, wounds, burns, and skin problems of all types. This herb helps put people back together. It is full of nutrition and is one of the few plant sources of vitamin B12.

Plantain – This is my go to herb for bee stings. Pick a fresh leaf or two, chew it up a little and apply it directly over a bee sting. Secure it with a bandage. The plantain takes the pain away very quickly and draws the venom out of the sting. It will also draw toxins and poisons out of any wound and prevent blood poisoning and promote healing.

Chamomile – This is a soothing herb and is antibacterial. It is very good for blemished skin and helps promote a clear complexion. It is used both internally and externally as a tea and a wash for the skin.

Slippery elm – This is the herb I will use as a poultice and will often combine it with other herbs that have the properties needed for a particular issue. I have often combined slippery elm with dried plantain when the fresh wasn’t available for a drawing poultice. Slippery elm is a powerful contact healer. It will heal anything it comes in contact with.

Skin brushing – Dr. Christopher recommended skin brushing to move lymph, to improve circulation, and to remove dead skin cells from the surface of the skin. Use a dry brush with natural bristles on dry skin before you bathe or shower. Start with the soles of the feet moving up the legs then to the hands, arms and body. Brush towards the heart with gentle pressure.

Nutrition – Healthy skin begins within. Eating a healthy diet of lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and making sure you are eliminating properly will do a lot to improve the health of the skin.

Cedar Berries

Cedar Berries

Juniperus monosperma

Jo Francks MH

Juniperus monosperma, or one seed juniper, is a very hardy tree native to southwestern United States. It can grow to heights of 25 feet, and has flat scale-like leaves and bluish-green berries which take two years to ripen. The second year berries are blue while the first year berries are green.

Dr. Christopher discovered the wonderful medicinal qualities of cedar berries by accident. He had a patient with a kidney problem who couldn’t void his urine.  Dr. Christopher told him to use juniper berries to clear up the problem.  When the man came back and informed Dr. Christopher that the juniper berries weren’t working they discovered the berries he was using weren’t true juniper berries, they were cedar berries.  Cedar berries have one stone and juniper berries have 3 to 7 stones. The man told Dr. Christopher that the berries weren’t doing anything for his kidney condition, but since he had been taking them he noticed he did not have to use as much insulin. Dr. Christopher then began to experiment with cedar berries and discovered that it helped his patients that had diabetes and the ones who had hypoglycemia.  Dr. Christopher emphasized that both diabetes and hypoglycemia stem from the same problem – a weak pancreas. From these experiences he came up with his Pancreas formula which helps the pancreas and other affiliated glands that, through malfunction, cause high or low blood sugar. It has always been recommended to use this formula along with the mucusless diet.

I knew a man who had a stroke. Afterwards he was diagnosed with diabetes from some of the tests the doctor had done. He was monitoring it through diet and blood tests to check his blood sugar levels. I gave him a bottle of cedar berry tincture with instructions to take a dropper with each meal. A few months later he went back for a checkup. They gave him results of the tests they had done that day but said nothing about diabetes so he asked “what about the diabetes?” He was told he doesn’t have diabetes. He felt that the diabetes went away thanks to the cedar berry tincture he had been using.

Cedar berries have also been used for digestive issues, skin problems such as acne and psoriasis, and as a blood purifier. They can be used as a tea or tincture internally or externally.

Make your own Mullein Flower Oil

Mullein Flower Oil

1 or 2 ounces of fresh mullein flowers (use tweezers to pick the flowers as to not contaminated them)

Sufficient olive oil to cover the flowers

A fresh chopped garlic clove can be added but is optional. This will add antibiotic properties to the oil

 

Put the fresh flowers into a clean glass jar. Add the chopped garlic if desired. Cover with olive oil.

Use a piece of nylon or muslin cloth to cover the jar with a rubber band around it. Let the jar steep in a warm place for 2 weeks and strain the oil through muslin cloth or filter paper. Store in a cool place.

Use a dropper to apply to each ear. Use 2 to 5 drops depending on the size of the ear 3 or 4 times a day.

Note: I keep the dropper separate from the jar the oil is stored in. When ready to use get some of the oil in the dropper and run under warm water to warm up the oil before inserting into the ear.

This is used for ear aches and inflammation, excessive wax in the ears and hearing loss. It can be taken internally for parasites, 1 tsp 3 times a day.

Great Mullein

Great Mullein (Verbascum Thapsus)

Jo Francks MH, CCII

Once you’ve seen mullein growing and you know what it looks like you will be able to spot it anywhere. It has velvety, long leaves that form a rosette the first year of growth. The second year it sends up a stalk up to eight feet high with leaves attached and at the top the small yellow flowers bloom and grow. You rarely see one plant. Mullein likes to grow in dry rocky soil in open areas with many other plants for company. It is quite adventurous also because if you go back to find the mullein you picked a couple years ago you may not find it because it moved locations on you. It’s a biannual plant so after the second year it dies and leaves a dry stalk and the seeds have been scattered to grow somewhere else.

I was at track practice the other day and one of the boys found a small mullein sprout and plucked it out of the ground. He was excited about it and was telling the other kids how it is a cure for stinging nettle. When I saw him with it I told him it’s also good for the lungs and that he could use it if he had a cold or a cough. His expression changed and he asked if it would help his asthma. I said “absolutely” and his eyes got big and excited. He looked as if he had found a pot of gold. When the world of plant medicine is opened to someone they have found a great treasure.

Mullein is known to be a wonder plant for the lungs. It acts as an expectorant and is soothing and helps get phlegm out of the lungs. This can be done by drinking the tea (1 ounce dry leaves in a pint of boiling water, steep 20 minutes and drink ½ cup every hour), or simmering the leaves in water on the stove and breathing in the steam with a towel draped over your head. Use a cup of dried leaves in a quart of water and bring to a low boil. Its astringent properties help to dry up the cough.

Dr. Christopher combined 3 parts mullein with 1 part lobelia to make his famous glandular formula. This formula has been used as a fomentation for mastitis, swollen glands in the neck, swollen and crushed testicles, tonsillitis, mumps and many other ailments.

When Dr. Christopher was visiting a friend in the hospital a man who knew who he was came up to him and asked for help. He was bleeding from the bowels and had to receive blood transfusions from the loss of so much blood. The man came to Dr. Christopher’s office and went immediately to the bathroom because the blood flowing down into the bowel made him feel that he had to have a bowel movement. While he was there, Dr. Christopher called on the intercom into the herb lab, “Fix me a cup of tea right quick. This will be one ounce of Mullein to a pint of whole milk.” A shout came over the intercom, “MILK?!” They knew that Dr. Christopher recommended the use of no dairy products in the mucusless diet. Dr. Christopher told them, “This is medicinal.” They raced out and got some from a store. They made it into a tea, ready by the time the gentleman came out of the bathroom. Dr. Christopher had him drink the whole pint down. It was warm, and had been strained. After he drank the whole pint, Dr. Christopher said, “That’s the whole program. Every time you feel like you have a bowel movement, which could be blood, go have the bowel movement and then drink immediately after that a pint of the Mullein tea made with milk. The next day, just take it three times a day and then once a day for three days. As time goes on, you’ll find that you have fewer of these bowel movements. That’s it.” After a few days The man came bouncing in and told Dr. Christopher that he was all clear and was overjoyed.

Milk was used in this program because it has a high casein content. It is extremely sticky, gluey and hard to digest. The casein glues the mullein right to the hemorrhaging area. Milk does the same for ulcer patients, gluing or painting over the affected area for temporary relief.

Mullein is anti-viral and can be used for herpes, shingles, Epstein Barr, and other viral infections. It is anti-inflammatory and is used for joint and muscle pain. Mullein flower oil is used to relieve earaches. It has a mild narcotic effect without being habit forming or poisonous. It has no known toxicity. Mullein helps calm inflamed and irritated nerves and helps induce sleep.