Itching All Over

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by Kerry Buckley

Did you know that many, perhaps 75%, of all conventional medications are refinements of herbal medicines? One example of this is the isolation of morphine from opium in 1806. This was the first time that chemical methods were used to extract the active chemical constituents of an herb. The chemical processes used to isolate morphine led to the production of codeine, the widely used cough suppressant. There are countless examples of commonly used medications which come from various plant materials, some of which can often be found right in your own backyard.

Although you should always consult your physician for medical conditions before using any treatment, natural or synthetic, the purpose of this article is to inform you of the various botanically-derived remedies that may be considered for treating some of the most common skin problems. There are many advantages to using herbs rather than the drugs derived from them. A standard medication consists of one, or occasionally two, medically active chemical compounds, plus carrier compounds and a buffer. Herbs and herbal formulas usually contain at least dozens, and in many cases, hundreds, of active ingredients. The many active ingredients act on the body, and on one another, simultaneously. This serves to make the primary active ingredients of the herb more effective. It also serves to prevent the toxic reactions that can lead to side effects. Herbal remedies are more likely to correct conditions without creating additional problems.

Although there are many techniques for making herbal remedies, for the purpose of skin and hair treatments and to simplify the process for home remedy use, I recommend purchasing the herb in the form of its essential oil. Essential Oils are highly concentrated extracts of the herb and can be purchased in small dropper bottles at your local nutrition store or online. Just one drop of essential oil is often equal to 1 full ounce of the plant.

Before applying essential oil to skin or hair, you must ALWAYS dilute the oil first. A carrier (or base) is used for this purpose. The carrier can be a natural oil like olive, jojoba, apricot kernel or similar oil. You could also use your favorite unscented lotion or shampoo or conditioner as a carrier base. I often use organic aloe vera gel as a base for treating skin conditions because of the extraordinary healing benefits of the aloe vera plant. I also prefer the use of aloe vera gel because it is not oily or greasy on the skin.

A good rule of thumb for diluting the essential oil into the carrier base for the purpose of treating a skin ailment is to use about 8 to10 drops of essential oil to 1 full ounce of the carrier base. If you are using more than one type of essential oil, then divide the drops evenly to equal 8 to10 drops total of the various essential oils to 1 full ounce of the carrier base.

Below is a list of 40 herbs, each with its summary of healing benefits. Simply choose between 1 to 3 herbs to use for the particular ailment you are treating and add the appropriate number of drops to your carrier base as explained above. Stir it or shake it to blend the ingredients well and store in a tightly sealed container. Apply it to the affected area 2 to 3 times per day.

Aloe Vera:
Greatest natural source of alpha hydroxy acid. Hydrating, soothing, moisturizing and healing for all skin types. Aloe Vera has extraordinary healing properties, is anti-inflammatory and can soothe the skin and help heal cuts, grazes, burns, radiation burns and insect bites.

Angelica:
Good for dull, irritated, inflamed skin, psoriasis, and fungal infections.

Basil:
Conditions the hair and stimulates hair growth, anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, anti-infectious, antibiotic, very good insect repellent and also good for acne.

Bergamot:
Good for eczema, herpes, acne, psoriasis, skin infections, cold sores, blisters, shingles, and chicken pox. Antiseptic, antibiotic, anti-spasmodic, anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory.

Burdock:
Excellent for boils, eczema and chronic skin and hair problems. Prevents body’s own immune system from attacking the skin, kills streptococcus bacteria and many disease-causing fungi that infect cracked skin. Add to shampoo or conditioner as a scalp treatment to improve hair strength, shine, body, and to combat hair loss, itching and/or dandruff.

Calendula:
Anti-hemorrhage, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antispasmodic, astringent, fungicidal. Excellent for burns, cuts, eczema, oily greasy skin, bruises, soothes skin, inflammations, insect bites, rashes, wounds, cracked dry skin, stretch marks and diaper rash.

Cedarwood:
Cleansing properties, antiseptic, anti-fungal, good for oily or blemished skin, natural astringent used in acne treatments. Relieves eczema, psoriasis, skin inflammation, dandruff, insect bites, hair loss, dry or oily hair, softens the skin.

Chamomile:
Chamomile is excellent for many types of skin conditions as well as severely infected skin. It has an anti-inflammatory effect, good for hypersensitive skin, eczema, skin rashes, acne, rosacea and allergic skin reactions. Brings out natural brightness and highlights in hair when used in a shampoo.

Chickweed:
Chickweed is excellent for sores, abscesses, skin irritations and rashes. Chickweed has an anti-inflammatory action similar to cortisone.

Cinnamon:
Good for infections, antiseptic, antibiotic, anti-fungal, warts, anti-viral

Citronella:
Insect repellent, keeps away mosquitoes, ticks, fleas and other insects.

Clary Sage:
Regenerates skin cells. Good for oily skin and hair, blemishes, mature, wrinkled or inflamed skin, acne, boils and puffy skin.

Cypress:
Natural astringent and antibiotic. Good for mature skin, oily skin and acne. Stimulates cell regeneration.

Comfrey Root:
One of the most valuable plants in both cosmetics and medicine. Regenerates aging tissues.

Eucalyptus:
Antiseptic, antibiotic, anti-fungal, anti-infectious and anti-parasitic. Regenerates skin cells. Good for insect bites and rashes.

Everlasting:
Excellent for acne, scar tissue, mature skin, stretch marks, spots, warts, old scars, dermatitis, broken veins and burns. Antibacterial properties.

Frankincense:
Good for dry, mature, aging skin, acne, scars, reduces wrinkles, balances out oily skin, healing for all skin types. Anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, natural astringent.

Goldenseal:
Excellent anti-fungal with antibiotic properties that fights secondary bacterial infections.

Gotu Kola:
Good for wounds, scarring and psoriasis. Stimulates the regeneration of skin cells and underling connective tissue, beneficial effect on collagen and inhibits its excessive production in scar formation, accelerates the healing of burns and skin grafts and minimizes scarring.

Grapefruit:
Used for acne, athletes foot, tones and tightens skin, antiseptic, disinfectant, detoxifier and anti-infectious. Good astringent for oily skin and hair, aids in hair growth.

Green Tea:
Natural anti-oxidant used in cosmetics expecially to reduce the puffiness around the eyes. Also has astringent properties.

Hibiscus:
Natural source of Vitamin C and malic acid. Used by the to treat wounds, dandruff and stimulate hair growth. Has antibacterial properties.

Hyssop:
Good for acne, bruises, cuts, wounds, dermatitis, eczema, inflammations, scars, and cell regeneration.

Jasmine:
Used for sensitive, mature, aging skin and stretch marks. Beneficial for dry, greasy, irritated skin.

Lavender:
One of the most popular herbs, lavender is excellent for many skin conditions such as dermatitis, eczema, sunburn, insect bites, infections, rashes, infected hair follicles, pimples, black heads and light forms of acne. Antiseptic, analgesic, antispasmodic, tonic, anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, anti-infectious, antitoxin and anti-parasitic

Lemon Balm:
Good for infections, acne, boils, warts; increases shine and growth of hair and nails, antibiotic, astringent, and antiseptic. Beneficial for oily complexions, hair and skin blemishes.

Lemongrass:
Good for infections and acne. Natural astringent, antiseptic, anti-infectious, anti-parasitic and anti-fungal. Also good for enlarged pores.

Myrrh:
Beneficial for inflamed skin, boils, athlete’s foot, chapped skin, mature skin, wrinkles and ringworm.

Neroli:
Scar tissue, improves elasticity and reduces stretch marks. Good facial softener, great for overall skin care, regenerates skin cells and tones mature, dry, sensitive skin.

St. John’s Wort:
Excellent antibacterial and antiviral properties for the treatment of burns, cuts, scrapes, and minor skin irritations. Also may be helpful herpes breakouts.

Palmarosa:
Good for acne, scarring, blackheads, athlete’s foot, eczema and other fungal infections. Antibiotic, anti-viral, anti-infectious, antiseptic, moisturizing, regenerates skin cells, aids in regulating oil production of the skin.

Patchouli:
Natural antiseptic, anti-fungal and antibacterial. Used for dermatitis, athlete’s foot, ringworm, parasites, rejuvenates skin cells, mature and dry skin, scars, eczema, inflamed, cracked skin, acne, eliminates dandruff, repels bugs, and relieves insect bites.

Ravensara:
Natural antiseptic, antiviral, antitoxin, antibiotic and anti-infectious. Beneficial for cold sores, herpes, and shingles.

Rose:
Natural astringent, anti-infectious, antiseptic, astringent, antiviral and emollient. Regenerates cells, heals radiation burns more quickly, good for scarring and for use on all skin types especially mature, dry and sensitive

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Eczema is a common disease, high on prevalence across the world as such one out of every twelve people suffer from it. And this skin disorder is even more common among infants. However, it is seen that for many people, it develops into a chronic disorder. Eczema treatment is better-done with herbal medicines as they help you avoid side-effects.

Cleansers help you to clean your skin and to render it clean against bacteria and also in effective disinfection. They are particularly useful in treating mild eczema. Steroid-based medications have been known to have bad side-effects such as thinning of skin and depigmentation. And the scarring left behind can make anyone dread eczema and this way of treatment. These days, research has been made into a variety of herbs that are effective in eczema treatment. The herbs used in natural ointments are ones such as chamomile, blueberry leaves, etc. among many others.

Moisturisers are also important products since they help to keep the skin moist. And then, moisturised skin is less susceptible to the irritation typically caused by dryness. They also help in reduction of scarring caused by scratching. Coconut oil has also been found effective in eczema treatment. One of the important measures is to upkeep a clean environment apart from taking care of personal hygiene. This is necessary for the removal of allergens.

Nowadays it is even easier to research and to gain knowledge of the herbal medicines which are effective in eczema treatment. You can log on to the Internet and browse through a list of high-quality products available in online stores. Many of the products may not be available in your local stores. However, using the Internet, you can shop for them online by simply placing an order by adding it on to the shopping cart and have it delivered to your house in a few days after payment. What better, some of the sites also give discounts on many new products launched in the market.

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Eczema is caused when something goes wrong with our immune system. The medical name of eczema is atopic dermatitis. It basically describes a condition of chronic inflammation with irritable itching, and some scaling, crusting and flaking. More than the pathological aspect of it, eczema is a very irritating disorder. Constant itching and burning of the skin can be a torturous condition for anyone. Like most other diseases, eczema affects your usual lifestyle. Eczema can leave you with scars due to all its relentless itching and infected sores. Scratching also leads to ugly-looking rashes.

Eczema Treatment is often done best with natural ingredients as natural way to care for your skin that needs attention. This helps to avoid some contraindications as associated with steroid treatment, such as thinning of skin, depigmentation and stretch marks. Even some herbal medicines help manage the itchy outbreaks and help in ending dryness, itching, inflammation, redness and pain. Chamomile and rosehip seed oil are some of the natural ointments you can apply to reduce inflammation. Symptoms generally begin to resolve within a few days, as allergy-producing bacteria is removed, your skin is moisturised and scarring reduced. Reduction of allergens in the atmosphere is the major precaution to be taken to quicken healing.

Moisturisers help to restore the lost humidity in the skin which is the principal cause of dryness, a predominant symptom and indication of eczema. Skin hydration is thus the most essential eczema treatment method as much as disinfecting the skin against bacteria and allergens. Many ointments are also available online these days which offer immediate itch relief, heal your eczema sores quickly, prevent the eczema outbreaks, control the bacteria that contribute to your eczema flareups.

While on eczema treatment, there are a few necessary things to be taken care of, such as that one should apply the moisturising creams immediately after bathing to keep the skin well hydrated.

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Sunburn is a very common skin problem. You’ll get it with too much exposure in the sun. It is expected with people who love sunbathing in the beach and those whose job requires them to be on the field at all times. There are many ointments and lotions available today that can heal sunburn. But do you know that most of them contain herbs as the primary ingredient? These herbs are very helpful in treating sunburns and other sun-related damages to the skin.

Aloe Vera is an herb that you can use against sunburn. It has soothing properties that allows for a speedy recovery of sunburns. There are many Aloe Vera gels and lotions available at herbal stores and pharmacies today. You can use them on your sun burnt skin. Just read the indications on the label. Take extra care when using these lotions though, as they can be harmful if applied on broken skin. Aloe Vera has effective anti-inflammatory properties that can help soothe sunburns.

Aside from Aloe Vera, comfrey is also an effective herb for sunburn. Comfrey has allantoin, a natural active ingredient that stimulates skin cell regeneration. Comfrey juices and lotions are widely available these days. You can apply them directly on the skin for best effects. If you can’t find any comfrey creams in the market, you can simply get some leaves and stems from a comfrey plant and extract the juice yourself.

Green tea can also help address sunburn. However, this herbal remedy is mostly used on the eyes alone. Cool some green tea bag and then put them in your eyelids as you sleep. Its gentle soothing relief would heal sun burnt eyelids in no time.

St. John’s Wort is another effective herb for sunburns. The infused oil or extract of this herb can be applied topically on the skin to help relieve the pain, redness, and inflammation brought about by the sun. Use it regularly to speed up the skin’s healing process.

Calendula can be used against sun burn as well. Its anti-inflammatory properties can decrease the redness around the affected areas. Look for ointments that contain calendula. Most of the time, this herb is combined with comfrey and aloe for best effects.

Gotu Kola is another herb effective for sun burnt skin. You simply drink Gotu Kola tea on a regular basis as an internal medication for sunburn. Gotu Kola tincture is known to have the same effects. This herb helps by stimulating the formation of collagen while healing damaged tissues.

Other effective herbal remedies for Sunburn:

Aloe Vera for Sunburn: Aloe Vera comes from leaves of an aloe plant. Its gel has a soothing effect on a sun burnt skin. It has anti-inflammatory properties to help the skin regenerate faster and helps in restoring its natural state fast. Commercially-prepared Aloe Vera gels are now available in health stores and specialty shops. Just apply it on the affected areas and you should be all set.

Comfrey Treatment for Sunburn: Comfrey contains allantion. It is a very helpful substance for cell regeneration. To use it for sunburn, just extract the juice or lotion taken from the stems of fresh comfrey leaves. It should give you an instant relief to sunburn.

Calendula Cure: Calendula works as an anti-inflammatory agent. For people with sun burnt skin, calendula can help decrease the instances of redness and swelling. Just like the others, the extracts of this herb is to be applied topically on the affected areas.

St. John’s Wort Remedy: St. John’s Wort is another wonder herb that can ease the pain and swelling associated with sunburn.

There are many St. John’s Wort oil and extract available at health stores today. Take a small portion of it and apply on the burnt skin. Your sunburn should heal it in no time.

Gotu Kola Treatment for Sunburn: Unlike the others, Gotu Kola is best taken orally as an aid to sun burnt skin. Gotu Kola tincture or tea can speed up the healing of the tissues. It works by stimulating the synthesis of collagen in the skin.

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Eczema is a skin disorder, and among the most irritating ones. The medical name for it is atopic dermatitis. The most usual symptoms are chronic itching and dryness of the skin. One may also experience burning in the skin. This is the phase of eczema at its most torturous. However, the after-affects can be worse such as the ugly scars that constant scratching produces. Infected sores can leave you in total desperation.

The cause of eczema is not really known but it points towards some disorder in the immune system. Such a disease requires proper care and attention. Eczema treatment have long been carried with chemical and steroid-based medicines. However, the side-effects that such medicines can produce such as thinning of skin, depigmentation and stretch marks, have shifted the focus toward natural health-care products. Herbal products do not have the contraindications associated with steroid treatment.

Cleansers and moisturisers are the means that assist in the treatment of eczema. They help to cleanse the skin against bacteria and to soothe the dreadful dryness. Herbal medicines are further helpful to prevent flare-ups and rashes. They are particularly useful to treat itching and inflammation. Some of the herbs that are used in natural ointments are chamomile, rosehip seed oil and others. Coconut oil is another natural product preferable in the management of differing degrees of eczema.

As the symptoms start to disappear, the skin is moisturised with the use of these natural skin moisturisers, while reducing the extent of scarring caused by scratching.

Eczema treatment involves taking special care, not only of personal hygiene but also of the immediate environment. This means taking care to reduce allergens
in the atmosphere. Many of the herbal medicines that help you treat the eczema condition are available online. You can expect good discounts on many of them.

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