Skin Alphabeth

Couch-grass and ivy against cellulite
Chamomile against eczema
Wild pansy and marigold against psoriasis
Woodruff and olive against abscess
Comfrey against burns
Housleek against herpes


When certain damages and changes occur on skin, often herbs and their roots are often applied. Particularly beneficial for skin are plantain, wild pansy, orange flower, rose petals, lavender and sage.

Abscess

Abscess is a cavity containing pus and surrounded by inflamed tissue, formed as result of a localized infection. Most often abscesses occur in the breast, gums and peri-rectal area, but can also occur elsewhere, for example armpit and groin, as these two areas have a large number of lymph glands that are responsible for fighting infection. 
Herbs may help abscesses by applying warm compresses to the area several times a day as this promotes spontaneous drainage of the abscess, remove infection and heal the wound.
For treating abscess and pain traditional medicine applies herbal, fruit and vegetable compresses.  

Compresses must be changed every 2 to 3 hours and must be fixated with bandage.


Fresh garlic juice
Bread crumbs soaked into garlic juice

Mixture made of following herbs: crushed woodruff leaves, hemp leaves, lilac, elder, chopped carrot, wild spinach, and ripe mashed olive. 

Mash made of cabbage leaves; heat leaves before applying on the wound, when they run cold, replace cold cabbage leaves with warm ones. Repeat treatment until infection subsides.

Elder mash
Mash elder leaves, add salt or vinegar. Apply on wound several times a day.
Herbal mash
Cook the same amount of following herbs: chard, thyme, fennel, lense. Smash and apply on wound.
Figs and milk
Half figs and cook in milk until boiling. Place halves on wound.
Flour mash    
Cook 60 g flour in 1 liter water until mash creates. Wrap warm mash with napkin and cover with another one. Put on wound.


To promote healing and creation of scab after abscess drainage it is important to change bandage daily!

 Cover abscess with fresh burdock leaves or apply betony compress, which can be prepared two ways:
Cook 60 g betony leaves and roots 15 minutes in 1 l black wine, cool and filtrate.
Cook 50 g fresh betony leaves 10 minutes with some water; filtrate and apply on abscess.

Acne

Acne are skin disease characterized by inflammation of the sebaceous glands and hair follicles of the skin that is marked by the eruption of pimples or pustules. Most often they occur on face, back and chest, but can occur also elsewhere.
Acne cause not only skin inflammation and pain, but also less esthetic skin appearance.
In order to prevent acne, nutritionists suggest diet rich in fresh herbs, and emphasis the importance of parsley, cress, radish, tomato, cabbage juice (3 times a week ½ glass of cabbage juice). They also recommend occasional diet with grapes (eat 250 g grapes for breakfast and 500 g for dinner; lunch by choice).

Phitotherapists suggest consumption of assertive herbal teas:
 
Milfoil
20 g dry milfoil flowers and leaves cover with 1 liter boiling water, leave 10 minutes, then filtrate. Recommended dosage is one cup before breakfast and 3 cups between meals.
Burdock
Cook fresh burdock (50 g) root 15 minutes in 1 liter water, leave root in until tea runs cold. Drink one cup mornings and one cup evenings.

Sorrel
20 g sorrel leaves and 40 g root cover with 1 liter boiling water. Cook 10 minutes then filtrate. Recommended dosage is one cup before breakfast and 3 cups between meals.

Sloe
30 g sloe flowers cover with 1 liter boiling water. Cook 10 minutes then filtrate. Recommended dosage is one cup before breakfast and 3 cups between meals.
 
External therapy

External therapy encompasses indirect acne therapy, which is applied on non-affected skin areas, as it protects skin from future acne, and direct acne therapy, which is applied on acne infected skin areas as it treats acne directly.     

Indirect acne therapy
On non-affected skin apply with clean cotton gauze two times daily solution of following herbs:

Arnica
Cook 4 to 5 minutes 30 g arnica flowers in 1 liter boiling water.
Burdock
Cook 20 minutes in 1 liter boiling water 150 g fresh burdock root.

Direct acne therapy
Apply on acne with cotton gauze two times a day:
Fresh juice from cabbage
Pansy tonic
50 g dry leaves and flowers put into 1 liter boiling water, remove from fire and  after 10 minutes filtrate.
Dry plantain leaves
Put on acne; dry plantain leaves speed up acne drying and healing.

Bunion

Bunions most often occur because wearing inappropriate shoes. In traditional medicine problem is solved with juice of particular herbs; herbalists suggest following:
4 times a day apply on bunion fresh juice of celandine or fig or houseleek or red onion.
Apply on bunion fresh leaves of marigold.

 Put ivy leaves into vinegar; after 4 days chop leaves with scissors. Apply leaves on bunion and wrap with bandage. Leave it work for 3 days. If bunion still cannot be removed, repeat the procedure.

Gravity of burn depends on the area burned, its size and the degree of burn. Burns are divided into 3 categories: in first-degree burn skin becomes red and the area is painful; epidermis can be removed and can temporary show brown color. Second-degree burns are more serious than first degree burns, because a deeper layer of skin is burned. As they can be easily infected, all second-degree burns must be treated by a medical professional. Symptoms of second-degree burn are bright red and blotchy blisters with blisters and pain. The skin looks wet because of the loss of fluid through the damaged skin.  Second-degree burns are usually caused by deep sunburn, exposure to flames, contact with hot liquids, burning gasoline or contact with chemicals.
Third-degree burns affect the epidermis, dermis and hypodermis. Healing from third-degree burns is very slow due to the destruction of skin tissue and structures; they often result in extensive scaring. Symptoms of third-degree burns are redness, swelling, pain, peeling skin, shock, and white or charred skin.
All second- and third- degree burns can cause fever, fasten pulse and cause a shock, and third-degree burns can even cause death.
Burned areas are infection sensitive thus all herbs must be carefully washed before using; besides only herbs which identity and source are known can be used to treat burns. Herbs can be used only in first- degree and second-degree burns.      

Apply on burned area one of the compresses:
Carrot
Fresh mashed cabbage leaves or leaves of pumpkin leaves
Fresh comfrey
Spinach leaves cooked in olive oil and then mashed
Ground string beans
Fresh ivy leaves
Fresh mashed watermelon
Raw potato
Chopped fresh marigold leaves

Cellulite

Cellulite is inflammation of cell tissue in upper or deeper skin layers. In so-called orange skin damage of cell tissue occurs in deeper layers. Cellulite is not just unaesthetic, but can also be very painful.  

External therapy

Apply two to three times daily (as warm as possible) compresses soaked into ivy tea (Cook 100 g fresh ivy leaves in 1 liter water for 15 minutes).

Three times weekly apply following therapies:
Compresses made of fenugreek (50 g fenugreek seed cook in little water)
Compresses made of chopped fresh ivy leaves
Oil made of dry privet leaves: put in glass jar 150 g dry privet leaves and 1 liter oil. Put on sun for one month. Massage this oil into cellulite effected skin.

Inner therapy
 
Drink every day one glass lemon juice with water without sugar.
The important part with teas is to know how to relax with warm cup of tea. Herbalists suggest drinking two cups of tea for three-week therapy:

Milfoil tea
50 g tops of young plant in flowers cover with 1 liter hot water. Leave 5 minutes then filtrate.
Artichoke tea
10 g dry leaves cover with 1 liter hot water. Filtrate after 5 minutes.
Ivy tea
50 g dry chopped ivy leaves cover with 1 liter hot water. Filtrate after 10 minutes. 
Mixed privet and sour cherry tea
20 g dry privet root and 20 g dry sour cherry stalks cook 10 minutes in 1 liter water.

Dandruff and dry skin

Against dandruff and dry skin wash your face and massage into scalp following basil lotion:
30 g dry basil cover with 30 ml hot water. Leave covered for at least 30 minutes; afterwards filtrate.

Eczema  

Eczema is a skin disorder that is characterized by itching, scaling, thickening of the skin, and is usually located on the face, elbows, knees, and arms. Herbal teas are very helpful when dealing with eczema. Recommendable prevention would also be detox diet.

Burdock tea
20 g burdock root cook in one liter water 10 minutes.
Pansy tea
20 g fresh pansy flowers cover with 1 l boiling water, cook for additional minute and filtrate after 10 more minutes.

Compresses

Smear over eczema effected skin areas following teas:
Blueberry tea
50 g blueberry fruits and chopped leaves cook 10 minutes in 1 liter water, then filtrate.
Chamomile tea
1 spoon dry chamomile flowers cover with hot water. When it colds, apply compress.

Herpes

Herpes is an inflammatory virus disease of the skin or mucous membranes. Herpes is characterized by the formation of clusters of small vesicles, and can occur on lips, sexual and other body parts.

Deadly nightshade
20 g dry chopped root cover with one liter boiling water and leave one hour, then filtrate. Drink, but not more than one or two cups daily for not more than one week.

Mycosis

Psoriasis

 
Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin condition. There are five types, each with unique signs and symptoms. Between 10% and 30% of people who develop psoriasis get a related form of arthritis called “psoriatic arthritis,” which causes inflammation of the joints.

100 g dry pansy cover with 1 l boiling water and cook on slow fire for additional 10 minutes. Filtrate and drink three cups daily.

Apply compresses soaked into sage tea (4 g sage in 2 dcl water). Also drink sage tea.
Apply compresses soaked into marigold flower tea (8 g marigold in one cup).

Seborrhea

Very effective against seborrhea is balsam, made of following herbs:
Nasturtium leaves and flowers and birch and nettle leaves (30 g altogether). Cover herbs with 1, 5 liter boiling water and leave covered for 2 hours. Afterwards filtrate and put tea on fire again. When it starts boiling, add 20 g chamomile flowers and leave aside for 2 more hours. Filtrate and add 400 g vinegar.
When having problems with skin, apply for 20 minutes on effected area clean gauze soaked into balsam. Afterwards treat with castor oil.
If you are applying balsam on hair, you should wash your hair every 4 days.

Skin redness

Against skin redness on particular body parts herbalists recommend basil tonic.
25 grams cover with 200 – 250 ml boiling water. When it runs cold, filtrate and apply basil tea on effected skin.

Warts 

Warts are local growth of the outer layer of the skin and are caused by a virus, which is transmitted by contact. Most often they occur on hands or top of the feet, but can also occur elsewhere.

Dandelion, celandine and bell flower!

Herbalists recommend applying fresh juice from bell flower or marigold leaves on warts.

Warts can also be effectively removed with following recipes:
 
Mix one amount of celandine root juice with same amount of glycerin. Apply on wart.
 Apply fresh onion juice or bunching onion juice mixed with dandelion juice.
Apply on warts several times daily for 2-3 days fresh juice squeezed from ivy leaves and flowers.
Apply several times daily for few days, fresh yellow celandine juice.      

 

Wounds 

Plantain leaves from female plant wash well and soften. Apply on wound and wrap with clean bondage. You can also smear on wound plantain juice. 

King’s ointment
9 parts fresh basil juice
3 parts peanut oil
3 parts wax
3 parts colophony
3 parts sheep fat
2 parts turpentine
Heat ingredients and mix on slow fire. Put into dark glass with cover. Apply on wounds.

Beat dry pansy into powder and apply powder on wounds. If you add honey, you can also heal older wounds and scabs.
    
Following tea is good for wound rinsing and all other skin disorders:
Lavender flower 20 g
Arnica flower 10 g
Ivy leaves 30 g
Rosemary leaves 10 g
Oak tree cortex 30 g
Chamomile flower 20 g
Sage leaves 20 g
Mixture herbs cook in 2 dcl water. Filtrate before applying on wound/ skin.