How to Use Herbs to Treat Acne

Although acne is common for teenagers, many adults are also afflicted with this skin disorder. It's widely believed that overactive sebaceous glands are a main cause of acne. They make the pores in the body sticky so they trap dirt and bacteria. However, while those sebaceous glands certainly can lead to skin breakouts, they're not the only cause of acne. Alternative medicine practitioners believe that acne is also caused by the skin releasing toxins when it perspires. Many of these practitioners recommend that patients use herbs to eliminate these harmful, acne-causing toxins. Herbs like dandelion, chaparral and yellow dock root may be quite beneficial to individuals suffering from acne. Follow these steps to learn more.

Things You'll Need

• Fresh or dried dandelion
• Fresh or dried chaparral
• Computer with Internet connection
• Soft muslin or gauze
• Fresh or dried yellow dock root
• Mortar and pestle

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Instructions

Use a Dried Herb Poultice to Treat Acne

• 1

  Obtain dried lavender, chaparral and yellow rock root from a reputable organic grower or from your home garden.

• 2

  Use a mortar and pestle to grind the dried herbs until they become powdery and well mixed.

• 3

  Transfer the mixture into a bowl and begin adding small amounts of warm water until it becomes a thick paste.

• 4

  Put the mixture onto a gauze or muslin that's spread on a clean, flat surface. Once you're done, this is your poultice.

• 5

  Clean your face thoroughly before using your poultice. Hydrogen peroxide works well.

• 6

  Lie down with the poultice completely covering your face.

• 7

  Keep the poultice in place for at least an hour. During this time, you may experience a slight throbbing sensation, which is caused by the herbs drawing the toxins out of your skin and blood.

Make a Fresh Herb Poultice to Treat Acne

• 8

  Buy fresh lavender, yellow rock root or chaparral from your local health food store or grow it yourself in your garden. For the freshest herbs, go the home-grown route.

• 9

  Place roughly 2 oz. of each herb into a saucepan with 1 cup of water.

• 10

  Let the mixture simmer for 2 minutes.

• 11

  Lay out a piece of muslin or gauze on a clean, flat surface and pour the liquid over the cloth.

• 12

  Make sure your face is completely clean before applying the treatment by washing it with hydrogen peroxide.

• 13

  Put the poultice over your face. Make sure the entire area is covered.

• 14

  Plan to have the poultice on your face for at least an hour. You'll know when the treatment is over. You'll no longer feel the light throbbing that tells you the herbs are drawing out the toxins.