Herbal Health Information on Rosacea (Acne Rosacea)

This is also known as Acne rosacea.

The books say it can be anywhere on the body which surprises me as I have only ever seen it on the face. It presents as chronic inflammation of the skin, typically in the area around the nose and on the cheeks, sometimes the forehead. It often looks very red and inflamed with tiny little spots, but does not have the pus filled spots or blackheads of ordinary acne.

I have always treated it as an inflammatory condition but have found through experience over the years that it also responds well to the metabolic herb, kelp added in to the mixture.

Basically it is an internal cleansing job, and dietary advice

As usual I’ll start with the dietary advice:-

No sugary foods

No fizzy drinks

Eat a balanced diet containing, meat, veg, some carbohydrates, and some fruit.

However there are fruits which are very acidic and need to be avoided and these are,

oranges, tomatoes, apples and plums. Yogurt 2-3 times a week is ok and cheese no more than twice a week is ok.

Drink at least two pints of water a day and keep tea and coffee intake to no more than three a day (of both not each).

Many people report that alcohol will set it off.

I think it would be interesting for you if I give you a typical tincture mix I would make up for a Rosacea sufferer and talk you through the whys and wherefores.

Herbal Medicine

Burdock: – liver and gall bladder cleansing and makes sure the digestive system is working efficiently and eliminating waste products. To add to this it also has lymphatic system cleansing properties, is antibacterial, and is an adaptogen and alterative. The last two properties mean it helps body tissue to adapt back to normal.

Echinacea: – this is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory as well as being an excellent lymphatic system cleanser. The lymphatic system removes all the waste from cells and ensures no bacteria are floating around.

Red clover:-traditionally red clover has always been used as a skin cleanser which it does via the lymphatic system. It is also an alterative which means it helps restore body tissue to normality.

Heartsease: – anti-inflammatory and again an alterative

Celery seed:-I know I use this one a lot but it is such a good urinary system cleanser that I put it into all mixes where general body cleansing is necessary.

Kelp: – high in iodine and minerals so improves thyroid and metabolic function.

That gives you an idea of the aim of an herbal mixture for Rosacea sufferers.

Rosacea can be quite stubborn to treat but I have had good results with herbal medicine and I would recommend you visit a qualified medical herbalist.

If you would like to visit me in my clinic please click here or on the “clinic”tab at the top of the page.

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist/Herbal Health Information

Herbal Health Information on Acne

Since we moved to Eastbourne (most sunshine hours in the country but very windy) I have only treated one case of acne. But I used to love to help people with acne in my previous clinic in Slough as it responds so well to Herbal Medicine and is comparatively easy to treat.

To get proper treatment you are going to have to visit a Medical Herbalist because there are quite a few combinations of herbs that may be suitable for any one individual, but I will give you a general idea of what needs to be done for acne sufferers.

Basically it is an internal cleansing job, possibly some hormone balancing, and dietary advice

As usual I’ll start with the dietary advice:-

No sugary foods

No fizzy drinks

Eat a balanced diet containing, meat, veg, some carbohydrates, and some fruit.

However there are fruits which are very acidic and need to be avoided and these are,

oranges, tomatoes, apples and plums. Yogurt 2-3 times a week is ok and cheese no more than twice a week is ok.

Drink at least two pints of water a day and keep tea and coffee intake to no more than three a day (of both not each).

I think it would be most interesting for you if I give you a typical tincture mix I would make up for an Acne sufferer and talk you through the whys and wherefores.

Herbal Medicine

Burdock: – liver and gall bladder cleansing and makes sure the digestive system is working efficiently and eliminating waste products. To add to this it also has lymphatic system cleansing properties, is antibacterial, and is an adaptogen and alterative. The last two properties mean it helps body tissue to adapt back to normal.

Echinacea: – this is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory as well as being an excellent lymphatic system cleanser. The lymphatic system removes all the waste from cells and ensures no bacteria are floating around.

Red clover:-traditionally red clover has always been used as a skin cleanser which it does via the lymphatic system. It is also an alterative which means it helps restore body tissue to normality.

Heartsease: – anti-inflammatory and again an alterative

Celery seed:-I know I use this one a lot but it is such a good urinary system cleanser that I put it into all mixes where general body cleansing is necessary.

That gives you an idea of the aim of an herbal mixture for Acne sufferers. I have left out the hormonal bit as that depends on whether it is a male or female.

Acne is easily treated with herbal medicine and I would recommend you visit a qualified medical herbalist.

If you would like to visit me in my clinic please click here or on the “clinic” tab at the top of the page.

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist/Herbal Health Information

Red Clover (Trifolium Pratense)

The flower heads are used which contain, isoflavones, flavonoids, resins, coumarins, minerals and vitamins

Red Clover

Do you remember walking through the fields as a child surrounded by red clover? I do, but it is fairly rare to see extensive patches of red clover in fields now, due to intensive farming methods and weed killers. So I am always pleased to see it growing in large amounts anywhere.

As a result of the fairly recent approach to managing public land, such as the Downs, by rotating cattle on them to crop the pasture and let plants seed naturally, there is a lot of it growing on the South Downs.

Red clover is another herb which has alterative properties, meaning it helps the organs and systems in the body to balance themselves and function properly. It has anti inflammatory actions and is a wonderful Lymphatic system cleanser. It is also said to have anti neoplastic properties (anti cancer).

I used to go through buckets loads of red clover tincture when we lived in Slough in Berkshire, as the incidence of childhood Eczema in Slough is very high and along with Heartsease it is always an essential ingredient in  any mixture I make up to help clear Eczema.

Eastbourne, where we currently live, has an older population and I have not treated as much Eczema. I still use the tincture in all mixtures for conditions requiring any lymphatic cleansing or skin cleansing action.

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist/Herbal Health Information