Garden remedies for skin care

This entry is a part of the wonderful Herbwifery Blog Party!

Summer Skin Care.....
is all about fresh herbs and delicious fun. Since the gardens and fields are full of surprises now, there are endless ways to treat and care for your skin.
I tend to focus on things that don't attract mosquito's and ticks, since I am outside so much. I don't use sweet stuff like Roses and Jasmine until nighttime when I'll be sleeping indoors.

But many flowers are lovely and do not attract hungry critters. Above, is the start of the explosive, magnificent Monarda flower (M. Didyma) which attracts hummingbirds and heals many ailments. For skin care, I like to make an infusion, cool it, and use it for a facial toner. In fact, most of the following plants, I use this way. I like to make a small jar, since every few days I'll return it to the garden before it turns, and make a fresh one.

Beautiful Basil. Fill a jar with Basil and cover with honey to make a potion to eat and smear on your face. Basil is great for oily, problematic skin, perfect for summer skin care. The basil honey takes only a week to steep, strain and add to tea to drink, or to cosmetic clay for a lovely mask.

This beautiful dark green leaf is of course, the famous Comfrey, full of soothing and mending qualities. I've been using it this past week for my daughter's wrist, which she badly sprained playing Goalie. I macerated it with tinctures of Yarrow, Meadowsweet, and St. Johnswort tincture and oil both. We keep the poultice on for as long as comfortable. The swelling and pain are greatly reduced, and the healing is expedited. By chance there is any hairline fracture, the Comfrey will mend this as well - and as a side note, there is no broken skin. Using comfrey on deep cuts can trap bacteria and lead to infection.

On the lighter side, Comfrey leaf is a super-soother. A cooled infusion is amazing on rashes, red itchy skin, dry skin, or baby's heat rash. A comfrey leaf vinegar is fabulous for moisturizing dry hair as well.

For Poison Ivy, make a big pouch of Comfrey leaf, mugwort leaf, and oats, and add to the bath while filling. The soothing and astringent combination will feel great.

To make a gloriously green healing oil, cut several leaves and place into a double boiler. Gently keep at warm for a couple of hours, being sure not to let it get too hot as to burn the oil. Alternate the stove on and off throughout the day. Let steep overnight, off. Strain in the morning. If you feel you have too much moisture, let stand for a day and pour the oil off, leaving the water behind. If you make the oil using a blender you will have more trouble with water content. If you use a crock pot, be sure to monitor the heat more carefully - they get very hot!


This lovely yellow flower will soon be a crunchy, cooling cucumber. Many garden veggies are great for the skin too! Sliced cukes on the eyes are cliche - but effective for reducing swelling or soothing sunburn. Tomato leaves gave a very pretty aroma, and make a nice toner. Infuse the leaves in part water and part vodka, and add any additional plants you like from the garden, such as Marigold petals, lettuce leaves, kale, strawberry leaves, or carrot tops.




Foot Flowers ...... Summer can be a time for troubled feet if you are hiking through hot sun, wet rivers, and itchy grass. My kayak shoes usually end up with poison ivy on them too, sneaking in through the side holes and making very pesky bumps between my toes.

End an adventurous day with an herbal foot soak. First, make a strong tea, steeping about 1/2 an hour, and make at least a quart of it, with fresh Oregano (shown above), Peppermint, Sage, Rosemary, Lavender, and Marigold or Calendula blossoms. Of course you can be creative with what plants you have available ... leaning towards aromatic and antiseptic herbs. Then, if you want it cold, refrigerate it. If you want it warm, go ahead and pour it into a basin and fill the rest with plain water. If you want, you can add witch hazel extract as well. Grab a good book, a cup of tea to drink, and soak away, as long as you like, but usually at least 20 minutes long.

For foot care on the trail, pack a combination of comfrey root powder, baking soda, kaolin clay or arrowroot powder, and essential oils mixed in if you like.


A salve of Sage and Yarrow are fantastic on the piggies too!

Eyes ..... Rose petals are so perfect for curing red hot eyes, whether from swimming, sun, or computer fatigue. An infusion or distillate applied a few times a day with a cotton ball is a real relief. A rose sitz bath is used also for staunching bleeding in postpartum women, so is helpful to constrict overheated varicose veins during the summer. Rose tinctures effective in helping to prevent spring nosebleeds if taken internally.



Every July, on or around my birthday, I honor this plant of gold and harvest her blossoms and buds. I put them all into jars and fill with olive oil. after 6 weeks I have a blood red oil that heals virtually everything. My son, who has sensitive skin, swears by it for every ailment he has, and won't use anything else because he claims it's the only thing that reliably does not sting. For nerve pain, sunburn, chapped skin, sore muscles, and anything else, St. Johnswort oil or salve is a first-grab remedy.

For days in the sun, I make a squeeze bottle with SJW oil and Lavender hydrosol (since the hydrosol won't go bad like water) and a tad of liquid chlorophyll to shake and apply frequently throughout the day. Since it's liquid and not a cream or salve, it won't melt at the beach. This also makes a perfect daily moisturizer. Add a little geranium essential oil for extra bug-repelling action if you will be gardening or hiking.


More lovely herbs that I like to use during the hot months ..........



Lemon Balm ..... Melissa Off.

Anise Hyssop ..... Agastache Foeniculum

And a few more Recipes :) ....................

Rose-Rosemary Toner:

1/2 pint each fresh rose petals and fresh rosemary sprigs

Add 1 tablespoon each:

Brandy, Honey, and Apple Cider Vinegar

Fill remainder with water or hydrosol of choice.

Let steep in the sun for one day and one night. strain and refrigerate. Use at night to restore moisture and elasticity to the skin, and just because it feels and smells good!

Poison Ivy spray:

2 oz Yarrow/Mugwort infusion

10 drops peppermint essential oil

5 drops German Chamomile essential oil

Shake and spray as often as needed.

Marigold Mask:

Steep fresh Calendula flowers in good honey for 1 week. Strain, and mix equal parts Calendula honey with Green, pink, or white clay, and apply as a mask for 20 minutes.

Herbs & Honey Liquid Soap Infusion:

Place a pint of fresh herbs into a blender. For example, Lemon balm, Peppermint, Sage, Rosemary, and Verbena.

Cover, barely, with liquid castille soap. Do not pour the whole thing in .... just enough to create a maceration. Turn the blender on low to blend.

Transfer to a wide mouth jar. Fill remainder with liquid castille soap and steep for three days.

Strain, and add about 1/3 cup honey and stir. Pour into a big squeeze bottle and enjoy!

Happy Summer!

HOMOEOPATHIC REMEDIES FOR SKIN TAG

A cutaneous skin  tag is a common skin growth. It is harmless

Causes

A cutaneous tag usually occurs in older adults. They are common in people who are overweight or have diabetes. They are thought to occur from skin rubbing against skin

Symptoms

The tag sticks out of the sin and may have a short, narrow stalk connecting it to the surface of the skin. Some skin tags are as long as a half of an inch . Most skin tags are the same color as skin, or a little darker

In most cases the skin tag is painless and does not grow or change. However it may become irritated from rubbing by clothing or other materials

Places where skin tag occur include- neck, under arms, middle of the body or under folds of skin, eyelids, other body areas

Homoeopathic remedies

1.      Calcarea carb 200- In fat, fair, flabby persons

2.      Causticum 1M—A specific remedy

3.      Dulcamara 30- Soft, large, smooth on face

4.      Nitric acid 30—Large, jagged, bleed on touch, and washing

5.      Staphysagria  200 – Dry and pedunculated. Sensitive to touch

6.      Thuja occ. 200-- An excellent remedy for skin tag. Warty growth. Dry skin with brown spots

HOMOEOPATHIC REMEDIES FOR SKIN COMPLEXION

Complexion refers to the natural colour, texture, and appearance of the skin, especially that of the face.

A person's complexion is a biological trait. The protein molecule known as melanin causes variation in tone. Melanocytes insert granules of melanin called melanosomes into the other skin cells of the human epidermis. The melanosomes in each recipient cell accumulate atop the cellular nucleus, where they protect the nuclear DNA from mutations caused by the sun's ionizing radiation. The human body tends to protect itself against harmful surroundings. The epidermis of the body, very sensitive and delicate, reacts almost immediately to most outside effects. People whose ancestors lived for long periods in the regions of the globe near the Equator generally have more active melanocytes, and therefore larger quantities of melanin in their skins. This makes their skins very dark and protects them against high levels of exposure to the sun (it also depends on the country). In areas of the globe closer to the poles, people have far less need for protection from ionizing radiation, so their skin is usually lighter.

HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICINES

Homoeopathic remedies are effective for clearing skin complexion. Some of the important remedies are given below-

BERBERIS AQUFOLIUM Q- Berberis aquifolium is an excellent remedy for clearing complexion.Berberis aquifolium clears complexion and cures acne, blotches and pimples on the face. Use five drops in water thrice daily orally Externally . 1 ml mixed with 30 ml of glycerine or olive oil and may also be rubbed gently on the face which has been previously  washed with soap and water and dried

IODUM 1000-Iodum is another remedy for clearing complexion. One dose a fortnight makes the complexion fair. Give one dose fortnightly for six months

CAUSTICUM 200, LYCOPODIUM 200- To be tried in the given order when iodum fails. Use in 200 potency every week

SARSAPARILLA OFF. Q-Sarasparilla is best for clearing complexion. It clears complexion of the face .Skin which appears emaciated , shrivelled, wrinkled and dry becomes fresh and clear. Use 5 drops three times a day

ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT INDUCED MUTATIONS DRIVES MANY SKIN CANCERS

A genetic mutation caused by ultraviolet light is likely the driving force behind millions of human skin cancers, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine

The mutation occurs in a gene called KNSTRN, which is involved in helping cells divide their DNA equally during cell division.

Genes that cause cancer when mutated are known as oncogenes. Although KNSTRN hasn't been previously implicated as a cause of human cancers, the research suggests it may be one of the most commonly mutated oncogenes in the world.

"This previously unknown oncogene is activated by sunlight and drives the development of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas," said Paul Khavari, MD, PhD, the Carl J. Herzog Professor in Dermatology in the School of Medicine and chair of the Department of Dermatology. "Our research shows that skin cancers arise differently from other cancers, and that a single mutation can cause genomic catastrophe."

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common cancer in humans. More than 1 million new cases are diagnosed globally each year. The researchers found that a particular region of KNSTRN is mutated in about 20 percent of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas and in about 5 percent of melanomas.

A paper describing the research will be published online Sept. 7 in Nature Genetics. Khavari, who is also a member of the Stanford Cancer Institute and chief of the dermatology service at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, is the senior author of the paper. Postdoctoral scholar Carolyn Lee, MD, PhD, is the lead author.

Lee and Khavari made the discovery while investigating the genetic causes of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. They compared the DNA sequences of genes from the tumor cells with those of normal skin and looked for mutations that occurred only in the tumors. They found 336 candidate genes for further study, including some familiar culprits. The top two most commonly mutated genes were CDKN2A and TP53, which were already known to be associated with squamous cell carcinoma.

The third most commonly mutated gene, KNSTRN, was a surprise. It encodes a protein that helps to form the kinetochore -- a structure that serves as a kind of handle used to pull pairs of newly replicated chromosomes to either end of the cell during cell division. Sequestering the DNA at either end of the cell allows the cell to split along the middle to form two daughter cells, each with the proper complement of chromosomes.

If the chromosomes don't separate correctly, the daughter cells will have abnormal amounts of DNA. These cells with extra or missing chromosomes are known as aneuploid, and they are often severely dysfunctional. They tend to misread cellular cues and to behave erratically. Aneuploidy is a critical early step toward the development of many types of cancer.

The mutation in the KNSTRN gene was caused by the replacement of a single nucleotide, called a cytosine, with another, called a thymine, within a specific, short stretch of DNA. The swap is indicative of a cell's attempt to repair damage from high-energy ultraviolet rays, such as those found in sunlight.

"Mutations at this UV hotspot are not found in any of the other cancers we investigated," said Khavari. "They occur only in skin cancers."

The researchers found the UV-induced KNSTRN mutation in about 20 percent of actinic keratoses -- a premalignant skin condition that often progresses to squamous cell carcinoma -- but never in 122 samples of normal skin, indicating the mutation is likely to be an early event in the development of squamous cell carcinomas.

Furthermore, overexpression of mutant KNSTRN in laboratory-grown human skin cells disrupted their ability to segregate their DNA during cell division and enhanced the growth of cancer cells in a mouse model of squamous cell carcinoma.

Finally, Lee compared five patient-derived squamous cell carcinomas that had the KNSTRN mutation with five samples that did not have the mutation. Although both sets of cells were aneuploid, those with the mutation had the most severely abnormal genomes.

The identification of a new oncogene will allow researchers to better understand how these types of skin cancers develop. It may also give them clues about how to develop new therapies for the disease. In this case, it also neatly connects the dots between sun exposure and skin cancer.

"Essentially, one ultraviolet-mediated mutation in this region promotes aneuploidy and subsequent tumorigenesis," said Khavari. "It is critical to protect the skin from the sun."

SKIN PIGMENT RENDERS SUNS UV RADIATION HARMLESS USING PROJECT ILES

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden and other institutions have worked out how the pigment of the skin manages to protect the body from the sun's dangerous UV rays. The skin pigment converts the UV radiation into heat through a rapid chemical reaction that shoots protons from the molecules of the pigment.

In a new study, the team from Lund University, working with colleagues in France and Italy, have studied pigment in the skin and its building blocks. Pigment in both skin and hair comprises two different types of melanin: eumelanin and pheomelanin. Eumelanin makes us develop a suntan and gives colour to brown and black hair, whereas those with red hair and pale skin instead have high levels of pheomelanin.

"We found that eumelanin converts harmful UV radiation into heat with almost 100 per cent efficiency. The chemical reaction is incredibly quick, taking less that a thousandth of a billionth of a second," said Villy Sundström, Professor of Chemistry at Lund University.

What happens in detail in the chemical reaction is that a hydrogen ion -- a proton -- is ejected from the pigment at the same moment the UV light reaches the pigment molecule. The chain of events could be likened to the melanin getting rid of the energy of the UV light by very quickly shooting a proton projectile. This projectile in turn gives off energy to the surrounding membrane tissue in the form of heat. It has therefore converted dangerous UV energy into harmless heat.

"In this way, the pigment disarms the energy in the UV light and prevents it causing harmful chemical reactions," said Villy Sundström.

Eumelanin is considered to be the pigment that protects against UV radiation while pheomelanin is believed to cause skin cancer in some way, which explains why people with red hair are more likely to develop malignant melanoma. However, researchers have not previously been aware of what chemical reactions UV light causes in the pigment. There has therefore also been a lack of knowledge of the pigment processes that lead to protection against or development of cancer.

"By understanding how the body naturally protects itself against UV light, we can develop better sun protection products based on the same principles. This would provide better protection against skin cancer," said Villy Sundström.

The idea is also in the long run to find treatment methods and substances that replace natural pigment for those with defective production of eumelanin. Eumelanin is composed of two similar building blocks, but only one of them produces the protective effect. This shows that the effect is very specific -- it is a matter of small differences in the chemical structure of the building blocks. This insight could prove important in the development of substances for treatment and sun protection products.

FERMENTED MILK IMPROVES SKIN

There has been much interest in the potential for using probiotic bacteria for treating skin diseases and other disorders. Japanese researchers have now found that milk that has been fermented using a probiotic dairy starter can also benefit the skin of young healthy women, reports theJournal of Dairy Science

Probiotics have been defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization-World Health Organization as "live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit to the host."

"Although many reports have addressed the effect of lactic acid bacteria on skin properties in subjects with skin diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, few studies have involved healthy humans," explains lead investigator Hiromi Kimoto-Nira, PhD, of the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science (NILGS), Tsukuba, Japan.

The investigators conducted a randomized double-blind trial to evaluate the effects of fermented milk produced using Lactococcus lactis strain H61 as a starter bacterium (H61-fermented milk) on the general health and various skin properties of young women. Strain H61 has been widely used over the last 50 years in Japan to produce fermented dairy products.

Twenty-three healthy young women 19- 21 years of age received either H61-fermented milk or conventional yogurt for four weeks. Blood samples were taken before and at the end of the four-week period, and skin hydration (inner forearms and cheek) and melanin content, elasticity, and sebum content (cheek only) were measured.

After four weeks, skin hydration was higher in both groups. Sebum content in the cheek rose significantly in the H61-fermented milk group, but not in the conventional yogurt group. Other skin parameters did not differ in either group, although differences exist for season and skin index.

"Season-associated effects are an important factor in skin condition," says Kimoto-Nira. "Skin disorders such as psoriasis and senile xerosis tend to exacerbate in winter. Melanin provides varying degrees of brown coloration at the skin surface, and melanin content is affected by internal and external factors, such as age, race, and sunlight exposure."

Blood count and serum biochemical parameters remained similar and were within normal ranges. The change in oxidative status was the same regardless of yogurt or fermented milk consumption.

"Our study enhances the value of strain H61 as an effective probiotic dairy starter," concludes Kimoto-Nira.