Best Way to Treat Different Kinds of Skin Problems with Herbs

Rashes and other skin irritations

Various soothing herbs may provide some relief for irritated or itchy skin. Witch hazel is recommended to soothe rashes and other skin irritations: use the bark for tinctures and ointments, and the bark and leaves for an infusion that you can apply as a cool wash. A soothing cream can be made from the flowers of St John’s wort, or an infusion or tincture of the flowers can be used as a wash. An infusion of annual chamomile also makes a soothing wash or can be used as a compress. The flowers of calendula can be used as a tincture, a cream, or an ointment. The gel found in fresh aloe-leaves is very soothing to any form of skin irritation; cut the fleshy leaf in half along its length to extract the gel. Poultices made from decoctions of agrimony or crushed seeds of flax may also provide some relief. Commission E approves all of these uses.

Chickweed is helpful for many types of skin irritation, particularly to relieve itching. Make a poultice or, for larger areas, try strewing handfuls of the fresh or dried herb in a bath or basin of warm water and soaking the affected area. Ointments and creams made from chickweed are also soothing to irritated skin. Also worth trying is a poultice made from the chopped root and leaves of marshmallow. Infusions of plantain, lady’s mantle, cleavers, or nasturtium make good washes that may help to soothe skin irritations. This use of plantain is approved by Commission E.

Warts, another common skin complaint, can be treated with regular applications of raw garlic, sliced or crushed. You can also try applying the gel from fresh aloe leaves.

Minor burns and sunburn

Most of the herbs for skin irritations may also be used to soothe burns. Aloe, calendula, witch hazel, St John’s wort, and annual chamomile are all approved for this use by Commission E.

Note that for burns (including sunburn), you should apply herbal preparations at a cool temperature; hot poultices are not suitable. Cold water or cold compresses should be applied to bums immediately and for at least 1 5 minutes.

You might find it handy to freeze infusions of calendula, witch hazel, St John’s wort, or chamomile and store them as ice cubes in the freezer, ready to apply to small burns.

After the cold treatment, ointments or creams made from the same herbs, or the gel from aloe leaves, can be applied to provide ongoing relief.

Cuts and wounds

Several herbs can be helpful for minor wounds and scratches. Calendula, witch hazel, St John’s wort, and annual chamomile are all approved for this by Commission E. Some herbalists also recommend raw garlic (sliced or crushed), aloe gel, or an infusion of thyme used as a wash, but these uses are unproven.