Traditional Chinese Medicine often views skin eruptions such as acne as resulting from an imbalance within the body. In Western medicine, the equivalent of this imbalance is frequently referred to as a hormonal imbalance. Hormones regulate almost everything in the body, from the blood to the organs to the bones. Any imbalance can cause internal illness, as well as external manifestations such as acne. Traditional Chinese Medicine often uses herbs to treat these imbalances.
Honeysuckle, Forsythia, Chrysanthemum
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, heat is synonymous with inflammation. A body that has too much heat can become inflamed, and the inflammation can result in acne. According to acupuncturist and herbologist Joel Harvey Schreck, L.Ac., the best Chinese herbs to cool excessive heat include honeysuckle, also known as jin yin hua; forsythia or lian qiao; chrysanthemum or ju hua; pearl or zhen zhu; and gypsum or shi gao.
Job's Tears, Poria, Astragalus
Herbs to dry dampness are used to control the pus that often presents itself with acne. Acupuncturist and herbologist Joel Harvey Schreck, L.Ac., recommends job's tears or yi yi ren and poria or fu ling for mild cases of dampness. A more powerful dampness drying herbal combination includes astragalus or huang qi and Chinese angelica root or dang gui. The strongest drying herbs -- white atractyodes or bai zhu, red atractylodes or cang zhu and pinellia or ban xia -- "are used only when acne presents with other damp symptoms such as diarrhea, phlegm, or a lot of pus."
Siler, Schizonpeta
Any Chinese herbal treatment should include herbs from a group that Schreck refers to as "herbs to relieve the surface," which makes sense. Although acne may have internal hormonal causes, it manifests itself in surface lesions. The best herbs to relieve the surface are siler, also known as fang feng, and schizonpeta or jing jie.
Red Peony Root, Moutan
Moving the blood throughout the body is an important part of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It's seen as opening energy channels that may have been blocked, and it can also remove heat from the body that may be causing acne. Red peony root, known as chi shao, or moutan, known as mu dan pi, are good, mild herbs that help move the blood.
How to Take Chinese Herbs
Chinese herbs for acne are taken internally in pill, powder or tea form. The herbs are carefully combined for their individual characteristics and also for how they interact with other herbs in the formula. They are rarely used on their own and are recommended to be used in careful combination with one another. Some herbal formulas are available to buy in health food stores or from a Chinese herbalist; however, visiting a traditional Chinese medical practitioner is the best way to get a prescription for an herbal formula that's made just for you and your condition.
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