Can natural herbal acne cures work?  Surf the Internet, phone the right friend, and youll find many commercial and prescription acne treatments  Mostly they do what they should, but some people find, the treatments only remedy their acne just as long as they keep on using them.

They may also have side effects- skin irritation,nosebleeds,dizziness, allergic reactions, flaking skin,upset stomach, even skin colour changes and depression.

So can natural herbal acne treatments cure your outbreaks  effectively and without backfire?

Lets look at some of the most highly used herbs used by healers worldwide that have been claimed  as non toxic effective acne cures, plus any scientific research done on them.

If you decide to buy any of these from your local store as preparations, be sure to use them exactly as advised, and ask if you are not sure. Consult beforehand with a professional if you are pregnant, breast feeding,or suffer from any medical condition likely to be aggravated by usage.

Also - we all have individual reactions -  stop using any herbal acne remedy immediately if you begin developing any bad or unusual reactions whatever. Treat herbal acne treatments as you would any other acne medication.

 OK, Here are some highly regarded challengers:

1/ Garlic (Allium sativum)
Said to be a great all rounder -  kills germs fungi and parasites . Plus great in food! You can rub ia raw peeled bulb over the skin, or  take as tabs or capsules

Sadly theres little solid evidence that garlic works for acne (though high dosages appear
to reduce hypertension, chlorestrol, and prevent atherosclerosis.)

Precisely because of its blood thinning properties, you can't take it if you are on anti-clotting medication. Plus you should remember, it will MURDER your breath!

2 /Neem (Azadirachta indica)  - The bitter extract from this fast growing  relative of mahogony is a huge favourite in Ayurvedric medicine, and a definitely powerful insecticide with low toxicity. But acne remedy? Plenty have claims have been made .Trials have been  conducted  without full control on very small numbers of patients  and have given  promising results. But the jury is still out on this one.

3/  Guggul (Commiphora mukul)-This resin extract from the Indian mukal myrrh tree gave a statistically equivilent result to tetracycline in treating cystic acne, and more patients skin remained clearer afterwards.

Oily faced patients apparently responded much better to the herbal acne remedy!

Interesting but inconclusive, as only 20 patients were involved. Especially as side effects include skin rashes..

4/ Primrose Evening Oil - which needs no introduction. Still being studied for treatment of acne and other skin complaints, but  while it has moisturizing and softening effects,  it does not appear to be an acne cure.

5/ Ginseng - the magic  herbal all round remedy?  Its powers of boosting the immune system  haven't yet been shown to cure acne. 

Before you get too disheartened, lets skip burdock, yarrow, comfrey, juniper, crushed cucumbers and the rest and just mention:

TEA TREE OIL - this popular leaf extract from one species (Melaleuca alternifolia)  of the Australian tea tree does actually seem to act as a natural acne cure.
WILD BASIL OIL (Ocimum gratissimum) . Not so popular with the herbalists, but a study showed a alcohol solution of  Brazilian Wild Basil Oil was a better acne treatment than a benzoyl peroxide lotion  that was 5 times stronger!

So there is hope.

Check out the reports, and good luck!


For the prequel on this report, plus extra information on all aspects of natural acne cures and herbal acne remedies-visit Mick Madigan's new and growing Acne Index at

http://www.m1mart.co.uk/acne/acneindex.htm

Mick runs a growing site about healthy living (on and off the computer!) Check it out at
http://www.m1mart.co.uk