Herbs for Beautiful Skin

Here’s the thing… summer days can be harsh on your skin.

Hotter temperatures and increased exposure to sunlight mean our skin is more likely to experience dehydration, irritation, and sun damage.

If you were already struggling with issues like acne, eczema, and itching, summer’s heat and humidity can make your symptoms even worse.

That’s why we’re dedicating our summer newsletter to all things skin. Read on to learn how you can use Chinese medicine to discover herbs for beautiful skin!

3 Skin-healing Acupressure Points to Help You Look and Feel Your Best:

Along with Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture is also a well-known treatment option for troubled skin. These acupressure points make it easy to enhance your skin’s health in just a few minutes each day.

Large Intestine 11

LI-11 is a heat-clearing point that is great to use for inflamed skin conditions. Find this point at the crook of the elbow. Trace the depression between your ulna and radius (on the outside of your arm) up from the wrist until you reach the tender depression at the elbow. Press here for 10 seconds, release, then repeat 3-10 times on each elbow.

Liver 3

LV-3 is a great point for relieving stress and circulating blood and qi. It also helps support a healthy hormone balance, which makes it great for reducing hormone-related skin troubles. Find it on the top of the foot, just above the junction of the first and second metatarsals (long foot bones). Press for 5-10 seconds, release, then repeat 3-10 times on each foot.

Yintang

This point helps you stimulate blood flow to the entire face while preventing wrinkle formation in between the eyebrows (those “number 11 lines”). Yintang is located right between the eyebrows and is also known for alleviating stress and anxiety. Press here for 10 seconds. Release, then repeat 3-10 times.

Summertime Herbal “Sangria” for Clear & Glowing Skin

What says summer better than sangria? We’re changing up the traditional recipe and making a fruit-infused alcohol-free summer tea for clear skin. Each ingredient in this tea has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce skin irritation and promote healthy skin renewal. Let’s make it!

• 1 ½ Tbsp Hibiscus flower
• 3 Tbsp Goji berries (plus 2 Tbsp for garnish)
• 1 ½ Tbsp Chrysanthemum or Calendula
• 3-4 cups water
• 1 cup pomegranate juice (no added sugar)
• 1 can of sparkling water
• ½ grapefruit, sliced in rounds
• 2 limes, sliced in rounds
• ½ cucumber, sliced in rounds
• 2-4 sprigs of fresh mint
• 1-2 tablespoons raw honey
• Ice (optional)

Directions

Start by preparing the herbal tea. In a large pot, boil 3-4 cups of water. Add hibiscus, goji berries, and chrysanthemum and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and strain, reserving the liquid. Add the honey if using. Chill in the refrigerator until cool. Alternatively, you can add all ingredients with cool water to a pitcher and place it in the summer sun for 4-6 hours, then chill until cool.

In a large bowl or pitcher, combine the herbal tea, pomegranate juice, and sparkling water. Stir to combine. Adjust with water, juice, or honey to taste. Add in the fruit, mint, and extra goji berries. Ladle into glasses chilled or over ice. Enjoy!

Medicinal Mushroom Soup

Food blogger and cookbook author Yang Yang created an amazing medicinal soup incorporating Plum Dragon reishi mushrooms. She raved about the quality of our mushrooms in her post.

Reishi mushrooms can help nourish your skin from the outside in by promoting healthy sleep, immunity and mood.

We hope you’ll read all about it and check out our recent podcast with her.