As a naturopathic doctor who loves working with herbal medicine, I have many favorite herbs for skin health. The herbs I’ll teach you about below are just three of the ones that have worked well for my patients with acne (and for me too, when I had cystic acne!).
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Yarrow is most helpful for cystic acne that’s hot and inflamed, especially if it’s located on the chin, or on the temples or between the eyebrows.
You might also have period problems (like a heavy or scanty period, or bad cramps), often due to low progesterone, pelvic stagnation, and liver congestion.
You can work with Yarrow by drinking tea made from the dried herb the week leading up to your period, and as needed for acne flares.
Click here to read my Instagram post all about Yarrow, and here’s another article I wrote on this herb if you want an even deeper dive into Yarrow’s potent medicine.
Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)
Red Clover is specific for acne that is located along the neck and jawline, indicating lymphatic congestion.
Acne that may be helped by Red Clover tends to be cystic and linger for awhile, sometimes up to weeks or months. Breast tenderness due to fibrocystic breasts may also be present.
Red Clover tea with a bit of honey makes a nice black tea substitute!
Click here to read my Instagram post all about Red Clover, and here’s another blog post I wrote about her role as the Triple Goddess of the Plant Queendom!
Yellow Dock (Rumex crispus)
Yellow Dock acts primarily on the liver and large intestine, helping with acne mostly in these locations: sides of mouth, chin and jawline, and between/above eyebrows and temples.
Pimples tend to be hot and inflamed with dry specks around them, or they ooze and get crusty and yellow. Complexion may be dry and reddish with a yellow tinge around eyes and nose.
Yellow Dock root is bitter, and works well as a tea or tincture with other liver-supportive herbs, like Burdock root and Dandelion root. You can find these all three of these herbs in my Clear Skin Tea.
Click here to read my Instagram post all about Yellow Dock root.
For herbal-infused skincare and tea formulas for acne-prone skin, check out my Wild Roots Alchemy shop!
