Chinese Cures for Acne
Chinese treatments for acne go back thousands of years. Much of how Chinese medicine treats acne is diet-related. By eating a healthy diet, the body is healthier and has a more healthy chi. The chi is the life force present in all living things. Acne is viewed by traditional Chinese medicine as being the result of an imbalance in the chi. Most Chinese treatments for acne involve bringing the chi back in to balance.
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Foods That Help Acne
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Often Chinese medical treatments for acne include dietary changes and herbal remedies. Some foods often recommended as helping to balance the chi and, thereby, the body are squash, cucumbers and celery. Sometimes carrots, various kinds of lettuce, potatoes, cabbages, beets and alfalfa sprouts are recommended. Other things that can be recommended are mung beans, pears, cherries, papaya, persimmons, raspberries and watermelon.
Foods to Avoid for Acne
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Foods that a traditional Chinese medical practitioner may recommend be avoided are spicy foods or foods with a lot of oil. Coffee, alcohol, sugar and chocolate are considered foods that can contribute to acne. In addition, avoiding dairy products, red meat and shellfish is often a good idea. Bamboo shoots and white mushrooms are also considered foods that can contribute to acne.
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"Blood Heat" Type Herbal Formulas
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Blood heat types of herbal formulas work to remove heat from the blood and the chi. Although formulas will vary, many blood heat formulas include loquat leaf, mulberry root and red peony root. White chrysanthemum and moutan bark, among others, are often ingredients in these types of formulas.
"Phlegm Accumulation" Type Herbal Formulas
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As with other cures for acne, phlegm accumulation formulas work to remove heat from the chi. In addition, they help to strengthen the yang system in people whose yin-yang balance is skewed toward the yin. Loquat, tangerine, forsythia and licorice are common ingredients in these types of formulas. Among other things, orange seeds, safflower and tangerine peel are also common ingredients.
"Toxic Heat" Type Herbal Formulas
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Toxic heat formulas work by cooling both the blood and the chi and removing toxins from the blood. These formulas have a number of floral components, including honeysuckle, dandelion, chrysanthemum and violet. They can, among other things, also include forsythia, tangerine, licorice and loquat.
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- Photo Credit Photo: Martin Walls; stock.xchng
