The Best Herbs For Eczema Care

The eczema experience is one that can feel like torture at times.  The itching, burning, and pain have the potential to drive a person crazy. The primary pharmaceutical treatment for eczema has many side effects and intense withdrawal symptoms.

Thankfully, Mother Nature has provided us with excellent medicine that can help relieve eczema symptoms and reduce or eliminate the need for steroid treatments.  Here is a list of some of the best herbs for eczema care from our fav trusted herbalist. 

Licorice Root

Licorice root is known to relieve inflammation making it an Amazing herb for eczema care.  We have an entire blog article devoted to licorice root and its many benefits in skin care. Two major chemical compounds found in licorice are glycyrrhizic acid and Isoangustone A.

• Glycyrrhizic acid has anti inflammatory, antimicrobial, and powerful antioxidant properties. 
• Isoangustone A is a flavonoid (a fancy word for antioxidant) that is currently being researched for its anti-cancer effects, with very promising results.

Calendula 

Calendula is well studied and documented for its benefits for various skin conditions, especially eczema. Click here to read a previous blog post called Curious About Calendula to learn more about the benefits of this herb.

• It has antifungal, anti inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties which all help soothe eczema. 
• Calendula can help accelerate the healing of wounds, healing of acne, and acne scars, provide protection from the sun’s UV rays, and provide relief from eczema, rashes, and psoriasis (talk about herbal magic!!). 
• Calendula helps protect the skin by boosting the body’s natural ceramide production. Ceramides are waxy lipids (fats) that help create a barrier on the skin to protect it from the outside elements and keep the skin from drying out.
• A study was performed comparing the healing effect of calendula against a well-known pharmaceutical cream in patients with dermatitis due to radiation treatment. In the study calendula performed better than the pharmaceutical cream.

Comfrey

Comfrey contains two important chemical compounds that help relieve eczema symptoms.

• Allantoin is known for its ability to help treat rough, dry, itchy, scaly, and irritated skin conditions (like eczema). It can also help boost new skin cell growth - this means that comfrey is shown to help heal skin quickly!
• Pharmaceutical companies have made creams that contain allantoin because it works so well.  However, when you take just one single extract from an herb, you are missing the other chemical compounds that add to the benefits of that plant. Single extract medications can also have more intense side effects than whole herb extracts.
• Another chemical substance found in comfrey is called rosmarinic acid. Rosmarinic acid helps protect plants from bugs and pests. When used in skincare it helps reduce inflammation and is a powerful antioxidant!

Plantain

Plantain is known for its ability to help wounds heal faster and to stop bleeding which is why we love it in so many of our products.  

• It has antimicrobial properties which make it perfect for eczema and healing skin.
• Plantain can help soothe acne, boils, insect bites, and hemorrhoids due to its astringent properties.
• Plantain also contains allantoin, like comfrey. That makes this a wonderful herb for eczema symptoms!

St. John’s Wort

Many people are familiar with St. John’s Wort’s ability to help with depression. However, it’s also a very powerful healing herb for topical applications. 

• St. John’s Wort has antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and astringent properties. The astringing action helps promote the healing of wounds and ulcers. 
• It also helps relieve burns, hemorrhoids, neuralgia, and rheumatic pain. Studies show that St. John’s Wort is very effective to help with eczema (atopic dermatitis). The linked study showed that St. John’s Wort had strong antibacterial activity and even reduced the count of Staphylococcus aureus (a bacteria that causes skin infections and can be correlated with some eczema eruptions) on the test subjects’ skin.

Burdock

With external applications, burdock can help with dandruff, psoriasis, and eczema. It can also be beneficial for acne and burns. Burdock also helps promote the rapid healing of wounds making it a key herb for eczema. Burdock root is also: 

• High in antioxidants
• Antibacterial 
• Anti inflammatory

Thyme

In the section about comfrey, I mentioned rosmarinic acid for its antioxidant and anti inflammatory properties. Thyme also contains rosmarinic acid! 

• Thyme also has antifungal and antiparasitic properties. 
• Thyme is shown to help heal acne and scars. 
• It also has strong anti-aging properties. A study was performed in Turkey to demonstrate how thyme and other herbs could help kill pathogens that were related to eczema. Thyme was the top performing herb in the study.

The Perfect Remedy for Eczema

Each of these Amazing herbs are combined to create the base oil used in Ora’s Touchy Skin Salve. The combination of each of these herbs is what makes Ora’s products effective in relieving eczema. Ora’s Amazing Herbal’s Base Oil is found in many of our other oil based products and contains all but licorice on this list! All 6 of these organic herbs which are Amazing for eczema are found in other products like our Ultra Healing Body Butter, Unscented Body Oil, and All Purpose Salve. Happy Healing! 

About the Author: Dorothy Miguel is a licensed massage therapist, certified Chinese herbalist, and Chinese medicine specialist.  She graduated from Myotherapy College of Utah in 2010, then got her bachelor's and master's degrees from the Academy for Five Element Medicine.  She is the owner of Happy Cat Pain & Stress Relief in Tallahassee, FL. As a mom of two kids with special needs, she is passionate about helping busy moms recharge their internal batteries and become more resilient to stress.

About Ora’s Amazing Herbal

Ora’s Amazing Herbal creates natural, herbal infused skincare for the whole family. We strive to empower women through self care, one minute at a time (because let’s be honest, as moms- often a minute is all we have)! Our current line includes salves, powders, body oils, body butters, face oil serums, powder facial cleansers, beard & hair oils, lip balms, and herbal steams. We also have a natural baby care line which includes gentle newborn and baby salves, powders, and baby oil. We use high quality, non-gmo, fair trade oils and organic herbs to create skin care that is both pure and effective. Our products are crafted in small batches in New Jersey and are free from talc, grain, lanolin,chemical preservatives, synthetic dyes & fragrances, parabens, and animal testing. We also have a huge focus on sustainability, eco-friendly packaging, and kindness to the world around us. If you’d like to learn more, please check out our website- OrasAmazingHerbal.com.