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Annett
I have a real problem with dryness. I’ve been taking marshmallow root powder in water 2XD, omega-3’s and burdock root 2XD. (My body loves the burdock.) I also eat proper fats regularly and seldom eat the bad ones. I drink half my body weight in ounces of water most days. I’m still not able to get hydrated well. I know this due to my dry lips & nose, even though I use chapstick on them. I’ve been told it may be the air but that can’t be why my lips are dry when I use homemade chapstick all the time. And we heat with wood, not forced air. Any suggestions on other herbs to help hydrate the body?
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Sharon
Wow Annett, you must be my twin. I’m not doing the marshmallow root powder, omega-3’s, or burdock root YET, but all the rest could have been written by me. My eyes, nose, lips, hands, heels, etc are all just scratchy dry. Of course, we do live in the desert, but hubby doesn’t suffer with all this like I do (and obviously you as well). Hope Doc has some suggestions for us both! Now I’m following this thread to see what remedies might be mentioned.
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Dr. Patrick Jones
You’re doing everything I’d be doing. Maybe someone else has some ideas.
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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Annett, I’ve even gone so far as a roller bottle with comfrey oil, one with lemon balm tincture, and have used willow bark on my lips when they hurt really bad. I hope we can find some relief. Personally, I’m going to do the herbal cleanse followed by the leaky gut cleanse and hope and pray that my liver decides to quit tormenting my eyes, nasal passages, lips, hands, etc…! If you find something please post it so I can try it too? 🙂
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Heather Porrill
Ladies, we just may be triplets! I also have been blessed with extremely dry skin…until last year, then I sat in the comfrey patch and had a chat with a wonderful plant. The comfrey said “let me lead the way” and I said “okay”. My 1st product is what changed my life and way of living. A simple salve made with that same comfrey (symphytum officianale) that chatted with me. I use it ritually, every day, all over as a body moisturizer (best after a shower but every day for sure), and when I say “all over” I mean everywhere!!! I live where we get a full 6 months of winter and -40 winter temperatures and this is the 1st year my skin does not hurt in the cold. This simple salve along with continued efforts to eat a cleaner diet have changed my life. In my 61 years, I have only had “nice” skin once when I got to visit the tropics. When you put the salve on, take the time to really rub it in and nourish yourself. I personally think the rubbing is the therapeutic part. Don’t rush through the ritual of self care and the nurturing of your body. I do a lymph massage as I am applying nightly, then I do my feet before I jump into bed for the night. (sox recommended if you don’t take the time to really rub it in) Make sure you are doing some grounding as often as possible too. I have a greenhouse that I go to so I don’t have to be in the snow with my bare feet, and I do grounding all winter long. Go sit with your comfrey plants and have a chat. My formula is 2 cups nice oil, a heaping cup of dried, crushed up comfrey leaves, 1.5 oz beeswax. I also do a lip balm with just a bit more wax to hold it’s shape. When I saw Dr. Jones make a lotion, I had to try that out too, and I like it for my daily face care but I still like the thinner greasier salve for the overall body moisturizer because a little bit goes a long way. Take care my sisters!
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Thanks Heather. What is it in comfrey that makes it moisturize skin? Is it the demulcent properties?
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Hi Annett, I am new around all the medicinal properties of the herbs but yes, I would say the demulcent nature of the plant. I also want to say the vulnerary actions and that the healing allantoin soaks right through the skin. I also believe that the “rubbing” in the salve is somehow helping in the uptake of the medicinal properties, it makes a difference…maybe it is just the warmth from the friction and blood flow that is stimulated by rubbing.
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Hi Heather (my other dry sister). So I’m assuming that you make the infused oil for some period of time before adding the beeswax to make it into a salve. I haven’t checked out Doc Jones’ lotion yet – but greasier salves don’t work for me. They just sit on my skin, and sit, and sit. Did I mention they don’t soak in!? But avocado oil does seem to work a teeny bit better for me, so I might try that. Obviously now it will take a while for it to infuse. Thanks!
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Hi Sharon, Have you done the module yet on making salves and lotions? There are 2 ways to infuse, one is for sure way quicker than the other. You could have a batch of salve made in no time at all.
The oil soaks into hydrated skin, perhaps you are not hydrated, so after a shower or bath is best. Remember to rub that oil in, you might think it is all staying on top, but I bet it’s not.
I was thinking back to this last summer when it all changed for me and I need to add 1 more thing that may make a difference. I started making quack grass juice. Do you have quack grass where you are? We have loads of it in every garden bed. I would harvest 3 or 4 long roots and fresh green stems, wash the dirt off, toss in the blender with some water, whirl it up for 20 seconds, strain it, drink it. I even froze some so I could have it in winter this year. (does not seem as refreshing in winter as it did in the hot summer, but still good) I would have a cup of the juice every few days. I kept a jar of it in the fridge and made more when I harvested my weeds. Sometimes I harvested stinging nettle too and made juice.
The only other changes were I stopped drinking coffee and spent a lot of time out in the garden this year, barefoot.
Hoping you find a solution that works for you.
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Hi Heather, I have not done the module yet on making salves and lotions as I am more concerned with organs and other issues. Skin issues are annoying, but not as important as getting other things working correctly!
I probably am not hydrated – the humidity in our house ranges from about 16% to around 22%! But anything oily does stay on top. Just another joy of being me!
I have no idea if I have quack grass – I would have to look that one up! I don’t drink coffee and barefoot..!!! HA HA HA – our ground isn’t dirt and grass – it’s ROCKS and decomposed granite (sharp). I grew up in Alabama, we hardly ever wore shoes – here, I hardly ever get to go barefoot! Thanks 🙂
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Lotion is nice too. In the medicine making lesson on lotions, I show how to make a good skin lotion from Comfrey, marshmallow and Calendula.
Or, if you want the easy button on lotion making see here:
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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Doc – is that equal parts of the 3 players in the dry skin lotion – or is there a recipe somewhere that I’ve missed? Thanks.
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Kathleen
Make that quadruplets. I can especially relate to Sharon. I live on rock. I’m in the Rocky mountains, 7000 ft altitude. Our rainfall this year has been a littlemore that 16″.
And y’all forgot to mention the cracked fingertips! The worst!
Some people swear that drinking Sole Salt Water drink hydrates you. Fill a glass jar about 1/4 of the way with Himalayan or Redmond salt, either ground or in chunks. Fill to the top with filtered water. Add a plastic lid (not metal), and shake. Let sit overnight.
In the morning, take 1 tsp. of sole, mixed into cup of room temperature water. Drink throughout the day.
I was trying that for a while but probably should start again. I thought it was very tasty so I’m guessing my body was happy I was doing it. My ‘trial’ was too short to attest to it’s benefits.
I’ve been using comfrey lotion for neck pain. I guess I need to start using it more liberally.2 users thanked author for this post.
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Greg Boggs
Usually every winter my hands dry out and crack so bad to where they bleed. What I’ve found that cures it really quickly is a beef tallow balm. In our original balm we just used beef tallow and some lavender essential oil. This stuff will clear up just about any skin condition in my experience. I just made a new batch and I added herbs to make it really good. For this latest batch I added calendula, Mallow, lavender, and comfrey.
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Melba Nipp
That sounds very interesting – I will have to try doing that as well. Thanks
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