Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Herbs To Reduce Dark Circles Under Eyes

Many people struggle with dark under eye circles and spend hundreds of dollars on eye creams and concealers to diminish and camouflage the dark patches. The cosmetics industry markets a plethora of products, but herbs provide some of the best solutions for dark under eye circles. A variety of herbal remedies abound, but what works for one person may not work for another. Skin type, the cause of the dark circles, and skin pigmentation vary from individual to individual, so test a variety of herbs to see which works best for you.


Common Household Herbs


Simple home herbs like sage, parsley, mint and chamomile provide inexpensive antidotes for the dark under eye patches. Try one of the following:


• Cover eye area with chamomile tea bags which have been steeped in cool water for several minutes. Keep the tea bags over eyes for 10 to 15 minutes.


• Mix finely chopped sage and parsley with two tbsp. of sour cream and apply concoction under eye area. Let stand for 20 to 30 minutes.








• Extract the juice from fresh mint and gently dab the juice to eye area and allow to dry.


• Stir together a tablespoon each of milk and nutmeg and apply to eye area before going to bed at night. Do not wash off the milk and nutmeg.


Herbal pastes


Herbal pastes are very effective for reducing under eye circles but involve a little more preparation and ingredients. All the paste recipes below have the same directions after applying. Allow the paste to soak on the eye area for approximately 20 minutes or until dry and then wash off mask.


• Combine ginseng, papaya, neem, mint, sandalwood and almond oil. Neem is an Ayurvedic herb that you can find at an Ayurvedic store or online.


• Make a paste from turmeric and pineapple juice. You can also make a paste from turmeric, tomato juice, lentils, and lemon juice.


• Women in India use a paste made from rosewater , red sandalwood, and sandalwood for their dark circles.








Internal solutions


If you try several of the herbs for weeks with no success and sleeplessness isn't an issue, then the dark circles may be an indication of a sluggish liver. Try changing your diet to less processed foods, more plant-based foods, less sugar and more whole grain. Detoxifying your liver with different herbal teas may help to vanquish your dark circles. Dandelion, milk thistle, burdock, licorice, and turmeric are all herbs that help to cleanse and rejuvenate your liver. Ehealthnaturalcenter.com recommends consuming Eight Herb Soup twice a day for a month for a healthy liver and the reduction of under eye circles. The soup consists of prepared rehmannia root, dogwood fruit, Chinese yam, Alismatis rhizome, tuckahoe, mutan bark, and chrysanthemum. The herbs are ground and then boiled in water. You can find the exact recipe for Eight Herb Soup on ehealthnaturalcenter.com.

Tags: dark circles, under circles, dark under, dark under circles, Eight Herb, Eight Herb Soup