I cant think of anything worse than a face full of sore, irritating and unsightly spots. I not only suffered as an adolescent but Ive been cursed with reoccurring acne as an adult too. There are people who have it a lot worse than I do and there are also those that have it no more but have been left with terrible acne scars as a reminder. Having said that, this does little to comfort me when I suddenly flare up with a fresh outbreak. If you suffer from acne youll know what I mean.

Unfortunately, acne continues to baffle all of us including those in the medical profession. The real causes of acne are unknown but many have logical theories.

You know what, I must have tried every cream, lotion, potion and cocktail of modern acne medicine in an attempt to combat this truly awful skin condition. The ones that worked the best often left me with dryness of skin, inflammation and irritation that just replaced an old problem with a new complaint.

I can remember reading an article about using herbs for acne. When I fist saw I thought herbs for acne sounded like a pretty ridiculous claim, but as Im always open for new ideas and suggestions, Im prepared to give anything a shot once and who knows, maybe the cure for the universal pimple may just lie in herbal remedies, so I continued to read up on herbs for acne.

I actually found out that using a herbal cure to treat certain medical conditions has been around for many hundreds if not thousands of years in certain parts of the world, and none more so than China. I also discovered that Chinese herbs are used in all manner of treatments for todays ailments. Having said that, youll not get any help from your local quack for such treatments which is why this is not commonplace knowledge. Therefore, I wouldnt recommend going to see you physician and requesting he prescribe herbs for acne as youre likely to be escorted out of the practice for wasting his time.

In order find any real solution to the acne problem, we must first understand what that problem is. Many believe that acne is caused by heat and dampness, and I must admit, I do tend to flare up more during the hot and humid simmer months. The herbs for acne that arise out of the heat and dampness theory seek to address these two causes for outbreaks. This theory comes from a Chinese traditional practice.

I learnt that in Chinese theory, heat does not refer to temperature as we would initially assume which puts my theory about hot summers to rest! They believe that heat is related with 1. Over stimulation, 2. Over exertion, and 3. Inflammation. Each of these three elements is closely related to heat. An inflamed area of skin usually feels warm to the touch. Over stimulation and over exertion, including friction, are sources of heat. You feel the burn when you exercise. The Chinese medical herbs for acne treat heat in these forms. Sound like a pretty clever theory to me.

Theres also another aspect in the Chinese theory behind spots and that is dampness. This factor refers to our Western perceptive of dampness in relation to fluids. Surplus water, swelling and inflammation associated with breakouts are addressed with Chinese herbs for acne. In the middle of the dampness problems is improper digestion, which seems to be a common thread among different theories about the causes of acne although this is denied as poppycock by the medical profession.

Finally, another interesting theory is that acne breakouts lies in hormones and this is sometimes addressed by western doctors with certain drugs.

Another interesting relationship between the Chinese theory of heat and dampness and other theories of the source for acne breakouts lies in hormones. The heat theory suggests that overactive hormones are an element that can add to the heat factor. So, these herbs for acne are supposed to help an individual balance his or her hormones internally, leading to cool, clear skin. This all sounds fantastic and theory doesnt it.

When it comes to Chinese herbs for acne, just think dry and cool. Come to think about it, cool, dry skin is usually clear. Hmm! Maybe theres a herbal acne cure out there for us after all?