TCM and Skin Health

Are you comfortable in your skin? The largest organ of the human body makes up almost 16% of our body weight. It houses sense receptors for pain, cold, heat and pressure. As a wrap skin protects underlying muscles, bones, and internal organs. It serves as an insulator, waste eliminator, and radiation protector. Skin’s unique biochemistry helps to produce Vitamin D, which is used in every tissue of the body.

Is your skin comfortable?

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) relates the condition of the skin with the health of the Blood and Qi. Skin will have a healthy luster when the Lungs disperse healthy Blood and Qi to the surface. ⁽¹⁾ In TCM the paired organ with the Lungs is the Large Intestine. Like the skin, these are detox organs. An issue in one of these organs will bubble up into the skin. Skin expresses underlying imbalances through discoloration, texture and uncomfortable sensations. TCM dermatology is an extensive field. Many difficult conditions can be successfully treated with acupuncture and herbal remedies. Let’s dip in a toe and look at four formulas for common conditions.

Margarita Acne Pills

The star of this formula is the pearl, Zhen Zhu. Pearl powder is traditionally used in Chinese and Ayurvedic herbalism to improve skin appearance and texture. Modern science finds that pearl powder increases antioxidants glutathione and SOD. ⁽²⁾ Both these antioxidants aid in tissue repair and decrease inflammation. It’s not surprising that the TCM actions of this formula build on these functions. In TCM terms Margarita Acne Pills dispel toxins from the blood (inflammation), clear skin heat (inflammation), and help soften flesh hardness (tissue repair). Zhen Zhu also helps with the emotional component which can contribute to acne. Pearl is traditionally used to calm the spirit⁽³⁾

Caution with digestive weakness and heavy menstrual bleeding.
Contraindicated during pregnancy

Serving size: 5 count, 3 times/day. Consume serving half an hour to an hour before eating or after eating. As the formula takes effect reduce for maintenance. Margarita Acne Pills may be used for a few weeks to a few months. When the acute symptoms are resolved combine with an appropriate constitutional formula. This is the recommended use, however, please follow the instructions of your healthcare practitioner.

5 Flavor Tea Pills

Wu Wei Xiao Du Wan ( Five Ingredient Drink to Eliminate Toxin )
Ever had a boil? it’s a deep painful hard, lump with some redness. In medical terms, a boil, also called a furuncle, is a bacterial infection under the skin. The bacteria involved is commonly Staphylococcus aureus. I’ve never had a boil, but my X husband had several. This was before I knew anything about TCM. The best thing we could do was apply heat and eventually pop the thing. The ideal herb formula would have been Five Flavor Tea Pills. First recorded in 1742, this formula was designed to clear painful boils, abscesses and deep-rooted sores.⁽⁴⁾

The five herbs in this formula are heat and toxin clearing herbs. They provide a broad spectrum anti-bacterial herbal strategy.⁽⁵⁾ Jin Yin Hua, Ju Hua, Pu Gong Ying and Zi Hua Di Ding (a) are a classic grouping for sores and furuncles.⁽³⁾ Zi Hua Di Ding has a special affinity for the skin. It is used to treat conditions such as eczema, impetigo, acne, pruritus, and cradle cap.⁽³⁾ Jin Yin Hua has significant antimicrobial activity against diverse species of bacteria and fungi. Together these herbs stop the accumulation and spreading of the toxin.⁽⁴⁾

This formula is correct for skin conditions which present with heat, redness, pain, and swelling.⁽⁴⁾ Useful in cases of boils (furuncle), a party of boils ( carbuncle ), cellulitis, and mastitis. Many of the herbs in this formula are anti-viral. With the correct presentation, it can be used for shingles, herpes simplex, or genital herpes.

Careful: Hygiene is important. An active boil can spread the infection through direct skin to skin contact or through personal items.
Contraindicated for Yin type boils due to deficiency. Yin boils are flat and colorless.
Use with caution in cases of digestive weakness.
Serving size: 8 count 3X day

Super Tremella

This is a combination of Tremella fruiting body and extract, Maitake extract, Vitamin C, and Bioperine.

The mainstay of the formula, Tremella fuciformis, has other names too; Snow Fungus and Chrysanthemum Mushroom are two. In Japanese, it is Shiro kikurage or White Jelly Leaf. In Chinese, it is Bai Mu Er or White Wood Ear. Tremella is an ingredient in desserts and soups in China, Vietnam, and Japan. This silvery shivering fungus is widely recognized as a helpmate for beautiful skin. Tang Dynasty Princess Yang Guifei (719-756 CE) used Tremella in her rituals for radiant skin. Medicinally it generates fluids, moistens the Lungs and nourishes Yin. All actions which benefit the skin.

It is well known that Tremella contains a high amount of Provitamin D 2 (ergosterol). Once this circulates in the bloodstream it is turned into vitamin D2 on exposure to the sun. Vitamin D supports the function of every tissue type in the body including the skin (6). Our new fungus friend shows well in the research field. It reduces the effects of photoaging and protects against radiation. Tremella exhibits strong antioxidant and anti-tumor properties as well (7) (8) (9).

The other fungus is extract of Maitake (Grifola frondosa). Maitake Means “Dancing Mushroom” in Japanese. This can refer to both the appearance of the mushroom and the human reaction upon finding it. It is an adaptogen, meaning it helps to balance body and it has anti-tumor properties. ^(10)(11)(12)

Also in the mix is 80 mg of Vitamin C, 20 mg more than the RDA. Vitamin C aids in the production of collagen, the main structural protein in the skin. Collagen keeps skin firm and supple. In a 1981 study by Linus Pauling, skin cells exposed to Vitamin C increased collagen production by a factor of 8. Human studies often assess skin health by changes in depth or number of wrinkles. Two observational studies found higher intakes of dietary vitamin C were associated with improved skin appearance and decrease wrinkles. ^(13)(14) Higher intakes of dietary vitamin C have been correlated with a decreased risk of dry skin,⁽¹⁵⁾

Bioperine (from Piper nigrum) enhances the bioavailability of ingredients. It is an antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor properties. ⁽¹⁵⁾ If Bioperine had a resume it would include an immunomodulator, immunostimulant, antibacterial, and antifungal. ⁽¹⁵⁾ This extract has many anti-cancer properties and shows cancer prevention potential. ⁽¹⁶⁾

Super Tremella would be a good choice for skin rejuvenation or to protect skin from the sun and wind. Try it for dry skin and wrinkles from sun exposure.

Serving size: 4 count once a day (or 2 count twice a day) after a meal or as directed by your practitioner.

Nourish The Surface

Dang Gui Yin Zi Wan
First recorded in Formulas to Aid the Living (1253 CE ) this formula helps with itchy, dry, flaking and red skin conditions..⁽⁴⁾ Nourish The Surface can also be taken to maintain well hydrated and healthy skin. A solid contingent of herbs are rounded up to nourish the skin through the blood: Dang Gui, Bai Shao, and He Shou Wu. All these do their job from a slightly different perspective. This ensures that the blood deficiency is corrected. Sheng di Huang cools hot blood that causes redness. Blood deficiency can cause itching or in TCM terms wind. Wind is addressed by three herbs Fang Feng, Jing Jie and Bai Ji Li. Healthy skin has a luster because the nourished blood is moving. A favorite blood invigorator, Chuan Xiong is included for this job and it also helps with itching. To balance all the releasing of wind and movement there is Huang Qi, this herb stabilizes the exterior and strengthens the immune system. Finally, Gan Cao harmonizes all the herbs in the formula and helps with digestion.⁽³⁾

Conditions that indicate use present with dryness and heat. This includes a range of symptoms, all of which have the same root of undernourished blood.

Skin signs:

• chronically, dry, itchy, scaly skin
• thickened and dull skin with red rash and lesions
• itching worse after menstruation
• itching worse when fatigued or in dry or windy weather.

Other signs:

• lusterless skin, hair, and eyes
• Pale or sallow complexion
• dizziness
• Constipation.

If signs of undernourished blood are present this the appropriate formula for psoriasis, eczema, urticaria, contact dermatitis, neurodermatitis, alopecia.

Contraindicated during pregnancy.
Serving size: 8 count three times a day or as advised by your healthcare practitioner.

Disclaimer
Use herbs wisely. If you have questions or special considerations, work with your practitioner. If symptoms worsen or you have concerns, contact a knowledgeable practitioner. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

References

1 The Foundations of Chinese Medicine, Giovanni Maciocia, Churchill Livingstone, 1989

2 Journal of Food and Drug Analysis, Volume 26, Issue 1, January 2018, Pages 309-317
Efficacy of protein-rich pearl powder on antioxidant status in a randomized placebo-controlled trial Hui Fang, Chiua Su-Chun, Hsiao Yan-Ying, LucYi-Chun, Han You, Cheng Shend, Ramesh Venkatakrishna, Chin-Kun Wangb

3 Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica, Revised Edition, Bensky & Gamble, Eastland Press, 1993

4 Formulas and Strategies, Portable 2nd edition, Bensky, Scheid, Ellis, Barolet published Eastland Press Inc.

5 Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, Volume 4, Issue 2, April–June 2014 , Pages 93-98, Anti-inflammatory and Antimicrobial Effects of Heat-clearing Chinese Herbs: A Current Review Rekik A.Muluye,YuhongBian( Dr. ), Paulos N. Alemu

6 Journal of Advanced Research, 2015 Nov. 6(6), 793-804, Vitamin D and the skin: Focus on a complex relationship: A review, Wedad Z. Mostafa, Rehad A. Hegazy
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4642156/

7 Journal of Functional Foods, Effect of polysaccharides from Tremella fuciformis on UV-induced photoaging,Lingrong Wen, Qing Gao, Chung-wah Ma, Yazhong Geb, Lijun You, Rui Hai Liua, Xiong Fu, Dong Liu

8 Journal of Radiation Research, May 2012, Protective Effect of Polysaccharides Isolated from Tremella fuciformis against Radiation-induced Damage in Mice, X U Wenqing, Xiu Shen, Fujun Yang, Ying Han, L I Ruifeng, Dan Xue, Affiliation: Peking Union Medical College

9 Carbohydrate Polymers, Volume 81, Issue 2, 11 June 2010 , Pages 420-424
Optimization of extraction of Tremella fuciformis polysaccharides and its antioxidant and antitumour activities in vitro, ChenBin

10 Journal of Medicinal Food, Vol. 16, No. 7 Full Communications Genes Related to Suppression of Malignant Phenotype Induced by Maitake D-Fraction in Breast Cancer Cells, Eliana Noelia Alonso, Manuela Orozco, Alvaro Eloy Nieto, and Gabriela Andrea Balogh

11 International Journal of Cancer, 2013 Jul;133(1):108-19. Oral administration of soluble β-glucans extracted from Grifola frondosa induces systemic antitumor immune response and decreases immunosuppression in tumor-bearing mice. Masuda Y, Inoue H, Ohta H, Miyake A, Konishi M, Nanba H. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23280601

12 American Association of Cancer Research, Abstract 3515: Maitake D-Fraction, a natural mushroom extract, synergizes with Interleukin-2 for increased lytic activity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells against various human tumor cell histologies, Derek M. Johnson, Eliot Edwards, Adriana Rosales, Timothy C. Birdsall, Edgar D. Staren and Donald P. Braun

13 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2007;86:1225-1231 Dietary nutrient intakes and skin-aging appearance among middle-aged American womenCosgrove MC, Franco OH, Granger SP, Murray PG, Mayes AE.(PubMed)

14 Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2001;20:71-80 Skin wrinkling: can food make a difference? Purba MB, Kouris-Blazos A, Wattanapenpaiboon N, et al.(PubMed)

15 Phytotherapy Research, 27(8), August 2013, Piper nigrum and Piperine: An Update, Murlidhar Meghwal, T.K. Goswami https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236461013_Piper_nigrum_and_Piperine_An_Update

16 Cancer Prevention, January 2016, Anticancer and Cancer Prevention Effects of Piperine-Free Piper nigrum Extract on N-nitrosomethylurea-Induced Mammary Tumorigenesis in Rats
Somchai Sriwiriyajan, Aman Tedasen, Narissara Lailerd, Pleumjit Boonyaphiphat, Anupong Nitiruangjarat, Yan Deng and Potchanapond Graidist