Got Acne? Try Bletilla

Today's post on acne treatment with bletilla (bai ji) compound originally appeared in issue # 15 of Leung's Chinese Herb News, in 1998.

The formula consists of the following herbs: 6 g each of bletilla [rhizome of Bletilla striata], Dahurian angelica (Angelica dahurica root), and xin yi (flower bud of Magnolia spp.), and 3 g of huang qin or Chinese skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis root). These are all readily available from any Chinese herb shop. Pick off any dirt or extraneous matter and discard. Cut the herbs into small pieces and place them in a blender and chop them into a very fine powder. A better way is to pass them through a coffee mill a couple of times until a very fine powder is obtained. Then store the powder in a small sealed bottle so as to leave minimal amount of headspace to avoid oxidation. For prolonged storage, leave it in the freezer.

This remedy is for pimples “all over the face.” Every night before going to bed, place an adequate amount of the bletilla compound powder on the center of the palm, add an adequate amount of water, and make a paste. Gently rub this paste on the pimpled areas. [The author does not tell us whether to leave the paste on overnight or wash it off right away. But I assume you would want to leave it overnight.] According to this report, the pimples will disappear 7 to 10 days after treatment starts. After 7 to 15 days, the blackheads will also come off. The author recommends that even after pimples disappear, one should continue with this treatment 1 to 2 times during the week that follows, so as to “protect and nourish the skin and to prevent recurrence.” Sounds good to me! Looks like it’s a simple treatment for another common and often difficult to treat problem.

All the herbs in this formula have been shown to have antimicrobial activities; some also antiinflammatory (magnolia flower bud. Dahurian angelica, Chinese skullcap), and healing (bletilla). Dahurian angelica contains sizable amounts of furocoumarins that can be photosensitizing. However, since this remedy is to be used at night, this would be an unlikely problem. Still, be alert to allergic skin reactions.

References:
F.H. Zhao, “Acne Treatment with Bai Ji Powder,” Zhongguo Kexue Meirong, (5): 17(1998); Leung, A.Y., and S. Foster, Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs and Cosmetics, Wiley-Interscience, New York, 1995, pp. 362-364, 530, 532-533, 554-555.

These and more herbal remedies are available from the volumes of Dr. Leung’s newsletter, of the same name as this blog (Leung’s Chinese Herb News). This newsletter was published and sent to subscribers (most were industry-insiders) from 1996 to 2004. The collected works now serve as an excellent reference work, created with Dr. Leung’s frank, honest opinions and down-to-earth communication style.

For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit www.earthpower.com. To order the newsletter containing the remedies mentioned above, visit the bookstore, click “Buy Now” on the newsletter, and select Issue # 15 from the drop down list.

3 Simple Recipes for Sterility/Infertility

NOTE: This is the first in a series of five posts on simple herbal remedies. This post deals with infertility and sterility. Other topics to be covered this week include colds/flu, migraine, shingles, and kidney stones. These were all published in Dr. Leung's newsletter, Issue #8, in June, 1997. There is also some excellent general information in the introduction, posted last Friday.

Sterility/Infertility. A simple treatment for male sterility was reported in the last issue (p. 3) of this newsletter; here are some dishes that could also help in that department:[1]

1) Stirred-Fried Shrimp and Jiucai (Chinese Chives; Allium tuberosum Leaves) - You will need about 8 oz (240 g) of fresh shelled shrimp and 3 oz (100 g) of jiucai (cut in inch-long sections). Stir fry the shrimp briefly in hot vegetable oil. Add condiments (dash of cooking wine, soy sauce, vinegar, fresh ginger, etc.) followed by the jiucai. Continue to stir fry briefly until the shrimp and vegetable are done but not overcooked. This is recommended for both men and women, to be eaten regularly, once or twice a week.

2) Hard-Boiled Egg With Yimucao (Chinese Motherwort; Leonurus heterophyllus Herb) and Danggui (Chinese Angelica) - Place 30 g (1 oz) of yimucao and 15 g (½ oz) of danggui in 2 bowls of cold water in a nonmetallic pan. Boil it down to 1 bowl and strain off the herbs. Remove the shell of 2 hard-boiled eggs, poke several holes in them with a toothpick or fork, and place them in the herbal liquid. Boil the mixture for a few minutes, which is then ready to be served. Drink the soup and eat the eggs. Do this 2 or 3 times a week for a month. It is said to normalize uterine function and ovulation to increase the chances of pregnancy.

3) Rice Foam and Stir-Fried Salt, With or Without Asian Ginseng or Dangshen (Codonopsis pilosula Root) - Prepare a rice soup by boiling 1 cup of rice in several cups of water. When the rice is about done, collect the surface foam along with about ½ cup of the liquid at the surface. Add an adequate amount of salt that has been stir-fried. Drink the foamy soup on an empty stomach. For better results, you can stir in a ½ teaspoonful of ginseng or dangshen powder. If consumed regularly, this recipe is said to help increase a man’s sperm count.

[1] Y. Feng and G.X. Huang, “Diet Therapy of Infertility/Sterility,” Zhongguo Shipin, (2): 10(1987).

These and more herbal remedies are available from the volumes of Dr. Leung’s newsletter, of the same name as this blog (Leung’s Chinese Herb News). This newsletter was published and sent to subscribers (most were industry-insiders) from 1996 to 2004. The collected works now serve as an excellent reference work, created with Dr. Leung’s frank, honest opinions and down-to-earth communication style.

For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit www.earthpower.com. To order the newsletter containing the remedies mentioned above, visit the bookstore, click “Buy Now” on the newsletter, and select Issue # 8 from the drop down list.