The reason I originally became interested in natural foods and holistic nutrition was to clear up my skin. I used to have terrible skin and for the longest time I had no clue that it was directly related to what I was eating. After I changed my diet and saw the dramatic improvement in my skin, I was curious what other things my diet was affecting. (The answer, it turns out, was everything).
I’ll get into the nitty gritty of my diet recommendations for clear skin in a future blog post. For right now, here are a few specific foods and herbs you can add into your diet right now that have extraordinary skin clearing properties (big shout out to Mother Nature! Woop woop!).
If you start consuming these things, you’ll start seeing results pretty quickly. And you’ll probably want to kiss me for this information.
1) Burdock root tea
WHAT IS IT?
Burdock root is simply the root of the Burdock plant.
WHY SHOULD I TAKE IT?
It has been used as an herbal remedy for centuries to alleviate all sorts of skin conditions. It is an extremely effective blood purifier. Clean blood = clear skin.
WHERE CAN I GET IT?
Look for the dried, chopped herb at Whole Foods or you local herb or health food store. You can also order it online.
HOW DO I USE IT?
Use roughly 2 or 3 tablespoons of the dried, chopped herb into 3 or 4 cups of water, then slowly bring it to a simmer and let it stay there for about 5 – 10 minutes. Drink this tea 2 or 3 times a day for a week and you will be shocked at what happens to your skin. You’re welcome.
2) Medicinal mushrooms
WHAT ARE THEY?
Notice I didn’t say “magic” mushrooms…this is not a psychedelic reference. And I’m not talking about the kind you see in Italian dishes either. Medicinal mushrooms are fungi that grow on trees and, unlike culinary mushrooms, are generally very hard and woody.
WHY SHOULD I TAKE IT?
These little fungi are no joke. They are some of the most interesting and complex organisms on the planet and they are the most insanely effective supplement you can take to supercharge your immune system. (They make Vitamin C and Echinacea look like a joke).
Why should you care about supercharging your immune system? I’ll answer that, but first:
WARNING: The following description is pretty gross.
If you have acne, in many cases it may have started as bacteria or a virus that was introduced through the skin by touching an open wound on your face or by picking at your pimples.
Those pathogens (germs) may have then been transferred from your fingers or fingernails to your face and embedded itself underneath your skin. If your immune system wasn’t able to get on top of the virus soon enough, it may have eventually made its way into your bloodstream and even rooted itself into your nervous system (eck!) If your skin flares up when you get nervous or excited, this might be the case for you.
Medicinal mushrooms educate your immune system to ramp up when it is needed more and settle down when it’s not needed as much. They also kill pathogenic organisms in the body.
WHERE CAN I GET THEM?
Whole Foods or your local herb or health food store. You can also order it online. There are many different types of medicinal mushrooms, but for our purposes, let’s focus on a few well-studied, safe and super effective ones. Find a supplement with at least 4 of the following mushrooms:
* Reishi
* Shiitake
* Maitake
* Cordyceps
* Agaricus
* Lion’s Mane
HOW DO I USE IT?
They come in a convenient capsule form and you just pop ‘em like Skittles. Take 2-5 capsules a day. They are completely safe and you can’t overdose on them. Some great brands are Paul Stamets and Mushroom Science.
These supplements can be fairly expensive (about $30 a bottle), so if you’d like to keep costs down, you can also buy the dried Reishi mushroom and make a tea from it. Put some of the chopped and dried mushroom matter into a pot of water and slowly bring it to a light boil. Keep it there for about 15-20 minutes, then let it cool down. Drink 8-10 ounces twice daily. You can even mix this with the Burdock tea listed above!
3) Raw green vegetable juice
WHAT IS IT?
Although not really an “herb,” vegetable juice is an extremely powerful way to detoxify your body and have glowing skin. It is essentially the blood of plants. Don’t freak out. As weird as that sounds, this liquid actually contains all the vitamins, minerals and chlorophyll contained in the plant. Mechanical juicers are able to squeeze this liquid out from the vegetables and separate it from the fiber of the plant. (This is not the same as blending, which just pulverizes the fiber).
WHY SHOULD I TAKE IT?
The vitamins and minerals you get in this natural liquid form are like a liquid mineral supplement for your skin. It nourishes it from the inside out. In this liquid form, the nutrients are extremely absorbable by your body because your digestive system doesn’t have to deal with breaking down all the fiber (cellulose) in the leaves. This is completely different than taking synthetic multi-vitamins, which are NOT used by your body and just make your pee bright yellow. The point here is to get all the healthy goodness and nutrients from green vegetables into your body as quickly as possible without having to eat 20 salads a day. Cheers to drinking your veggies!
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I DRINK IT?
As much and as often as possible. You don’t know what minerals your body has been missing until you’ve been drinking at 16 ounces of freshly made, raw, organic vegetable juice at least three times a week—more if you can. See what happens. No, it’s not like sipping orange juice, but over time you will get used to, and even come to enjoy the flavor. You can even sweeten your juice up with an apple and some ginger if you’d like. My treat 😉
WHERE DO I GET IT?
No juicer? No problem! Just go to your local Whole Foods juice bar and order one off the menu. Problem solved. OR…buy a juicer. Either works.
If you’re GREEN on the inside, you’re CLEAN on the inside.
Trust me on this one.
EXTRA CREDIT!!
If you’re really hardcore, start experimenting with some green powders like Pure Synergy and Vitamineral Green. These are life-changing products. Your skin will thank you…and you will thank me.
In abundant health,
Ruben Chavez
Reclaim Your Superpowers 