One of the most important things to understand about our skin, is that it is a key organ of elimination. Along with the liver, kidneys, and intestines, the skin acts to rid the body of impurities and wastes. When these organs aren’t functioning optimally, we start to see outward symptoms of dysfunction such as changes in bowel habit and skin health. Because of this, it is important to understand how to decrease the burden on our organs of elimination, and optimize their function in detoxification.

Dull, dry, or acne prone skin can be a sign that our organs of elimination, need support.

Detoxification has a lot to do with lessening the burden on the organs of elimination, namely the liver. This means watching what we expose our bodies to; chemicals (pollutants and pesticides), toxins (including alcohol), allergens, and even stress! By lessening burden, we allow our organs to function optimally so that they can carry out regular body functions. The liver in particular does many things, and plays a big part in hormone regulation. A burdened liver may result in imbalanced hormones, which often leads to skin issues. The liver also produces bile, which is crucial for digestion and proper elimination; this function can be affected when the liver is burdened also. So here are a few ways to support our processes of detoxification, that will in turn, facilitate that beautiful natural glow!

Add these foods into your diet:

Lemon water: rich in vitamin C, stimulates enzymes to improve digestion, and promote liver detoxification.

Greens: spinach, kale, parsley, cilantro, dandelion greens, and sprouts. Greens are rich in minerals, enzymes, and chlorophyll which help detoxify the body, and improve oxygenation of cells.

Soluble fiber: chia, pectin/apples, vegetables and legumes. Help bind wastes in the colon and promote elimination.

Water: necessary for effective elimination via the kidneys and bowels.

Limit these foods:

Limit inflammatory foods that put a burden on the immune and detoxification system: dairy, processed sugar, alcohol, caffeine, processed foods, wheat, and red meat. Start taking notice of how you feel from certain foods, food sensitivities result in inflammation, an immune reaction that causes burden on our systems. Signs of food sensitivities may be bloating, bowel habit changes, stomach pain, headaches, and skin changes including breakouts, eczema, rashes, and facial puffiness. Avoid these foods!

Optimize lymphatic drainage:

Exercise, and hydrotherapy (jumping in a cold lake on a hot summer day) improve circulation and therefore the exchange of nutrients, and elimination of wastes from the body. Proper hydration is also essential to the function of the lymphatic system. Ridding the body of wastes and decreasing inflammation, decreases toxic burden on the system.

The skin benefits from a few specific nutrients:

·Omega 3 fatty acids: anti-inflammatory, moisturizing, and essential for skin cellular repair and function. Omega 3 fatty acids have also been shown to improve wellbeing and happiness; that shows on the skin too!

·Vitamin E: an antioxidant that fights free radical damage, and therefore prevents early aging.

·Vitamin C: supports collagen production, and is an antioxidant.

·Vitamin D: helps to fight free radical damage, and prevent aging. This one we can get naturally in the summer, but it is important not to overdo our exposure to the sun which can damage our skin, and ultimately have the opposite effect we are looking for!

·Zinc: helpful for clear skin and acne prevention, regulates inflammation and helps deliver vitamin A to the skin.

·Antioxidants: Vitamin A/C/E, selenium and zinc (available as ACES and Zinc) help promote liver function, detoxification and prevent premature aging due to free radical damage.

Rest/Sleep:

Sleeping results in improved blood flow to the face, and decreased stress hormones. Managing stress is crucial for minimizing inflammation in the body. This is our time for our body to repair. Proper sleep is essential for all body functions, including detoxification and repair. This time is very important for cellular regeneration, and skin health.

Lastly moisturize!

We need to do this on the inside and out. Healthy fats and proper hydration allow you to maintain proper fluid balance from the inside, and effective moisturizing techniques help from the outside. Make sure to moisturize within 1-3 minutes after a shower or washing your face to lock in all the moisture and get that extra boost of glow!

With the holiday season upon us, we have Christmas parties, family dinners, nights out with friends, and lots of Christmas shopping to look forward to. We also have some overeating, hangovers, stress, and exhaustion coming our way though…if we can’t help it. So here’s a few herbal tinctures that I’m going to be keeping in my Christmas care package, whether I’m staying close to home, or away on a vacation.

Herbal tinctures are one of my favorite therapeutic methods to improve whatever health situation you have going on. On average, I like to choose 4-5 different herbs to combine in a single formula. Each herb has a set of unique constituents, that are responsible for specific actions. Formulating a tincture is amazing in that you can really tailor them to suit your exact health goals. Tinctures are made by using different percentages of alcohol as solvents, in order to extract specific plant constituents chosen for their actions in the body. So here are a few of the tinctures in my care pack!

First of all, I seem to always come down with a cold as soon as there’s some time off- my body finally crashes, and the cold and flu bugs finally win the fight. I’m never happy having to spend my precious time off, hermit-ing in my house with a mean headache, runny nose, and sore throat. So naturally I want to move through it, letting it run its course, only on fast forward. To do this, I like to make a tincture using herbs that will support my immune system, act as antimicrobials, promote lymphatic flow and detoxification, and help stimulate the lung tissue to be able to get rid of any mucous trying to hide out in there. In my immune tincture this year, I used the following herbs:

Echinacea root

Thymus vulgaris (Thyme)

Lomatium dissecta (Desert parsley root)

Glycyrrhiza glabra (Licorice root)

Phytolacca decadra (Pokeroot)

My second essential is a tincture to hold my hand while I suffer through a hangover. I usually have good intentions when I go out… and these good intentions are pretty much entirely motivated by the dread of the following day’s hangover. Every hangover I get makes me want to swear off of alcohol forever, but then a few days pass, and the anticipation of a fun night out with friends erases all negative memories. Once I’m out, I’m generally in a pretty great mood, and that leads to later nights and more time to drink additional unnecessary drinks. As evil as the hangover is, I wouldn’t trade those nights in. What I would do ... is try to seek a magic fix, so that the punishment of the last night’s events aren’t as crippling, AND remind myself not to feel guilty because those nights don't happen all that often anymore (except…. at Christmas). The herbs I chose for this tincture have constituents that act as moderate analgesics, mood lifters, cognitive enhancers, and liver supporters.

Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary)

Piscidia erythrina (Jamaican dogwood)

Hypericum perforatum (St. Johns Wort)

Camelia sinensis (Green tea)

Piper methysticum (Kava-kava)

Lastly, and probably the most essential over the holidays, is some digestive support! With all the amazing foods and treats that we are so lucky to be surrounded by, I know I myself, make fast enemies with the top button of my pants. After most meals, I feel like there isn’t a single digestive enzyme that hasn't been abused, leaving me feeling bloated, and ready to spend an hour (or two) uncomfortably shifting around on the couch. Bitter herbs help to stimulate the production and release of digestive enzymes, helping to better break down foods, and absorb nutrients from everything you’ve thrown at your mouth. Here are the herbs in the Digestive Bitters formula that I bought:

Taraxacum officinalis (Dandelion root)

Cynara scolymus (Artichoke)

Gentiana lutea (Gentian root)

Mentha piperita (Peppermint)

Angelica archangelica

Citrus spp.

The holidays are magic for the energy and excitement they bring. It’s an indulgent time - indulging in time spent, in foods eaten, in treats relished, in late nights dancing, and in gifts given (to others, and... yourself). There's much more to look forward to then to dread, especially with some potent helpers at your side! These are just a few of the key players in my Botanical Christmas First Aid Pack this year, to get through the season a little more unscathed!

Happy Holidays!!