I got a call from my neighbor whose friend wanted to know more about natural acne remedies, so I figured I might as well blog my answer so many others can benefit!
When someone has a skin problem – acne, eczema, psoriasis, unexplained rash, etc. – we first look at gut ecology. This is because the lining of the gastrointestinal tract and the skin are made of the same type of cells.
The second reason we pay attention to the gut is that the skin is one of the detoxification organs. If your body is detoxifying through the skin—using your skin to eliminate unwanted substances—that’s another sign that something is wrong with your gut and possibly your liver.
So treating acne requires a three-pronged approach:
1. Bring your intestinal flora into balance – This means you need to get an abundance of good bacteria into your gut, not bad bacteria and yeast/fungi. If your acne is mild or you haven’t had it for very long, this can usually be achieved by using a therapeutic probiotic alone: Take 1 Natren Healthy Trinity capsule (the 3-in-1 capsule) per day for a week, then 2 capsules per day until your acne clears. Then stick to a maintenance dose of 1 per day. You can usually get your local health food store to order Natren Healthy Trinity for you if it isn’t already available there – but don’t substitute it for another brand or you won’t get the same results.
If you have severe or long-term acne (2 years or more), you may need to first take Wild Oregano Oil to clear out the pathogens and then repopulate the good bacteria – we have a protocol for this and it’s called Jini’s Wild Oregano Oil Protocol. You can also go to my Home Remedies for Acne page and get my free Wild Oregano Oil review.
2. Stop adding toxins to your body – If you want to help your body detoxify and balance its gut, it makes sense that you will get the best results if your daily food intake supports this process – rather than hinders it. So that means no processed, packaged foods, no nitrates, no preservatives, no artificial flavors and sweeteners, no hydrogenated/vegetable oils – basically no regular crap that everyone else eats. You also need to reduce your sugar consumption as much as possible, as sugar (and simple carbohydrates like white flour and white rice) are the preferred food source for Candida yeast/fungus and bad bacteria.
Eat: Fresh organic vegetables, meat and eggs and eat them raw or use cold pressed oils (coconut, olive oil) and organic butter for cooking. When you need a treat, use these healthy muffin and puff square recipes.
Again, if you have been suffering from acne for a long time, you also need to use a liver support herb – to aid in detoxification and restore liver function. Milk thistle or burdock root are good herbs for this – either in liquid tincture or in capsule form.
3. Treat topical wounds – You can also fight infection locally and speed healing by dabbing wild oregano oil directly onto any acne sore. If possible, apply 3-5x per day – but even 2x per day produces good results. If you cannot tolerate regular wild oregano oil, you can dilute it further with olive oil. Make a 6:1 dilution of 6 drops of olive oil and 1 drop of wild oregano oil. Another substance that can work well to have on hand is potassium iodide (SSKI).
And that’s it! If you’re feeling overwhelmed by now, just start with two simple things: Natren Healthy Trinity capsules, 1-2x daily, and applying wild oregano oil topically. If you notice a positive change, you will be encouraged to look into the nutritional aspect.
Rise higher,
blood
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Original post July 2010. Last updated June 2020.
Jini Patel Thompson is an internationally recognized expert in natural healing for digestive diseases. She healed herself from widespread Crohn’s disease and has been medication and surgery free for over 25 years. Jini has appeared on numerous podcasts, TV and radio shows in the US, UK, Canada and Australia, giving people hope and vision on how to heal their colitis, Crohn’s disease, diverticulitis and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) using all-natural methods. Her books on natural healing of digestive diseases have been sold in over 80 countries worldwide. Jini is married and has three children, nine sheep, 11 horses, a cat and three dogs.
