I got a phone call from my neighbour whose friend wanted to know about natural remedies for acne, so I figured I might as well blog my answer so that many more can benefit!

Whenever someone has a skin problem – acne, eczema, psoriasis, unexplained rash, etc – the first place we look is to the gut ecology. This is because the lining of the gastrointestinal tract and the skin are made from the same type of cells.

The second reason we look to the gut is that the skin is one of the organs of detoxification. If your body is detoxing through your skin – using your skin to push out undesirables – then it’s yet another sign that something’s wrong with your gut, and possibly your liver.

So, treating acne requires a three-pronged approach:

1. Balance Your Gut Flora – this means you need to get an abundance of good bacteria into your gut, rather than bad bacteria and yeast/fungi. If your acne is mild, or you haven’t had it for very long this can usually be accomplished by using a therapeutic probiotic alone: Take 1 Natren Healthy Trinity Capsule (the 3-in-1 capsule) per day for one week, and then 2 capsules per day until your acne clears up. Then stay on a maintenance dose of 1 per day. You can usually get your local health store to order Natren Healthy Trinity in for you if they don’t already carry it – but don’t substitute another brand, or you will not get the same results.

If you have severe or long-standing acne (2 years or more) you may first need to take wild oregano oil to clear out the pathogens, and then repopulate with 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 Remedy page for Acne and get my complimentary Wild Oregano Oil Report.

2. Stop Putting Toxins Into Your Body – it makes sense that if you’re trying to help your body detox and balance it’s gut terrain, then you’re going to see the best results if what you’re ingesting every day helps that process – rather than hinders it. So this means: No processed, packaged food, no nitrates, no preservative, no artificial flavors and sweeteners, no hydrogenated/vegetable oils – basically, no standard crap that everyone else eats. You also need to reduce your sugar as much as you possibly can, because sugar (and simple carbs like white flour and white rice) are the preferred food source for candida yeast/fungus and bad bacteria.

Do eat: fresh, organic vegetables, meat, eggs and eat them raw or use cold-pressed oils (coconut, olive oil) and organic butter to cook them in. When you need a treat, use these healthy recipes for muffins and puffed squares.

Again, if you’ve had long-standing acne, you will also need to use a liver support herb – to help detox and restore liver functioning. Milk thistle or burdock root are good herbs for this – in either liquid tincture or capsule form.

3. Treat Topical Sores – you can also topically address infection and speed healing by dabbing wild oregano oil directly onto each acne sore. Apply 3-5x/day if you can – but even 2x/day will produce good results. If you can’t tolerate the normal wild oregano oil, you can further dilute it with olive oil. Make up a 6:1 dilution using 6 drops of olive oil to 1 drop of wild oregano oil. Another substance that can work well, if you have it to hand is potassium iodide (SSKI).

And that’s it! If you’re feeling overwhelmed by now, then just start with 2 simple things: Natren Healthy Trinity capsules, 1-2x/day and apply wild oregano oil topically. After you see positive change, it will encourage you to address the dietary aspect.

Soar higher,
Jini

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Original post July 2010. Most recently updated June 2020.