It's probably a good guess to say that most, if not all, of you have heard of witch hazel. It's an inexpensive remedy for many ailments, including bruises, acne, eczema, poison ivy, and more. The clear, bottled liquid most commonly thought of when mentioning witch hazel is the steam-distilled product from the plants leaves and bark.
Info: Witch hazel contains high levels of tannins, which help to dry and tighten skin, making it great for acne treatments and soothing varicose veins. The procyanadins, resin, and flavonoids in witch hazel add to its soothing and anti-inflammatory abilities. Many skin care products and hemorrhoid products rely on witch hazel for its healing and soothing properties.
Note: Distilled witch hazel, which is what we buy at the pharmacy, contains no tannins, but does contain alcohol, which might cause minor stinging when applied to irritated skin.
More Witch Hazel Info
- How Stuff Works: Witch Hazel: Herbal Remedies
- Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine: Witch Hazel
- Herbs2000: Witch Hazel
Be sure to come back tomorrow for Part 3 of Herbal Skin Care Relief.
21 Responses
1
Patrick Garry
August 13th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
This post reminds me of my grandmother. I can remember spraining my ankle really badly playing basketball in high school, and she used witch hazel to soothe it. I really like your blog, I will bookmark it and return, thanks!
2
Kevin
August 14th, 2008 at 10:14 am
This is a great post. Where can someone acquire the actual Witch hazel with tannis, as to the pharmacy product that doesn't include it?
3
Stefanie
August 15th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Thank you Patrick! When I think of treatments from my grandmother, I think of being pink spotted from the calamine lotion she put on me. She had 5 outdoor/indoor cats which frequently brought home fleas... and fleas thought me to be juicy, apparently!
Kevin, Thayers has a bottle of witch hazel with tannis, Amazon sells it. GNCs also carry it, and you can look up other stores that might have it in your area on the Thayers site.
4
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August 19th, 2008 at 2:05 am
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5
organic skin care
August 26th, 2008 at 11:06 am
I was going to ask the same question as Kevin about where to find witch hazel with tannins, so thank you Stefanie for your reply. Yesterday I took engagement pictures with my fiance, and I all I could think about the day before was how to get rid of the acne on my forehead. Thanks for the tip. Great Blog!
6
Stefanie
August 28th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
organic skin care, let me know if it works! I use it on my face, and it's no miracle cure, but it definitely helps!
7
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September 2nd, 2008 at 7:05 am
Very informative and amazing.!! Thanks for sharing this great article, will definitely benefit from this
8
Stefanie
September 4th, 2008 at 2:20 am
Fioricet, thank you for reading!
9
Skin Care Tips
September 11th, 2008 at 2:45 am
Witch hazel is a great product that is naturally available. Nicely written article about it. Thanks.
10
Poison Ivy Cure
September 13th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Hmm never actually tried Witch Hazel, but it sounds like it might just do the trick. I do alot of poison ivy research, will try it to see if it helps next time I get it (which hopefully won't be soon).
11
Stefanie
September 15th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Poison Ivy Cure said:
Luckily, I've never had poison ivy!
12
Linda
October 13th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Great post Stephanie. Witch Hazel is used in a lot of natural cures that I recommend to others that have skin issues. Thanks for the extra links too!
13
Hemroids
December 18th, 2008 at 5:43 am
Hi,
I also personally prefer natural treatments. So, I would like to share my thought that witch hazel can be used as creams in order to get relief from Hemorrhoids.
Thanks,
Lucy
14
Stefanie
December 18th, 2008 at 10:57 am
Great tip, Lucy!
15
Hemorrhoids Cream
January 3rd, 2009 at 2:09 pm
Interesting post. I have a question though... If you can't get witch hazel with tannins at pharmacy, where's the best place to get it then?
16
Stefanie
January 21st, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Hemorrhoids Cream said:
Do a search online. I'd imagine a number of online stores would carry it
17
Cure for Hemroids
February 20th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
Aw... I don't know what's the name of witch hazel here on my country, since we are not a english speaker...
I need something to take care of my acnes.. lol
I'll look for a translation.. thanks for your useful post.
18
Jenny
July 3rd, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Witch Hazel can be used for a wide assortment of aliments including Hemorrhoids. I developed hemorrhoids after the birth of my first child and tried various things including Witch Hazel. To solve my problem I ended up looking for a more comprehensive solution.
Thrombosed Hemorrhoid Treatments
19
Poison Ivy Treatment Blog
July 29th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
My mom's suffers from varicose veins. It really scares me when I see her legs with all those stuff.
I'll tell her about Witch Hazel. I believe herbal treatment causes less harm for your health.
Thanks for the post.
20
Herbal
August 6th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Some time ago I read that nature is a complete pharmacy for the human being healing, and I think that's true. Witch hazel is new to me but I don't have doubt about its properties.
21
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September 1st, 2009 at 9:08 pm
I do alot of poison ivy research, will try it to see if it helps next time I get it (which hopefully won't be soon).