witch hazel It is an ideal herb for skin care and also promotes circulation and helps treat varicose veins and hemorrhoids.
Witch hazel or witch’s broom is a deciduous shrub that belongs to the family of witch hazel and is characterized by its yellow flowers and black seeds. This plant, with the scientific name of virginiana witch hazel, (Witch Hazel in English) is grown in some regions of China, Japan and North America for the various medicinal and cosmetic uses that both its leaves and bark have.
Among the different uses and health benefits of the witch hazel plant, its astringent properties stand out, ideal both for taking care of our skin and for improving the functioning of our body.
Nutritional composition and properties of witch hazel
Witch hazel is a deciduous plant that contains the following nutrients in its composition:
- Flavonoids: They are plant pigments, including quercetin, isoquercitin and myricitin, among others, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
- Tannins: Its content in gallic acid and hamamelitanine stands out, which have excellent astringent properties with venotonic action.
- Essencial oils such as safrole, esters and alcohol with great hemostatic and antiseptic properties.
- It also contains other nutrients such as carbohydrates (hamamellose) and saponins.
It is used for different circulatory system problems
Witch hazel has powerful astringent properties that act on the circulatory system, especially on blood vessels, reducing inflammation and solving the following circulatory problems:
- Varicose veins: it can be used both externally by applying witch hazel extract through a massage, and internally by preparing an infusion with the dried leaves of the plant.
- Phlebitis: its venotonic action acts and reduces inflammation in the veins.
- Wounds and bruises: By preparing witch hazel, you can reduce the appearance and inflammation of these problems, as well as relieve the pain that occurs in these sores.
- Poor circulation in the legs: It is ideal for those people who spend a lot of time on their feet, as compresses with witch hazel water can relieve pain and swelling in the legs.
- Hemorrhoids: Hemorrhoids can be alleviated by preparations or creams based on witch hazel.
Witch hazel properties for the skin
Witch hazel also serves as a natural remedy for some skin care, because thanks to its different properties, it offers the following benefits for the skin:
Acne
One of the problems that currently concerns the beauty sector the most is acne and how to solve or minimize its appearance. Therefore, every day new anti-acne products are manufactured with increasingly complex formulas. If you are not a fan of these cosmetics, there is always a more natural option, which is to use resources from Mother Earth.
In that case, Hamamelis extracts will be great to treat this condition. Thanks to tannins (a molecule present in this plant) and its potential astringent properties, it effectively dries pimples and reduces inflammation.
Oily skin
If you have oily skin, it’s good to know that Hamamelis-based toners can help regulate your skin’s oiliness. Do not hesitate to include it in your skin care routine to control and eliminate excess oil.
signs of aging
Another of the main objectives of current cosmetics is to reduce the signs of aging through anti-aging treatments. And it’s understandable since we all like our skin to look younger. Therefore, it is never too late to start a facial care habit and reduce these possible future symptoms.
Witch hazel products can help reduce the size of pores, which tend to become more visible with age. It also has powerful antioxidant effects, helping to eliminate free radicals, which are the main cause of aging of our cells.
Inflammatory skin diseases
You may have heard of conditions like psoriasis, eczema, and seborrheic dermatitis. This is because most of the population suffers from these types of diseases. They are characterized by the appearance of redness, swelling and irritation of the skin, in addition to extreme dryness that causes flaking.
Witch hazel is rich in components that are effective in reducing itching and irritation. If your treatment allows, you can combine and apply remedies from this plant to enhance their effects.
Also
- burns
- Irritation caused by shaving
- Superficial cuts and wounds
- diaper rash in babies
Relieves menopausal symptoms
Another of the healing properties of witch hazel is that, thanks to its anti-inflammatory and astringent effect, it helps treat the following menopausal symptoms:
- It can decrease, in the form of an infusion, hot flashes typical of this disorder.
- At this stage, there are also some changes in the skin, such as dryness and more visible wrinkles on the face. As we saw earlier, witch hazel is a natural remedy for these skin problems.
- It can also alleviate other menopausal pains, such as headaches or joint pain, thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties.
- Finally, it reduces fluid retention and other circulatory problems such as varicose veins and cellulite, very common problems at this stage.
Contraindications of witch hazel
Witch hazel may have some contraindications for people who are in the following situations:
- Pregnancy and lactation: some plants such as witch hazel are not recommended as they can alter the conditions of the fetus and breast milk.
- digestive disorders: its richness in tannins makes it contraindicated for people with heartburn, colitis, ulcers and other gastrointestinal problems.
- people with iron deficiency anemia: its tannin content prevents the body from properly absorbing iron.
- Liver diseases: Its safrole and tannin content can worsen diseases such as hepatitis, cirrhosis and other liver diseases.
- It is also contraindicated in people who are taking medication. anticoagulants.