Vaidya’s specialty was Dermatology. Having said that, he still treated the patient holistically, first testing for imbalances in their pulse and then addressing these imbalances through the use of herbs, dietary recommendations and changes in their daily routine habits.
The skin is an organ of elimination, the largest organ in the body. “It is only doing its job,” he would tell patients with skin conditions. “You are lucky the toxins are coming out through the skin — if they stayed inside they could have roamed to the brain, creating Alzheimer’s there or the liver, creating cancer there. But you are lucky they are coming out.”
The point is, he would teach me, to allow the detox process of the skin to continue, but many things could be done to alleviate the condition at the same time.
The first thing he taught me was to direct the toxins away from the skin and into the urine by making a very dilute tea, 1 pinch of whole coriander seed steeped in one quart of boiled water (usually given in a one-quart stainless steel thermos). Sip on that slowly for four hours, then discard the unused portion and start fresh the next day.
Next, he would bind the toxins and direct them into the bowel movement, using various foods such as taro root, okra, arrowroot, barley (if not gluten sensitive). These foods have the capability of taking the toxins out through the bowel movement and should be eaten throughout the week.
Each patient is individual, so you must evaluate their pulse and treat whatever imbalances you would find there: if the channels were clogged, inflamed or shrunken, you must fix them, for example. If the liver is overheated it must be cooled down with the use of DGL cream down the spine and on the liver (below the ribs on the right) twice a day. Bhumi amla drops are also great for cooling an overheated liver.
The use of yasad bhasma (zinc) might also be indicated (again each patient must be evaluated individually). Zinc is good for killing the infection in the pores of the skin.
Once we evaluate all possible parameters of that person’s health, THEN we can use the actual herbal formulas recommended for acne, in this case: the Semal Plus Products. Semal is the herb used primarily for acne. However, if we took the modern medical model of prescribing semal and ignored the other factors which were just described, our protocol would work minimally, if at all. Therefore, a good rule of thumb to always remember is to treat the patient holistically, resisting the temptation to ask which remedy is used for which condition and use that only.
Semal drops can be given, two to three drops in a liter of alkaline spring water, sipped throughout the day. And Semal Plus Clay can be applied to the areas affected by acne, leave it on for about 10 minutes to pull out the toxins. Wash it off with Turmeric Soap (Detox or Neem Soap could be used as well). Then apply Semal Plus Lotion to the same area and leave it in.
If the patient is old enough (18 years or older), you can teach them the cleansing procedures Vaidya has taught us either in his blogs, newsletters and detox booklet. These are daily, weekly and seasonal cleanses using mostly foods and dahls, such as kulthi lentils, to remove impurities from the body. As always we do not recommend fasting, since it heats the liver, ultimately backfiring on the patient. And we do not recommend herbs such as milk thistle, which also heat the liver and imbalance it.
By following these guidelines, usually the acne will recede over time. This approach is much better than longterm use of antibiotics, which can damage one’s immune system, or the use of acne drugs which get stored in the bone marrow, affecting not only the patient, but their offspring too, for years to come.
Dr. Marianne Teitelbaum
Cinnaminson, New Jersey
To schedule an ayurvedic appointment with Dr Teitelbaum, call her clinic at: 1-856-786-3330
To learn more about acne from Vaidya Mishra, you can watch the following video:
I can’t seem to find the way to order anything now.
There was apparently a sale, but can’t find reference to it in the website.
Hi Susan, you can order anytime from our online store. We have sales from time-to-time. http://www.chandika.com – SVA Customer Service Team