General food for skin improvement
- Digestion affects the skin. Check out allergenic food to avoid. Favor easily digestible food such as sprouted grains, nuts, and beans.
- Particularly large intestinal health shows on the face as well as skin itchiness. Chronic case of constipation or foul smell diarrhea affect the skin.
- Eat eggs, sprouted whole grain, colorful vegetable and fish, fruit, berries nuts such as cashews benefits the skin.
- Avoid processed food
- Minimize the consumption of dairy products, sugar and alcohol intake.
- Regular intake of collagen, omega 3 or 6 fatty acids is highly recommended.
- Natural source of collagen from amino acids, lysine, glycine, and proline.
- Or high intake of all the edible beans legumes are recommended, Garbanzo bean, Chickpeas, lentil, black soybean, etc.
- Most recommend food for dry skin: Apple, Carrot, Cherry, Bok Choy, Fig, Glehnia root, Goji berry, Mountain Yam, Pine nut, Sesame seed, Solomone’s Seal root, Sunflower seed.
- Most recommend food for itchy skin: Aloe vera, Chrysanthemum flower/green, Mugwort, Perilla leaf, Purslane.
- Most recommend food to cool skin Burn: Aloe vera, Buckwheat Coriander, Crab, Chicken egg, honey, millet, Sesame seed oil.
- Most recommend food for red, swollen, painful skin with/without pus (carbuncle): Aduki bean, artichoke, Burdock root, Cabbage, Celery, Cherry, Chrysanthemum flower/green, Cinnamon, Dandelion, Gardenia fruit, Hibiscus, Luffa, Motherwort, Mung bean, Mustard Green, Peach, Pomegranate, Pumpkin, Purslane, Safflower, Scallion, Seaweed, Selfheal.
List of food
- Aduki bean
- Aloe vera
- Apple
- Artichoke
- Bamboo shoot
- Barley
- Beans
- Bitter melon
- Bokchoy
- Broccoli C
- Burdock root C
- Cabbage C
- Carrot W
- Cashew
- Cauliflower W
- Celery C
- Chard/Beet N
- Cherry
- Cherry seed W
- Chestnut W
- Chicken W
- Chive W
- Chrysanthem flowerC
- Chrysanthemum, wild
- Chrysanthm green C
- Cinnamon H
- Cinnamon Bark H
- Coix C
- Coriander W
- Crab C
- Cucumber CC
- Dandelion C
- Egg, Chicken N
- Fig N
- Gardenia fruit CC
- Ginger
- Goji berry N
- Hawthorn berry W
- Hibiscus/malva CC
- Honey N
- Honey, Royal Jelly
- Kiwi C
- Lentil
- Lily bulb C
- Longan/Litchi fruit W
- Luffa N
- Millet C
- Motherwort C
- Mountain Yam N
- Mugwort W
- Mungbean C
- Mushroom, reishi
- Mustard seed H
- Omija Tea W
- Peach fruit W
- Peach seed W
- Peppermint tea C
- Perilla leaf W
- Pine nut W
- Pineapple
- Plantago CC
- Pomegranate C
- Pomegranate peel C
- Pumpkin W
- Pumpkin, Squash W
- Purslane CC
- Raspberry N
- Rice
- Rosebud tea W
- Safflower W
- Saffron CC
- Salt CC
- Scallion W
- Seaweed CC
- Selfheal spike C
- Sesame seed oil N
- Sesame seed, black N
- Shepherd’s purse C
- Soybean N
- Spinach C
- Sunflower seed
- Sweet potato N
- Taro root N
- Tofu
- Tomato
- Tumeric W
- Turnip N
- Vinegar, apple cider W
- Walnut W
- Watermelon CC
- Wheat/sprouted C
Aduki Bean
Comments:
Aduki bean is a miniature sized red bean that is very effective in reducing water swelling and edema. Improper fluid circulation will lead to symptoms such as water retention in the stomach and skin, and also scanty urination, constipation, and thirst.
Firstly, aduki bean is used to maintain healthy skin by reducing puffiness, treats pus formed sores, carbuncles, furuncles, and skin abscesses with open pus caused by bacterial infection.
Its next major property is that this bean is a natural diuretic and moves excess fluid downward thus promoting urination. At the same time, it also moistens the large intestine to promote bowel movement. Another surprising function is its ability to clear heat without overcooling the body. This helps clears summer heat, quenches thirst and relieves headaches.
Preparation:
- Please note, red beans need to be cooked on low heat for 2 hours.
- It can also be cooked twice or three times in a row. First, bring the beans to a boil and discard the water; add new water and cook the second time for 1-2 hours on low heat before eating.
- The soft mash canned bean also be cooked as bean-rice congee (porridge). To make congee: add the bean mash to the desired amount of raw rice and then add 2-3 times more water than normal. Slowly cook the beans and rice for about 2 hours stirring constantly.
- For treating thirst and headache from a hangover, it is preferable to use the flower of the red bean. If possible, use those picked in early August and dried in the shade.
- For edema from malnourishment, make a drink by boiling a mixture of peanuts, jujubes and red beans.
Aloe vera
Comments:
Aloe is a succulent plant with thick fleshy leaves. When it was first introduced in Korea in 70s and 80s, people were calling Aloe as a ‘cure all’ miracle medicine that would maintain ones youthful skin texture.
The flesh from the leaf has a very powerful purgative and cooling effect and it strongly makes the intestine move to ease dry constipation.
Aloe cools heat from the large intestine and has an anti-inflammatory effect, as well as killing fungus and parasites. Due to its cooling effect, aloe is commonly used as topical use for sunburns and other skin problems. It also helps to retain a clear and youthful skin texture. Many Koreans use fresh aloe as a daily facial pack. The result is rather remarkable.
Aloe cools itching from the skin and anus, as well as cooling burning hemorrhoids. It works on skin to cure tinea and can be applied internally or topically. To cure itching, apply topically. Dried aloe powder is much more effective than the fresh juice or gel from the plant.
Preparation:
- Cut a leaf and peel off skin. Consume the slimy white flesh as is, or pour hot water over the flash to have as a tea, or dry it for a stronger herbal effect.
- Topical use for skin improvement: Apply fresh flash or powder on face for 3 to 5 minutes. It should be applied on a daily basis.
Cautions:
Contraindicated during pregnancy, menstruation, and rectal bleeding. Aloe has cooling property, and it contraindicated for individual with aversion toward coldness.
Apple
Comments:
Apple is known as a fruit for promoting beautiful skin because of its high concentration of soluble fiber. The fiber also helps to regulate bowel movement.
If someone has a chronic bowel movement problems with constipation or diarrhea, it is recommended that the apple be taken early in the morning between 5 and 7 a.m. when the large intestine is the most active. Do not peel off the apple skin since it contains a high concentration of fiber and is good for treating chronic case of stomachache.
Apples are also good for both constipation and soft stool diarrhea. Due to it regulating bowel movement, it naturally detoxifies alcohol related hangover, reduces high blood pressure, and improves skin texture.
Artichoke
Artichoke, Cynara cardunculus, Sunflower family, has a similar, but mild therapeutic effect as the thistle. It has sweet taste with cooling effect, and benefits both the Liver and Heart. It cools the blood and stops heat induced bleeding coming out as a bright red color. Due to this therapeutic effect, it is used for many chronic cases of bleeding such as vomiting, coughing, nasal, urinary, vaginal, and hemorrhoidal.
Besides treating the blood, it also improves digestive function, protects the liver and promotes bile secretion. It is good for treating abdominal pain, belching, bloating, and acid reflux, thirst, as well as lowering cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar. It also cools the heat from the skin and treats carbuncles.
It contains high fiber to regulate bowel movement for constipation and diarrhea, which is crucial to maintain healthy skin.
Preparation:
It should be well cooked. The artichoke heart is mostly prepared steamed.
Bamboo shoot
Bamboo shoot is good for cooling heat from the three organs: lung, large intestine, and stomach. For the large intestine, it cools to treat constipation with a dry stool. Since it promotes bowel movement, it clears skin rash and eczema, reduces obesity, and lowers blood pressure. It also clears rash from measles. In Korea, it is a recommended food for large intestine cancer prevention.
Preparation:
- Bamboo is cold in nature. Using ginger with it will neutralize its cooling property.
- It is best to buy prepared or canned bamboo shoots. Eat with rice.
- Canned bamboo shoot is sliced and stir fried with meat. The cold nature of bamboo combines with the warm nature of meat balance its character.
- The canned shoot can also be added into miso soup. Add garlic, miso paste, tofu, and bamboo shoot into a pot. Using high heat, stir fry 3 to 5 minutes until it sizzles. Add water and bring it to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes and serve it with a bowl of rice.
Caution:
- Bamboo shoot is very cold food in nature. It is contraindicated for cold induced cough, or diarrhea from spleen weakness.
- Fresh uncooked bamboo shoot is toxic and should be avoided. Although it nourishes qi to some degree, overconsumption may induce cold in the digestive system.
Barley
Barley also promotes digestion to reduce bloating and food retention in the stomach. Since it is high in fiber, it promotes the function of large intestine to regulate bowel movement. As a result, it is a good choice of food to treat obesity, constipation, and diarrhea. As barley promotes the function of the digestive system, it regulates high cholesterol levels. Other benefits from a barley diet for a long period of time are improved muscle tone, physical strength, skin texture and overall health.
How to get it:
Roasted barley is sold in most Korean Markets.
Preparation:
- Barley is normally cooked twice (soaked and then cooked). First, soak it overnight then rinse before cooking. This pre-cooked or soaked barley can be added when you cook rice.
- Add barley into seven grain mix. Soak it overnight. Rinse it. Add water. Using pressure cooker, cook as rice.
- Barley tea: Rinse the barley and dry it. Dry roast the barley until it turns slightly dark brown.
- Add barley into water and bring it to boil. Boil the roasted barley for another 5 to 10 minutes.
- Serve as a hot tea or room temperature tea.
- For treating UTI, scanty urination, or thirst in hot summer, add sliced fresh ginger into tea boiling.
Caution: Make sure to cook barley thoroughly; undercooked barley can become cold in nature and create allergic reactions as well as injure organs. Many people complain of indigestion when eating barley. If indigestion occurs, sprout it, or eat barley with cooked radish. Use with caution during pregnancy; contraindicated for pregnancy because it promotes qi.
Beans, all kinds
Comments:
There are a variety of different beans. Beans such as soybean, jack bean, mung bean, flat bean, aduki bean, chickpea, and pea have a therapeutic effect that is quite similar overall. All the beans have nourishing effect and strengthens the weakened body. They are also good at clearing heat, detoxifying food/arsenic/calomel or medicine poisoning. To detoxify from the poisoning, flat bean is the most effective.
They all promote hair growth, skin beauty, and fluid circulation in the body. In any case, beans should be consumed for a long period of time in order to achieve satisfying therapeutic results.
Preparation:
- To cook dried bean, it needs to be soaked for 12-24 hours. Change the water every 5-6 hours, if possible. Then, boil it for 1-2 hours on low heat. Once fully cooked, it can be stored in the refrigerator until it needs to be cooked again. It can be added to uncooked rice to be boiled together to make multiple grain rice.
- In Korea, most matured beans are commonly used as rice cake filling, or powder for cake coloring.
- If using pressure cooker, beans do not need to be cooked twice.
Caution: Dried beans should be cooked thoroughly. It should not be over consumed with symptoms of common cold with intermittent fever and chills. Use sprouted bean sprout instead. Soybean sprout works the best.
Bitter Gourd (Momordica charantia)
Comments:
Bitter melon, or bitter gourd, has a beautiful orange red flower and is normally cultivated for its beauty in America. In Asia, it is considered a vegetable when it is unripe. The gourd, as the name indicates, has a bitter taste that promotes the liver function as well as spleen function to lower blood sugar level.
It is a good food for skin improvement. Bitter melon is known to expel parasites from the intestine, as well as treating or preventing malaria, chickenpox, and measles. It is also known to detoxify from the food poisoning or reduce side effects from anti-HIV drugs.
Bok Choy (Brassica rapa L.)
Comments:
Bok Choy is different type of Chinese cabbage. The function and the properties of bokchoy is very similar to cabbage as they are from the cabbage family, genus, and species like radish, cauliflower, or broccoli.
As other cabbages, it strengthens the digestive function and protects the stomach wall to ease the abdominal pain, and to prevent nausea early in the morning. It detoxifies alcohol and is good to ease the hangover.
Bokchoy is a good food to treat rough skin. It is very often used as a skin beauty food therapy in Korea as it protects skin from dryness as well.