Sunburn
Sunburn
From grade school through high school, I lounged around by the swimming pool all summer, soaking up the sun. In college, I played the bass fiddle and guitar at several beaches during the summers. That meant more days lying around in the sun at prime spots such as Grand Haven, Michigan, and Atlantic Beach, Ocean Drive and Myrtle Beach in the Carolinas.
All that sun exposure placed me at considerable risk for skin cancer,
and I've lived with the consequences. I have already had a patch of cancer removed, and other blemishes have appeared that will soon need attention.
I've learned my lesson. Now, whenever I'm on a boat in the tropics, I use sunscreen and wear long-sleeved shirts, and sometimes even lightweight gloves and a broad-brimmed hat. All this sun protection goes against my upbringing, but given the places I travel, it's essential. And although I do what I can to keep the sun off, in Amazonia I seem to get sunburned even when I'm all covered.
Green Pharmacy for Sunburn
As burns go, most sunburns are comparatively mild. But sunburns cover a lot more of the body than most other everyday burns. And in addition to increasing cancer risk, they can be quite painful. Fortunately, Nature has provided us with several good remedies.
Tea (Camellia sinensis). The Chinese recommend applying cooled black tea to the skin to soothe sunburn. That sounds good to me because of several beneficial chemical compounds that tea contains.
One researcher I know says that the tannic acid and theobromine in tea help remove heat from sunburn. Other compounds in tea called catechins help prevent and repair skin damage and may even help prevent chemical- and radiation-induced skin cancers. The latest studies show that green tea is also high in chemicals called polyphenols. When ingested, these chemicals help protect the skin against damage from the ultraviolet radiation that causes sunburn.
There's no doubt that it's better to avoid sunburn than endure the after-
effects. But if you do spend too much time in the sun with not enough sunscreen, soothe the burn by sipping iced green tea. Then apply cool compresses of the tea to any areas of skin that have been overexposed.
Aloe (Aloe vera). The inner gel of the aloe vera leaf has been shown to speed the healing of radiation-induced burns. You can scoop the gel directly from split leaves or buy commercially prepared gel at a health food store or herb shop.
Apply aloe gel after showering, then reapply it a few more times each day until the pain has subsided, suggests cardiac surgeon and sports medicine specialist Robert D. Willix, M.D., of Boca Raton, Florida. Usually, he says, the redness disappears in a day or two, and the skin does not peel.
Black nightshade (Solanum nigrum). Some Indiana folk herbalists crush nightshade leaves, stir them into heavy cream and pat the mixture on sunburn, notes Varro Tyler, Ph.D., dean and professor emeritus of pharmacognosy (natural product pharmacy) at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.
I've witnessed a similar practice in the Amazon. A Peruvian shamanistic healer I know uses an Amazonian species of nightshade to treat all manner of burns, not just sunburn. He chops the leaves to express a greenish juice, which he applies to a burn as soon as possible, swearing that it prevents scarring.
If you have access to a black nightshade plant, you might want to give this one a try. Compounds in other species of Solanum have proved useful in helping to prevent skin cancer.
Calendula (Calendula officinalis). Research shows that calendula flowers speed the healing of burns by closing wounds, reducing inflammation and stimulating the growth of new skin cells. You can buy commercial skin creams containing calendula at many health food stores.
Cucumber (Cucumis sativus). The cool cucumber is often used for soothing burns, notes pharmacognosist Albert Leung, Ph.D. Simply slice open a cucumber and wipe it directly on your skin.
Eggplant (Solanum melongena). Like black nightshade and its Amazonian cousin, which are also in the nightshade family, eggplant has a folk reputation as a sunburn treatment. It actually contains compounds used in sunny Australia for the treatment of skin cancers.
Of course, you're better off using sunscreen to protect yourself from the sun. But if you do get a sunburn, there's probably no reason why you shouldn't try applying some mashed eggplant to your skin to see if it will help soothe the burn.
Plantain (Plantago, various species). The late Alabama folk herbalist Tommie Bass used plantain for sunburn, stings, poison ivy and poison oak. And he was right, since plantain contains allantoin, a proven healer of injured skin cells.
Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana). In one study, researchers compared three sunburn treatments: witch hazel, 1 percent hydrocortisone, and camomile cream. The hydrocortisone beat the witch hazel, which in turn beat the camomile. Still, the witch hazel worked pretty well, and it's free where I come from.
You can buy a commercial solution and apply it straight from the bottle in a compress. Or try one teaspoon of witch hazel combined with one teaspoon of honey and a beaten egg white. You can also mix one tablespoon each of witch hazel, olive oil and glycerin and give that a try.
Vitamins and minerals. In my database, vitamin E (tocopherol) is the nutrient most cited for anti-sunburn activity. You might want to try a cream containing vitamin E to soothe sunburned skin.
In addition, one study showed that l-selenomethionine, a natural amino acid, reduces the skin damage caused by sunburn. The study was done by Karen E. Burke, M.D., of Cabrini Medical Center in New York City. Selenomethionine is effective both applied to the skin and taken orally. Dr. Burke recommends taking 100 micrograms a day during the summer months, and she suggests 200 micrograms a day for anyone with a family history of any kind of cancer. (Brazil nuts are particularly rich in this nutrient.)