Ask The Herbalist: Vitiligo

By Chris Lewis, MH, CMT

Q. What is Vitiligo and how can it be healed?

A. Vitiligo (a.k.a., leukoderma), is a skin condition causing chalky-white patches of skin surrounded by a dark border. It occurs because the melanocytes that normally produce skin pigment are missing in certain portions of the skin. Hair growing from affected skin will probably be white as well.

If I had this condition, here are a few things that I would do:

1. PABA and Magnesium have been used successfully to clear up this condition so I would be sure to get plenty of these from food and maybe even make a poultice of these foods to apply to the affected areas. I would also be sure to get plenty of essential fatty acids, silica, folate, and vitamins E, C, B, and A which are very important for healthy skin. Here are some significant sources of these nutrients:

PABA – sesame seeds, blackstrap molasses, mushrooms, spinach, whole grains.

Magnesium – purslain (yes, the common garden weed), kidney beans, poppy seeds, oats, spinach, licorice root, lettuce leaf, kelp, stinging nettle, flax seed, asparagus, cucumber, lima beans.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) – purslain, flax seeds and flax seed oil, wheat germ and oil, evening primrose seed and oil.

Silica – Brown rice, field horsetail herb, oat straw, kudzu shoots (a common weed in the South), black pepper, flax seeds, tea leaves (green), bananas.

Folate – barley, bran, brewers yeast, brown rice, dates, leafy greens, legumes, lentils, mushrooms, oranges, split peas, root vegetables, wheat germ/whole wheat, various whole grains.

Vit. E – Sunflower seed, purslain, wheat germ and oil, asparagus, flax seeds, goose berries, sweet potatoes, cayenne pepper.

Vit. C – Rose hips, cayenne, horseradish, cashews, walnuts, mangos, citrus fruits (esp. lemons and oranges), guava, watercress, sorrel, chives, bok-choy, alfalfa, endive, cauliflower, lambsquarter, horsetail, kidney bean, kale, parsley, spinach, cayenne.

Vit. B – Nutritional yeast, most whole grains, nuts, and seeds, carrots/carrot juice, comfrey leaves, wheat grass.

Vit. A – purslain, sorrel, spinach, carrot, comfrey root, gotu kola, water cress, papaya, sweet potatoes, pigweed (amaranth), spirulina, chives, black mustard, cayenne, beets, alfalfa, bok-choy, kale, basil, collards, chickweed, lambsquarter.

I would also use a whole food herbal nutrition supplement like Dr. Schulze’s “Superfood.” “Green Magma” is also a good one (available in many health food stores), or any product with organic powdered wheat grass, barley grass, spirulina, chlorella, or other whole herbal foods and nothing else (no chemicals of any kind).

2. Any disease condition of the skin usually indicates a toxic bloodstream, so thorough cleansing is absolutely essential!

Complete detailed step-by-step instructions for cleaning out all the parasites, parasite eggs, disease germs, old fecal matter, the gum you swallowed when you were five, and everything else that is stuck in your colon and poisoning you right now are in my book “The Foundational Cleansing and Nourishing Program.” This wonderfully useful book also reveals how to clean stones, fat, cholesterol, and toxic buildup out of your liver and get your kidneys working like they did when you were 16!

3. Dr. Christopher’s B,F,&C formula (also called “Complete Tissue Formula”) can be applied several times a day to the affected areas as an ointment or a fomentation. You can get this formula from the herb shop and discover how to make fomentations in my free E-book.

4. Skin brushing detoxifies, stimulates, and heals the skin. Just get a skin/body brush from your local health food store and use it to brush your entire body once or twice a day every day. Try to brush in a general direction toward your heart as this helps with lymph flow.

5. Sweat baths act similarly to skin brushing but are stronger. You basically just take a very hot bath, as hot as you can stand it, and drink at least a quart of hot diaphoretic tea (e.g., yarrow, ginger, cayenne, peppermint, black pepper, etc.) while you’re in the bath, to encourage sweating. This causes you to sweat out large amounts of toxins that have been hanging around inside your body. I do recommend though, that the basic cleansing procedures (mentioned above in point #2) be done before you try this technique. This will help avoid any unnecessary unpleasantness. Always get your elimination organs in tip-top shape before doing any other cleansing work! Once toxic accumulations start breaking loose they will need a way to leave your body, and the only way they can leave is through your elimination organs (bowel, liver, kidneys, skin, and lungs).

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Chris Lewis, MH Wellness Gardens
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