We’ve all met people who just radiate wellness. There’s a certain glow about them, a vitality, an aura. And, it often just so happens that they also have excellent skin.
While we all love a great serum or hydrating lotion, these topical solutions don’t get to the heart of our skincare woes: our nutrition and inner wellness.
Think about it: the food we put into our bodies is the foundation on which our skin cells are built, and is responsible for fueling our ability to stave off any viruses, bacteria, and toxins that enter the body. If we aren’t nourishing ourselves, it’s no wonder our skin becomes lackluster and dull.
At The Hao Life, we believe that nourishment can begin with simple, science-backed supplements that make it easy to provide our bodies with nutrients that will make us happier, more energetic, and healthier.
For those looking to capture that wellness glow, Astragalus root could be the ultimate herbal solution. Astragalus is one of the key ingredients in one of our newest herbal supperblends, Surface Appeal, which helps to nourish the skin and clear out toxins for a natural and healthy glow. Teeming with health benefits, anyone seeking to elevate their wellness routine should explore the multifaceted uses of Astragalus Root.
What is Astragalus Root?
Astragalus Root (Huáng Qí) is considered one of the fundamental, or ‘Superior’ herbs in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and like most herbs in TCM, it has been used for thousands of years to support glowing skin and boost overall health.
The Astragalus plant is a perennial which originates from China, Mongolia, and North Korea. Astragalus membranaceus and Astragalus mongholicus are the two primary species of Astragalus used in the health and wellness space, and they possess strong healing and nutritional properties. These properties have gained the natural herb recognition both in the holistic wellness and scientific communities.
Medicinally, Astragalus Root can be utilized in numerous ways; used in powder form, liquid extracts, teas, and capsules, Astragalus is an easy-to-take herb with many wellness benefits. Below, we outline just some of the ways Astragalus Root can be used to boost your health and improve overall skin quality.
The Health Benefits of Astragalus Root
Astragalus Root has abundant nutritional value, and like many medicinal herbs, its uses and benefits are interconnected. By helping the body as a whole, those who consume Astragalus Root regularly will see many interconnected improvements to overall health.
The core components behind the health benefits of Astragalus Root include:
- Anti-aging and antioxidant properties
- High essential nutrient and mineral content
- Adaptogenic properties
- Immune-supporting polysaccharides
The result of these components is an immune-supporting, stress-reducing, age-defying herb that can help fight fatigue, stimulate the immune system, prevent illness, improve cardiovascular health, and promote longevity. Talk about a Superior Herb!
Astragalus Root Benefits for Skin Health
While astragalus root has been shown to have incredible benefits for overall wellness, we are happy to report that these benefits extend far beyond just how we feel on the inside - they impact how we look on the outside, too.
For those not familiar with this powerful adaptogenic herb, it may be unclear how Astragalus root plays into the bigger picture for the health of our skin.
Astragalus helps to promote skin health in several ways: it is a powerful antioxidant, which means it fights free radicals in the body and prevents signs of aging. Astragalus helps to strengthen Qi energy and support lung health, which can help to improve circulation and oxygen delivery to the skin. It helps to remove toxins, protect collagen in the skin, and much more.
Here are just some of the ways that Astragalus Root can help to boost the health of your skin.
1. Astragalus has free-radical fighting, antioxidant properties
Today, the word antioxidant gets thrown around a lot. We know that antioxidants are good for us, but it’s important to also understand why they are so crucial to our well-being.
Antioxidants fight free radicals in the body. Free radicals, in short, are unstable atoms that build up in the body as a reaction to environmental and biological stressors like UV rays, air pollution, or harmful viruses and bacteria. Free radicals are considered unstable because they are missing electrons, and will try to steal them from other healthy molecules to stabilize. This is how oxidative stress is caused in the body.
As free radicals build up and cause more oxidative stress, they can begin to cause damage, and are believed to increase a person’s risk for developing cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other illnesses.
Free radicals also have a harmful effect on our skin: research from the Journal of Dermatological Science shows that free radicals contribute to visible skin aging, such as wrinkles, uneven skin tone, and acne. They can break down collagen in the skin, cause inflammation, and make it more difficult for our skin to repair itself from damage.
This is why herbal remedies with strong antioxidant properties are so important: antioxidant rich supplements like Astragalus Root can improve skin by fighting oxidative damage caused by free radicals.
2. Astragalus Root Protects Collagen In the Skin
Like anyone with the remotest interest in skin care, you’ve likely heard of many ways to put collagen back into our skin: from powdered drinks to topical lotions, the skin care industry is bursting with collagen supplements that promise to prevent and slow aging.
It’s true that collagen production slows as we age, and studies have shown that collagen supplements can help to improve skin elasticity.
Collagen isn’t just good for our skin: it is used to make connective tissues throughout the body, and is critical to the health of our bones, muscles, and tendons.
While consuming collagen may help to improve skin and joint health, there is less conversation surrounding how to protect and preserve the collagen we already have in our bodies. Astragalus Root has been shown to protect collagen and prevent its degradation by free radicals.
By slowing the breakdown of collagen in our bodies, we can effectively prevent our skin and body tissues from degradation. For our skin, that means less sagging and a more plump, youthful appearance.
3. Astragalus Root Can Promote Skin Healing
Astragalus Root doesn’t just help to protect the skin - it can also help to heal already damaged skin. According to one study of the wound healing effect of Astragalus Root, the root contains “high potential” in wound healing by inhibiting inflammation, accelerating cell cycle, and promoting the secretion of repair factors in the body.
The anti-inflammatory effects of Astragalus Root can additionally help to reduce skin redness and even skin tone.
For skin healing benefits, Astragalus Root is used both as a nutritional supplement and a topical skin treatment.
4. Astragalus Root Improves Circulation
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Astragalus is used to strengthen Qi energy in the lungs and spleen. These are the two organs most responsible for creating Qi from the air we breathe and foods we consume, supporting Qi energy for the entire body.
Supporting Qi energy in the lungs is important to improve circulation and blood flow within the body, helping our blood to deliver oxygen, energy, and nutrients to our vital organs and improve mental clarity and focus. Astragalus Root is additionally a blood tonic, which means that it helps the body to produce more blood cells in the body.
By supporting our circulatory system and overall blood flow, Astragalus additionally supports skin health. It may not seem obvious, but our circulatory system has a direct effect on our skin.
Poor circulation can cause or worsen conditions like acne, wrinkles, dark under-eye circles, and it can slow the healing of wounds and scars. Our blood carries oxygen and nutrients throughout different parts of the body, nourishing our cells - this is no different for our skin, the largest organ we have.
By increasing blood production, nutrient delivery, and supporting our circulatory system, Astragalus Root helps to boost skin benefits that prevent aging, even skin tone, and support naturally glowing skin.
Using Natural Herbs for Your Skin
If you’ve found topical skin solutions to be an ineffective or short-lived solution for your skin care, it may be time to explore natural herbs and remedies to improve skin quality and achieve a natural glow.
While topical treatments may be effective at reducing the short-term symptoms of skin ailments, they often do little to correct the underlying causes of dull skin, acne, discoloration, and wrinkles.
By using natural herbal supplements that can support overall skin health, we provide our bodies the opportunity to heal and correct the source of these problems, and can enjoy a host of other health benefits (meaning we can look and feel good).
To achieve a natural glow from the inside out, try out our newest skin formula, Surface Appeal. This herbal superblend is packed with Astragalus Root, Tremella fruiting body, and other crucial herbal roots. These herbal superfoods work together to help you achieve radiant, healthy skin that will make others wonder just how you got your wellness glow.
