Ayurvedic Herbs for Healthy Skin

The herbs for skin that Ayurveda values most are not chosen for the surface alone. In the classical view the skin, Twak, is the outermost reading of what lies beneath it, and a clear, even complexion, Varna, is understood to rest on two things: clean blood, Rakta, and settled Pitta, the fire that governs warmth and colour in the body. When the blood is judged pure and Pitta is balanced, the tradition holds that the skin follows. So the herbs gathered below are treated less as cosmetics and more as helpers for the blood and the heat behind the complexion, whether they are taken inside or worked into a paste and applied.

The herbs Ayurveda traditionally reaches for

Two words recur through the classical texts on the skin. A Varnya herb is one said to support a good complexion. A Raktashodhaka herb is one said to cleanse the blood. Most of the herbs below carry one or both of those reputations, and Ayurveda treats them as the same concern seen from two sides, because the state of the skin is traced back to the state of the blood under it.

Manjistha

Manjistha is the classical example of a blood-cleansing, Raktashodhaka, herb, and it is the root the tradition names first for the complexion. It is the deep red root of a climbing plant, and that red is part of how Ayurveda reads it: a red root linked to Rakta dhatu, the blood. Charaka places Manjistha among the Varnya herbs, and its most familiar use of all is as a herb taken to settle and brighten the skin from within. It is used internally as a powder or a decoction, and also infused into oil and applied.

Sariva

Sariva is a cooling, sweet root that the tradition groups with the blood-cleansing herbs and reaches for when the skin is judged to be running hot. Where Manjistha is warming, Sariva sits on the cooling side, so the classical texts favour it for a Pitta-heated complexion. It is counted as both Raktashodhaka and Varnya, cleansing the blood while it steadies the surface, and it is usually taken as a decoction or a powder over a steady course rather than a single dose.

Neem

Neem, called Nimba in the classical texts, is the great bitter of the Ayurvedic pharmacopoeia and a herb the tradition turns to for a troubled, overheated skin. Its bitterness is understood to clear heat and to cleanse, which places it among the Raktashodhaka herbs. Neem is used both ways: taken internally in small, careful amounts, and applied outwardly as a paste of the leaf or an infused oil. It is drying and strongly bitter, so the tradition uses it deliberately rather than freely.

Turmeric

Turmeric, Haridra, is the everyday herb for the skin and the one most kitchens already hold. The classical authors treat it as Varnya and Raktashodhaka at once, the herb for a clear, even complexion that also helps keep the blood clean. It is unusual in gently balancing all three doshas, which is part of why it became a daily spice rather than an occasional remedy. For the skin it is taken internally and, just as often, made into a paste with water and applied.

Chandana

Chandana, sandalwood, is the classical cooling herb for the skin, prized above all for its use as a paste. The tradition reads it as cooling and calming, a settler of heat, and it is applied to the face and body to soothe a Pitta-heated complexion. As a Varnya substance it is worked into pastes, powders and oils, and its fragrance is part of why it has held its place in skin preparations for so long. It is used far more on the surface than taken inside.

Kumkuma

Kumkuma, saffron, is the most treasured of the complexion herbs, the delicate red-gold thread the classical texts count among the finest Varnya substances. It is used sparingly, a pinch at a time, and is the herb that gives the classical facial oil Kumkumadi its name. Ayurveda reaches for Kumkuma to lend brightness and an even tone to the complexion, and it is used both internally in tiny amounts, often stirred into warm milk, and within oils and pastes applied to the skin.

Lodhra

Lodhra is the astringent, Kashaya, bark of the skin cabinet, a herb the tradition uses to tone and tighten the surface. Its astringency is understood to firm the skin and steady it, which is why the classical texts favour Lodhra in facial pastes and powders. It is counted among the Varnya substances and is used chiefly on the surface, ground fine and applied as a paste, often alongside sandalwood and other complexion herbs.

Beyond the herbs

Ayurveda rarely treats the skin with single herbs in isolation. Around them sit a few classical practices and preparations that carry the herbs to the body.

The best known is Ubtan, a herbal paste of powdered herbs blended with a base such as chickpea flour, and often a little oil or milk. Rubbed over the skin, an Ubtan cleanses and brightens the surface while the herbs within it do their work. When such a paste or powder is worked into the skin with brisk strokes, the practice is called Udvartana, a dry or semi-dry massage the tradition uses to enliven the skin and clear a heavy, damp, Kapha state from the surface.

The classical texts pair all of this with a Pitta-settling diet, because the complexion is read as a mirror of the heat in the blood. Cooling, calming, easily digested food is favoured, and the sharp, sour, salty and very heating extremes are eased back, so that the fire behind the skin is kept in balance rather than stirred.

The most celebrated single preparation for the face is Kumkumadi, a classical facial oil built around Kumkuma, saffron, together with a group of Varnya herbs infused into a base oil. It gathers many of the complexion herbs into one preparation and is applied in small amounts to the skin.

How they are used

The classical forms are few and steady. As a paste, the herbs are ground to a fine powder and mixed with water, milk or a little oil, then applied to the skin and later washed away; this is the way of Ubtan, of sandalwood and of Lodhra. As an oil, the herbs are infused into a base such as sesame oil so that their quality reaches the surface directly; this is the way of Manjistha oil and of Kumkumadi. As a powder, Churnam, the herbs are taken internally, often stirred into warm water or milk, for the herbs the tradition takes inside such as Manjistha, Sariva, Turmeric and Kumkuma.

A few cautions belong with them. The strongly bitter and drying herbs, Neem above all, are used deliberately and in modest amounts, not freely. Herbs meant for the surface are not the same as herbs meant to be taken inside, and the two should not be confused. Saffron is used a pinch at a time, no more. And because these are herbs of the slow, cleansing side of Ayurveda, they are taken as a course over time rather than as a single dose.

This guide describes the classical Ayurvedic understanding and is not medical advice. Speak to a qualified doctor or registered Ayurvedic practitioner before using any herb, especially if you are pregnant, taking medication or managing a health condition.

Frequently asked

Which Ayurvedic herb is best for glowing skin? The tradition does not crown a single herb, but if one is named first for the complexion it is Manjistha, the leading blood-cleanser, closely followed by Turmeric as the everyday choice and Kumkuma, saffron, as the treasured one. Among Ayurvedic herbs for glowing skin these three appear again and again, often together in the same preparation.

Are these herbs for skin taken inside or applied to the skin? Both, and which depends on the herb. Manjistha, Sariva, Turmeric and Kumkuma are taken internally as well as applied. Chandana and Lodhra are used chiefly on the surface as pastes. Ayurveda treats the skin and the blood beneath it as one concern, so many herbs are used both ways.

What is the difference between a Varnya and a Raktashodhaka herb? A Varnya herb is one the classical texts say supports a good complexion, Varna. A Raktashodhaka herb is one said to cleanse the blood, Rakta. Many skin herbs are both, because the tradition traces the state of the skin back to the state of the blood under it.

Which herbs suit a heated, sensitive complexion? The cooling herbs are favoured for herbs for clear skin where heat is the concern: Sariva, Chandana, sandalwood, and to a degree Turmeric. The tradition pairs them with a Pitta-settling diet, since the complexion is read as a mirror of the heat in the blood.