What are Astringent Herbs
Astringents are herbs that tighten and tone soft, swollen, loose, or spongy tissues. They arrest excessive mucus secretion, bleeding or draining. Herbs with astringent properties can be recognized by their slightly bitter flavor. In fact, when you eat something and get a puckering, drying sensation in your mouth, you have come into contact with an astringent herb. If you’ve ever eaten a persimmon or an apple that isn’t fully ripe, or if you’ve drunk strong unsweetened green or black tea, you’ve experienced the tightening, drying quality of astringents.
Astringent herbs support skin health, giving you healthy-looking skin. They are also useful for relieving bites and stings. If you deal with leaky gut, diarrhea, or incontinence, astringent herbs may be helpful to tighten and tone. Also, many women have found them helpful during menses to promote lighter cycles.
This month’s Sunshine Sharing is going to share with you the healing power of astringents and how you can use them. Some of the most common astringent herbs are:
- Calendula Flowers
- Eyebright
- Rose Petals
- White Oak Bark
- Witch Hazel
- Red Raspberry Leaf
- Bayberry
- Uva Ursi
- Yarrow
Many essential oils also have astringent properties, especially for the skin. Two of my favorite essential oils with astringent properties for the skin are lemon and rose because they are known to tighten and tone tissues as well as assist with aging. Learn more in this month’s issue of Sunshine Sharing.