Recently, a friend of mine recommended coconut oil for my cracked hands and dry lips. I found a jar at the local health food store for under $10 and thought that I would give it a try. It worked like a charm. My hands are soft and my lips are no longer rough and flaky.

That got me thinking. What types of food preparations are being studied for the treatment of skin problems? Here is what I consider to be the top three: coconut oil, honey and garlic. The following are some simple, effective uses for all three.

Coconut Oil

There are many studies looking at the therapeutic benefit of coconut oil. In patients with atopic dermatitis or eczema, the use of coconut oil improves healing and prevents infection with bacteria, viruses and fungus. Specifically and importantly it prevents infection with staphylococcus aureus.

Studies have found that coconut oil effectively moisturizes the skin and improves the appearance. In studies of coconut oil and wound healing researchers noted that it improves the turnover rate of collagen, which will also help to diminish wrinkles.

As an interesting aside, massage is standard therapy for preterm babies. A recent study found that when babies were massaged with coconut oil their weight and growth improved more quickly than those massaged with mineral oil.

Coconut oil is inexpensive and can be safely used as a moisturizer and lip balm.

Honey

Honey has been used as medicine for thousands of years. Recently there have been multiple studies done to examine its wound healing properties. A specific type known as Manuka honey from New Zealand has powerful anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. A special gel called medihoney has been studied in wound healing and found to be very effective over standard therapies.

Please note! If you have a cut or a sore, do not take out your honey bottle and start applying it. Not all honey is made the same when it comes to healing properties. It depends on the kind of honey and when it is harvested. Medihoney is made specifically for medicinal use and cannot be found on the honey shelf at the grocery store.

Garlic

Garlic has antifungal properties and has been found to be a very effective treatment for athlete’s feet. A study done in 2000, compared a garlic solution to the fungus cream Lamisil. They were both applied twice daily for two months and garlic had a 100% cure rate vs. 94% for Lamisil. Garlic can be used as a paste when mixed with olive oil or mashed up and dissolved in a foot bath.

Garlic is cheap and easily available. The down side is that it might be a bit stinky especially when your feet get hot and sweaty.

It is very interesting that in this day and age when we are dealing with antibiotic resistant bacteria and hard to treat infections, that food may be the ultimate healer. As a famous old-time physician once said,

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” ― Hippocrates