Penn Herb Wellness Guide

Acne Vulgaris

Also indexed as:Acne, Pimples
Acne Vulgaris: Main Image

Primary Remedies

Pulsatilla

This remedy can be helpful if acne is worse from eating rich or fatty foods, and aggravated by warmth or heat. It is indicated especially around the time of puberty, or when acne breaks out near menstrual periods. The person often has a fair complexion and is inclined toward soft emotions and moodiness, feeling worse in warm or stuffy rooms and better in fresh air.

Silicea (also called Silica)

A person with deep-seated acne along with a general low immune resistance, swollen lymph nodes, and a tendency toward fatigue and nervousness may benefit from this remedy. Infected spots are slow to come to a head, and also slow to resolve, so may result in scarring. A person who needs this remedy is generally very chilly, but inclined to sweat at night.

Sulphur iodatum

relieves acne located on the forehead and the back, aggravated by heat, and occurring periodically.

Other Remedies

Antimonium tartaricum

This remedy may be helpful for acne with large pustules that are tender to touch, with bluish-red marks that remain on the skin after active infection has passed. The person may be irritable, with low resistance to illness.

Calcarea carbonica

If a person with frequent pimples and skin eruptions is chilly with clammy hands and feet, easily tired by exertion, and flabby or overweight, this remedy may help improve the skin’s resistance to infection. People who need this remedy are often very anxious when overworked, and have cravings for sweets and eggs.

Calcarea sulphurica

Is a medicine appropriate for juvenile acne that suppurates and causes boils.

Calendula Gel

Applied locally stimulates the healing of pustules and limits the risk of superinfection.

Hepar sulphuris calcareum

Relieves pustular acne aggravated by cold weather, with a foul-smelling pus.

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The information presented here is for informational purposes only and was created by a team of USregistered dietitians and food experts. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements, making dietary changes, or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires December 2025.