There are two basic types of herbal treatment for dark circles: topical and internal. Topical remedies usually involve applying some kind of herbal paste around the eyes each day to repair skin damage, reduce inflammation, and neutralize any bluish coloration. Internal remedies usually feature dietary supplements that contain nutrients necessary for maintaining healthy skin and eyesight. Choosing which remedies to use usually involves discovering the cause of the dark circles and eliminating any remedies that may irritate the skin, eyes, or digestive system.
Dark circles under the eyes are usually just a symptom of another problem in the body. Fatigue and high-stress situations could both be the culprit. Water retention, due to mild dehydration, might cause a puffiness under the eyes that creates dark shadows. Vitamins E and C are essential to both skin and eye health, so a deficiency of these vitamins in the body might also create dark circles. The cause may also be simple hyperpigmentation, which is a genetic predisposition to have darker skin coloration under the eyes. The first step to choosing the best herbal treatment for dark circles is finding out which of these conditions is causing them.
Getting enough sleep can be the key to preventing dark circles. If the patient changes his or her sleep schedule to get at least eight hours of sleep each night, the circles may go away. In these cases, patients may treat their dark circles with herbs meant to tighten and wake up the skin around the eyes. A thin paste made of mint leaves often does the trick, as do warm black teabags. Some might even prefer to mix dried or fresh mint together with black tea leaves to gain the benefits of both herbs. Patients may make the paste using sweet almond oil or water, and leave the treatment in place for about 10 minutes.
Those that frequently get less sleep than they should can alleviate fatigue and fight dark eye circles by drinking plenty of non-caffeinated, sugar-free fluids. Herbal teas, such as chamomile and hibiscus, help hydrate the body and may help promote calm in stressful situations. Stress can also cause dark circles, so hydrating the body with herbal teas fights them in two ways. If the teas contain high amounts of citrus zest and angelica, they may also help provide the patient with higher amounts of vitamins C and E, respectively.
Those with hyperpigmentation often have few choices when it comes to herbal treatment for dark circles under the eyes. The above remedies may help reduce hyperpigmentation, but likely won’t eliminate it completely. A paste made of yellow turmeric and filtered pineapple juice may help those with hyperpigmentation by staining the skin slightly. The blue tint of the circles is often neutralized by the yellow turmeric. The turmeric and pineapple also help stimulate blood vessels, which may tighten the skin and reduce dark circles even more.
When experimenting with herbal treatment for dark circles, patients must never apply an herbal paste without testing it first. Tests may be done on the inside of the arm, near the crease of the elbow. If any redness or irritation occurs over 24 hours of waiting time, the patient should try a gentler remedy. A health care provider may also be able to give advice for choosing the best herbal treatment for dark circles.