Herbal Blend Multi-Purpose Cream

Shaklee recommends this skin cream for addressing dry, chapped, callused, or roughened skin on the knees, elbows, and feet. To gather more information about this product, I interviewed friends who had been using Herbal Blend for 20 or even 30 years, and was stunned by the spectrum of complaints they had used it for, from calming and repairing the itchy skin of eczema and psoriasis, to soothing the pain of bug bites and sunburn.

It was after I began researching the natural herbs contained in this formula [6] that I discovered WHY it was being been used for so many different complaints.

Herbal Blend contains menthol, a crystalline compound with a cool minty taste and odor, and is derived from peppermint oil. A recently published study [7] reported on 96 pregnant women, who were suffering from pruritus gravidarum, an intense itching and associated rash on the abdomen, hands and/or feet. Pruritus is reported to affect somewhere between 8 to 20% of all pregnant women. Half this study group was treated topically, twice a day, for 2 weeks with peppermint oil.

The menthol group reported a dramatic decrease in their discomfort levels, from an average of 6 out of 10 severity, down to a 1 (no complaint) post-treatment. [7]

Considering that most pregnant women would prefer to avoid using synthetic drugs, this natural menthol treatment has proven to be an extremely effective natural alternative.

Two other new studies help explain why menthol is so effective for pain relief. The first study [8], conducted by scientists from the School of Pharmacy in the Shenyang province of China, helped demonstrated WHY menthol is able to enhance absorption through the skin, by easily penetrating the fat layer of our skin. They are now researching how menthol can help improve drug transport across the skin barrier.

The second study, by scientists at the Neurological Pain Research Institute in Germany, elucidated the mechanism by which menthol reduces neuropathic pain over a 4-hour period. [9] It appears that the menthol in Herbal Blend can reduce pain, while enhancing the absorption of the other herbs found in this amazing product.

Herbal Blend also contains sage (salvia officinalis), an herb which provides dramatic antioxidant protection, and also has been shown to halt and reverse oxidant-induced DNA lesions. [9] It was also shown to inhibit the proliferation of lymphoma and leukemic cancer cells by causing apoptosis (or death) of cancer cells). [10]

Herbal Blend also contains coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara), which has been shown to be a valuable compound for treating inflammatory conditions. [11] The flowering buds of coltsfoot is used in Oriental medicine for the treatment of bronchitis and asthma. A recent experiment by the Department of Pharmacology in the Gyeongju province of Korea revealed the powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of this extract, by exposing living nerve cells to a variety of different chemicals that cause oxidative damage and neurotoxicity. They found that this extract was so protective that they now recommend it for the management of neurodegenerative disorders that involve inflammation, toxicity, or oxidative damage.   [12]

Herbal Blend also contains rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), an herb rich in phenolic compounds that provide both antioxidant properties and antibacterial activities. [13]   One of the reasons for the failure of skin transplants following severe burns, is the oxidative damage and necrosis that occurs to the skin flaps themselves during the procedure. Extracts of rosemary have been shown to dramatically improve skin flap survival, and increased vessel diameters in skin when it was treated with rosemary extract, at least a half-hour before the procedure took place. [14]

Herbal Blend also contains chamomile (Matricaria recutita), which has long been a popular herbal medicine treatment for sore stomach, irritable bowel syndrome, and as a gentle sleep aid. A recent study found that chamomile helped reverse the liver damage caused by paraquat, a widely used herbicide. This is especially remarkable because paraquat poisoning is an extremely frustrating clinical condition with a high mortality rate, and there are no other effective treatments for humans. [15] Recent lab testing in the Netherlands (2010) also revealed that chamomile contains essential oils that provide dramatic antibacterial activity, and have been shown to provide protection from many of the germs that cause nosocomial infections in hospitals. [16]

So ask yourself:   if your skin was damaged or inflamed, wouldn’t you love to have all of those herbs at your disposal, to speed up your healing time? The amazing news is that the price is right. You may want to acquire several tubes of Herbal Blend to position around your home and vehicles.

As an aside:   Every time I do a deep-dive into one of Dr. Shaklee's Legacy Products, I come back out stunned by what a herbal wizard he MUST have been. I spent several hours gathering all this research from reputable research websites. But, remember there was NO internet back in the 60s! There were probably not that many textbooks extolling the health benefits of natural herbs either, and simply locating reliable sources of that kind information involved developing extended relationship-building with a network of holistic practitioners. We are truly blessed to associated with Shaklee, a compamy steeped in a history of high science, ethical concern for our health and our environment.