At this very moment, there is a common tree growing in Asian forests which may clear acne.
Its leaves are a green colour, it stands 5 meters tall, and it favours altitudes of 700 meters to 2400 meters. Frustrated Chinese students probably walk under this tree daily while cursing dermatologists for their inability to cure their annoying pimples.
This tree is the Asian hornbeam, or Carpinus tschonoskii, and in only the last couple of months, its powerful oily skin properties have been uncovered. Like saw palmetto, the tree is a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor, shifting your skin’s hormones into a gear perfect for unclogging skin pores.
Such random acne plants are appearing all over the world now, including java tea, spearmint tea, and licorice. Carpinus tschonoskii has egg-shaped leaves and resides in the southern regions of Korea, Japan and China. The trees are mostly felled for making furniture and beds, but traditionally, medicine men used it for bladder infections, osteoporosis, and anxiety. Recently, brain protecting properties have emerged too, defending neurons from inflammation.
November 2019 – an excellent study for acne
Who knows how scientists’ attention turned to acne; maybe a young trainee stumbled and fell into a massive bubbling vat, only to crawl out with the clearest skin in all of China.
The first acne study appeared in 2012, when scientists tested 6 antioxidants types from Asian hornbeam, including 3 ellagitannins, 2 flavonoids, and 1 gallotannin. The plant slowed ageing, decreased inflammation, and wielded antioxidant power – all key ingredients to the clear skin recipe.
Which brings us to our new study. The methodology was sound; the scientists sneaked into Korea’s Yeoju Eco Park and handpicked the leaves from a tree. There’s no dusty, centuries-old, degraded laboratory supply to worry about here. The only slight flaw was that isolated skin cells (keratinocytes) were tested.
The leaves were applied against DDPH free radicals, a classic antioxidant testing method.
Compared to control, Asian hornbeam was 50% superior at deactivating free radicals. They also tested its signature antioxidant, tellimagrandin I, part of the same ellagitannin family as punicalagin in pomegranate, and TM1 was also superior.
The most promising thing though, is the control itself. It wasn’t water from a puddle on the street, or a neutral oil-based cream; no, it was ascorbic acid. The barebones form of vitamin C, taken as a supplement. Ascorbic acid is the most abundant water soluble antioxidant in human body, accumulating in the skin to slow ageing and neutralise free radicals. It’s partially why 19th century sailors always brought oranges on board, for scurvy and healthy gums, and one-legged pirates probably wrinkled less too.
The CT extract achieved 31.42 inhibition of DDPH free radicals compared to 14.67 for ascorbic acid. Isolated tellimagrandin I also won, but by a smaller margin of 12.88 versus 9.13%. This clearly implies acne-clearing compounds beyond tellimagrandin I; suspects include myricetin, quercetin, kaempferol, apigenin and luteolin.
The greatness of antioxidants for acne is simple: they deactivate rampaging free radicals, which fly around hyperactively like bumblebees destabilising your skin cells, and all the glow and healthiness that comes with it.
Results for inflammation
Also a friend of pimples is chronic inflammation, a manic, hyperactive immune system, like when you swallow 10 tablespoons of sugar/energy drinks and suddenly gain the ability to run up walls.
Asian hornbeam leaves and tellimagrandin 1 were tested against…
Interleukin-6: a staple of anti-inflammatory studies. The future is always bright when this chemical falls. P.acnes bacteria directly triggers this mastermind of reddening and swelling, stimulating toll like receptor 2 (TLR2), which controls various inflammatory chemicals. This study found that a IL-6 gene variation called IL-6-572 was strongly associated with acne.
Interleukin-8: a pro-inflammatory peptide, sent to the skin in response to threats, which recruits extra inflammatory chemicals called neutrophils. This study found increased levels of interleukin-8 in acne-prone skin samples, while this Pakistani study observed alterations in IL-8 genes. Also released through p.acnes stimulation of TLR2.
In human skin cells, Asian hornbeam leaves reduced IL-6 levels by 14.20, versus 2.98 for the control. The leaves suppressed IL-8 by 7.46 versus 0.74 for controls.
Again, the control was a powerful anti-inflammatory compound in its own right: epigallocatechin gallate. This polyphenol is slowly joining curcumin from turmeric as a wildly popular natural supplemental, ending cancer and kicking bad (LDL) cholesterol out of town.
Epigallocatechin is responsible for the lion’s share of green tea’s health benefits. For inflammation, ECGC can suppress the acne-causing TNF-a (study), calm irritated mice skin (study), and decrease inflammatory IL-8 (study), yet Asian hornbeam leaves were still superior.
Like antioxidants, the leaves were strongest, but this time, tellimagrandin I barely had anti-inflammatory powers at all. For IL-6, it scored 6.82 vs 6.68 for controls, and for IL-8, both scored exactly 0.56.
This clearly shows how other compounds must be working their magic, biding their time. It could be another mysterious phytonutrient; this compound could be identified and become the next viral health craze like resveratrol (also great for acne) in red wine. Alternatively, weaker compounds like luteolin and rutin could combine and form an stoppable acne-clearing alliance.
Results for oily skin
The most tantalising result of all. Firstly, you need to know what 5-alpha reductase is (more detail here).
Essentially, you have two androgenic hormones, DHT and testosterone. Both are blamed for oily skin, but DHT is 10 times more powerful, and 5-alpha reductase is the enzyme that converts testosterone into DHT.
This is a normal, healthy process, but in diseases like baldness, or indeed acne, 5ar can be seriously elevated.
Finasteride is the classic hair loss supplement, and it works by manipulating 5ar and DHT. Oral supplements like this (the brand name is Propecia) can cause crippling, occasionally permanent side effects like total loss of sex drive. Therefore, I never recommend them, but topical 5ar is a godsend: it jams the gears of oil to a halt, targeted and directly.
Licorice, sea buckthorn oil, and green tea all have this ability. In our study, after the rats’ livers were dissected using a pair of scissors, the Asian hornbeam supplements inhibited 5ar by 197.81, compared to 40.85 for controls. Tellimagrandin I was even better, scoring 331.75 vs 45.98.
This time, the truth is crystal clear; tellimagrandin I is the hormonally active compound, although minor players could still be hidden, maybe structurally related relatives like tellimagrandol 2.
Most interestingly, guess what the control was? Finasteride itself, of course. This 5 meter tall Japanese tree got the better of a professionally designed pharmaceutical drug.
Finasteride is so powerful that “post finasteride syndrome” exists, describing the lasting side effects. Finasteride is also used against benign prostate enlargement and female facial hair; any condition related to excessive DHT. There were 10 million prescriptions in the USA in 2016 and on average, it slashes DHT by 70%.
NOTE: my advice is to stay away from finasteride. It’s the baldness equivalent of accutane: blunt effectiveness yet massive side effects.
The only worry is that the hornbeam leaves were too strong, hinting at a methodological flaw. Nor was the study on humans, but strong evidence it remains.
Best of all, oily skin remedies are particularly elusive, whereas the vast majority of fruit and vegetables have mild anti-inflammatory or antioxidant properties.
Flooding your skin with antioxidants is a simple bar brawl with free radicals, but we barely know how even famous remedies like green tea or saw palmetto alter 5-alpha reductase. A smart guess is blocking its receptor sites. Therefore, it’s always a blessing to find a new oily skin remedy, particularly a totally unexpected one like Asian hornbeam.
Results for skin barrier and strength
The final result of this great study was a strengthening of the skin barrier. Hyaluronic acid, ceramides, glycerol – these are all characters in your skin’s structure, but this time, Asian hornbeam leaves increased the protein filaggrin.
Essentially, all human skin has a cornified envelope, an outer layer of tightly knit proteins 10mm thick. This defensive wall controls hydration and keeps infectious microorganisms, and even toxins like air pollution well away.
Filaggrin is the first step, binding to keratin proteins and ceramide and cross linking them, forming a scaffolding that finishes off the skin barrier. If keratin is the bricks of your skin, then filaggrin is the cement, and in the study, Asian hornbeam leaves thickened the cornified envelope significantly. Tellimagrandin 1 was weaker, but only just. They also increased the genes controlling filaggrin production, particularly tellimagrandin 1, giving us a ready made explanation.
The result to your naked eye is improved hydration, faster wound healing, and a healthy, shining glow.
One study found that the skin barrier and TEWL (trans epidermal water loss) were crippled in acne patients; the only doubt is that several pharmaceutical acne weapons are known to wreck the skin barrier too. Acne is closely connected, as amateurishly constructed keratinocytes can malfunction and can unleash far too many inflammatory chemicals.
Old filaggrin also breaks down into histidine and glutamine, which in turn breaks down into two natural moisturising substances called urocanic acid and 2-pyrrolidone-5-carboxylic acid (the cast list never seems to end). For decades, urocanic acid has been heavily researched for its natural sunscreen properties.
The verdict
There’s a serious chance that Asian hornbeam will be forgotten and buried beneath a mountain of fresh research almost instantly. It wouldn’t be the first time, but overall, we’ve added another random acne plant to our radar screens.
There’s only two significant flaws. Firstly, the leaves weren’t a tested on a living, breathing, walking, talking human being, and therefore we cannot predict real world side effects. They did test cytotoxicity, which was zero.
Secondly, the methodology was officially perfect. 24 hours of application mimics a normal acne-clearing routine perfectly. However, there’s something fishy about how Asian hornbeam constantly dwarfed the established old guard.
Finasteride (dodgy as it is) and epigallocatechin gallate should not have been brushed aside so easily. It’s possible that the leaf extract was accidentally hyperconcentrated, or it’s possible that Asian hornbeam really is an acne miracle.
Overall, progress towards creating an actual skincare product would make a snail proud. However, if the study bears fruit (and it’s new, so more may be coming), it rolls three acne extravanganzas into one clear skin Christmas present: antioxidants, inflammation and oily skin.
Another Chinese oil cleaner
We also have the opposite: a mysterious oily skin remedy that was heavily researched in 2005, but forgotten about ever since. It’s the red reishi (or lingzhi) mushroom, a character in Traditional Chinese Medicine used for over 2000 years.
Red reishi’s powers include nourishing the heart and promoting longevity, and in ancient times only the emperor, his court and the upper classes had access to it. Dried red reishi powder was even an ancient chemotherapy agent.
Scientists tested 19 species of mushroom for their effect on 5-alpha reductase. It was a guaranteed win because many of the mushrooms had strong estrogenic properties. However, red reishi went above and beyond, reducing 75% vs 20% for the 10th (hen-of-the-woods) and 3% for the 19th (portobello mushrooms). Ranked second and third were pearl oysters (60%) and shiitake mushrooms (50%).
5 alpha reductase actually has two forms. Isozyme 1 is dominant in the liver and skin, whereas isozyme 2 is found in the prostate, and red reishi mushrooms inhibited both equally.
Several months later, the mushrooms were ground down and had several compounds identified for the first time. Tested individually, the strongest against 5ar were ganoderic acid DM and 5alanosta-7,9(11),24-triene-15a,26-dihydroxy-3-one (they need a new name for that one). Both inhibited 5 alpha reductase by about 55%, although gandoeric acid DM was much quicker. Other unique compounds like Ganoderic acid D, Ganoderiol A, Ganoderic acid A, and Lucidumol B achieved little, so the suspects are in our spotlights.
Red reishi mushrooms are another promising oily skin remedy. A more boring and uninteresting fact is that red reishi extended the lifespan of mice by 9% to 20%, equivalent to 7 to 19 human years (study).
Another great thing about red reishi mushrooms and carpinus tschonoskii is the potential they add for home remedies. If two random plants can succeed, then experiments with random foods like ginger can easily pay off and reduce oily skin too.
The main obstacle is that oily skin remedies take weeks, far longer than inflammation. 5ar inhibitors are never like a blob of raw honey which can delete a pimple overnight like in photoshop. You’d have to be very patient.
Alternatively, that’s a good thing, because it makes them harder and therefore more satisfying to discover.
5ar inhibition isn’t the only pathway either. Vitamin A binds to sebaceous glands and slows down their oil production, and more obscure antioxidants could do the same. Just stay away from confirmed villains like lemon/lime juice and its deadly furocoumarins.
The more oily skin remedies we discover, the more we banish harsh pharmaceutical weapons like Accutane to the dustbin of history. Maybe carpinus tschonoskii can secretly increase sunlight sensitivity, who knows, but it’s inevitable that a plant or fungi with the perfect balance will appear one day.
Thanks for reading!