Skin, Hair & Eyes
Dry & Cracked Lips
⚡ Quick & easy version · 1 min
Honey & Olive Oil Overnight
Only a few things you probably already have at home.
You need
- ◆Honey
- ◆Olive oil (or butter-free lip balm)
Steps
- Mix a drop of honey with a drop of olive oil.
- Dab on your lips before bed; leave overnight.
- Drink an extra glass of water and stop licking your lips.
Snow Pear & White Fungus Soup
You need
- ◆1 Asian (snow) pear, cubed
- ◆10 g dried white fungus (tremella)
- ◆5 red dates
- ◆10 g goji berries
- ◆Rock sugar to taste
- ◆1 L water
How to make it
- 1
Soak white fungus 30 min, tear into small pieces.
- 2
Simmer fungus and dates 40 min until gelatinous.
- 3
Add pear and simmer 15 min more.
- 4
Add goji and rock sugar for the last 5 min. Eat warm or cool.
A classic Chinese moistening dessert for dry lips, skin and throat.
Ophiopogon & Lily Bulb Tea
You need
- ◆10 g ophiopogon (mai men dong)
- ◆10 g dried lily bulb
- ◆5 g goji
- ◆500 ml water
How to make it
- 1
Rinse herbs.
- 2
Simmer 20 min.
- 3
Drink through the day, 3–4 times a week.
Honey Lip Mask (external)
You need
- ◆1 tsp raw honey
- ◆Few drops of sesame or olive oil
- ◆Beeswax lip balm (unscented)
How to make it
- 1
Mix honey with oil.
- 2
Spread on lips, leave 10–15 min.
- 3
Gently wipe off with a warm wet cloth.
- 4
Finish with beeswax balm. Repeat before bed.
Helpful herbs
The TCM view
The lips belong to the Spleen and Stomach. Dry lips usually mean Stomach heat (spicy food, thirst, bad breath) or Yin/fluid deficiency (dry mouth at night, dry skin). Classic approach: nourish Yin and fluids with Mai Men Dong, Sha Shen, pear and white fungus.
Food tips
Eat / do
- Pear, banana, persimmon
- Black sesame, almonds
- Soups and congee
- 2 L water daily
- Tofu and soy milk
Avoid
- Licking your lips
- Chilli, fried and barbecued food
- Alcohol and lots of coffee
- Flavoured/minty lip balms that sting
- Dry heated rooms (use a humidifier)
Sources
- Bensky et al. – Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica (Eastland Press)
- Scheid, Bensky et al. – Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies (Eastland Press)
- NCCIH – Herbs at a Glance (US National Institutes of Health)
- NCCIH – Traditional Chinese Medicine: What You Need To Know
- Memorial Sloan Kettering – About Herbs database (interactions & safety)
- Thuisarts.nl – Dutch GP advice (when to see a doctor)
⚠ Safety
- Cracks at the corners that don't heal may be a B-vitamin/iron deficiency or fungal infection – see a doctor.
- A sore on the lip that doesn't heal in 3 weeks must be checked by a doctor.
- Don't give honey to babies under 1 year.
- Not a replacement for medical care. Ask a doctor before use if pregnant, breastfeeding or on medication.