The tribes of the Canadian forests have been applying Canadian Willowherb (Epilobium angustifolium) for millennia. Why ? To act as a skin cleanser, removing dirt from skin pores, to freshen the skin and sooth it when it has been irritated. It is a classic ingredient of skin lotions and creams. The ethnobotanical anecdotes are abundant dwelling heavily on its therapeutic benefits. It is often sought out for mixing with various base oils to create a protective layer against known pollutants.
Canadian Willowherb like many plants in the genus is one of the first to appear following a forest fire and is therefore an early coloniser. Extracts suggest it has potent non-steroidal anti-inflammatory activity.
The main bioactive component is Oenothein-B. This molecule has been patented for its wide ranging bioactivity including as an anti-viral, anti-tumour, and anti-hyperandrogenic agent. It scores highly in antioxidant assays because of its considerable free radical scavenging ability. Canadian Willowherb has also been demonstrated to effectively kill the Propionibacterium responsible for causing acne.
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