Ah, celery – that amazingly crunchy herb (yes, herb, not vegetable) that is full of electrolytes, antioxidants, and vitamins! But did you know that celery and celery juice are also potent medicines for conditions such as allergies, chronic fatigue syndrome, high blood pressure, autoimmunity, and skin issues, just to name a few?
Read on to learn more about the incredible celery juice benefits for skin health and skin conditions, particularly eczema, psoriasis, and acne.
The Health Benefits of Celery
Celery is one of the most hydrating herbs in nature, as it contains water, fiber, and vast electrolyte content to help the body detoxify naturally. That is why it is the perfect herb for juicing, especially during a detoxification protocol.
This long, stalky herb contains plenty of vitamins C, A, B, and K, flavonoids, phytonutrients, and several antioxidant nutrients that alkalize the body and reduce symptoms of chronic inflammation. It is likewise high in natural sodium, calcium, and potassium, which alkalize the body and are vital for kidney and bladder function.
The best part of celery is that it is easy to digest and assimilate into cells quickly! Celery is also known to restore the liver’s function and bile production. Similarly, when it comes to the gallbladder, celery juice helps dissolve gallstones and revitalize the organ.
Celery juice is also a potent elimination organ cleanser, helping to clean mucus and bad bacteria found in the intestinal tract and strengthen the kidneys’ filtration capacity. In fact, the kidneys thrive on electrolytes found in celery, particularly potassium, and calcium.
Although celery is wonderful for the whole body, it is highly healing for the skin membrane. According to a study by Complementary and Alternative Medicine, celery has been shown to have anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties and its seeds show a premise in healing chronic skin disorders, including psoriasis and eczema.
As Hippocrates once stated, all disease starts in the gut, and celery is quite beneficial for healing the intestinal lining and preventing gastric inflammation and issues. Celery helps to lower inflammation and regenerate cellular function throughout the body, helping all organs, glands, and cellular functions work at their optimal state!
Why Juice for Detoxification
There are a few good reasons why juicing is ideal for detoxification. Although fiber is a very important component for gut health, since it cleans colon walls and helps remove toxic matter from the body, it takes plenty of energy to digest and assimilate.
When you’re healing, energy is precious. You need all of it to cleanse, heal, and regenerate your body. That is why resting, juicing, and fasting are the go-to natural remedies to help the body kick-start its self-healing process.
Juicing doesn’t take much digestive energy, since the process removes most of the fiber present, allowing the body to absorb nutrients quickly. This makes juicing an ideal protocol during healing.
Most of our modern habits (including diet) are energy-robbing, so much so that they can even propel our bodies to compensate for the lack of alkaline chemistry needed for function and healing by leaching nutrition from bones and tissues.
When acidity is the predominant pH chemistry of our interstitial fluids (except the blood), their innate intelligence seeks any means necessary to find balance and ensure survival even if this means weakening certain processes, organs, tissues, and bone integrity.
If the body is not receiving the vital chemistry it needs externally, it tries to get all of its nutritional and electrolyte needs internally, even if that means sacrificing some parts of itself for the best chance at survival.
Over time, when we spend the energy we don’t have, we inevitably get sick. Such is the cause and effect of nature and our lifestyle choices. The solution, then, is to bring more energy in than we spend through activity, digestion, assimilation, metabolism, and healing. This is tricky, because all of these processes take a vast amount of energy to keep us running in these modern, highly toxic times.
The only foods that can do so in nature are alkaline fruits, vegetables, and herbs. And to ensure even less energy is spent digesting their fiber, juicing them is ideal. Just imagine how much energy and nutrition can enter your biological chemistry processor (your body), especially if it doesn’t have to be broken down chemically over and over by digestive and elimination organs. This is precisely the purpose of juicing – to bring more essential energy internally for healing and regeneration.
Juicing can funnel vital nutrition and simple sugars (cellular fuel) to the blood for circulation all over the body, including the skin. It can energize the body quickly so that it can use vital chemistry efficiently and deliberately for achieving homeostasis (rebalancing of all systems) and healing chronic disease.
No wonder juicing has been the preferred protocol in many natural healing traditions, such as in the Gerson Therapy. Since the onset of all diseases is toxicity and nutritional deficiency (from lack of nutritional foods from malabsorption by the body), Dr. Gerson found that flooding the body with high doses of enzymes, minerals, vitamins, and electrolytes through juicing could lower overall inflammation of the body and over time, reverse disease.
What Type of Juice is Best for Healing and Regeneration?
The best juice to use for healing the body is a juice that has been squeezed fresh or made with a juicer. Anything store-bought is not as ideal, since raw foods lose their electrical power over time, and juice that has been stored in plastic bottles on shelves will not be as effective as juice that had just been cold pressed in your kitchen from ripe fruit, herbs and vegetables.
Another reason to juice yourself is that many “health” juices are processed with high heat through pasteurization to ensure that no pathogens or bad bacteria find their way into the drink. However, the process of pasteurization destroys the enzymes and the nutrients vital to juice effectiveness.
My advice is to always check the label if you choose to buy a green juice or a smoothie at your favorite health store. If the label states that the product has been pasteurized, it is not the best to use for detoxification and healing purposes. Instead, opt for a visit at your local juicery where they cold press juices on site.
There is only one thing that may hinder juice quality in this instance – most likely, juices from local juicers are not organic. However, organic food is the only way to go when it comes to juicing for health!
That is why I truly recommend that you invest in your own blender and juicer, since they are those few important health upkeep items that will serve you well for years. Never be hesitant to invest in your health, be it herbal medicines, a juicer, or local organic food!
The reason why organic is important is because most conventional produce is sprayed with pesticides and herbicides and may be genetically modified (GMO), which are big no-nos when it comes to consuming clean, vital, nature-powered foods for healing. The point of a detox is lowering toxic exposure to the body, therefore consuming conventional produce would defeat the purpose.
Here are just a few reasons why organic food is superior to conventionally-grown food:
- An Australian study conducted by RMIT University showed that when their test individuals switched to an organic diet for a week, they tested for a 90% reduction in pesticides.
- A German apple study confirmed that organic apples had better taste, firmness, and nutrient composition than conventional apples.
- When grown conventionally, there are no regulations about what a producer is allowed to do with produce; many times, producers pick produce too early and spray them with ripening agents or even colorants (which can cause nervous system damage). They also use preservatives such as chemical waxes and glosses.
- Children and unborn babies are much more vulnerable to pesticides than adults. Exposure to pesticides early on in life can cause learning disabilities, ADHD, and reduced IQ. Even the American Academy of Pediatrics advises that children should be advised to eat organic over conventional.
How Does The Skin Function?
The skin is a permeable organ that breathes, sweats, and absorbs chemistry through its pores. It is the largest organ in the body and is often labeled as “the third kidney,” meaning it works alongside the kidneys to filter water-soluble toxins and acids out of the body.
Essentially, when the kidneys are not functioning (filtering) properly, the skin will usually take on the burden of additional detoxification, most likely at the expense of the skin. As a result, those of us who have weaker skin membranes to begin with may suddenly notice the onset of skin problems such as acne, rashes, eczema, dermatitis, and psoriasis.
This exactly highlights the importance of strengthening the kidneys in the detoxification and regeneration process with alkaline foods and herbs. Not only is kidney health related to skin health, but if you have “problem” skin, you can usually monitor the state of your kidney filtration by the state of your skin. The kidney-adrenal-skin axis shows how these organs are highly interrelated, and as you heal them through juicing, they will function better to eliminate toxic chemistry in mutual synchronism.
But kidneys are not the only organs that the skin supports. All elimination organs look to the skin for help when they are underperforming. When the liver, the lungs, and the colon become sluggish, more toxins are expelled through the skin than normal. This influx of acidity being expelled by the body through the skin can show up as burning, itching, red, and inflammatory side effects.
To keep the skin healthy, it is important to keep the lymphatic system and blood circulating (which encourages better toxin expulsion and nutrition delivery to the skin membrane). The lymph system is responsible for carrying and removing toxic and cellular sewage from the body, while the blood is filtered by the liver and circulates to all tissues to bring in oxygen and nutrition.
Alkaline chemistry found in cold-pressed fruit and vegetable juices does just that! In addition, the nutrition found in these juices supports skin regeneration, elasticity, collagen production, and plumpness.
Keep in mind that the skin is porous – a truly breathing organ! Therefore, whatever you place on it in terms of daily products, cosmetics, perfumes, cleaning products (including detergents) and more, will be absorbed directly into the bloodstream and circulated to all the tissues in the body and back to the liver for “cleansing.” This is very important, as lowering overall toxin overload in the body is one of the key elements of healing.
My advice for an effective moisturizer is to use organic, natural oils and skin butter, like shea and cocoa butter, instead! I have been doing this for years – since I was a teen. They not only nourish the skin, but are also very healthy for the body.
Although, if you must go with store-bought products, go with those that are as natural as possible (always read the label and the fewer ingredients, the better). Just changing this one aspect of your skin and cosmetics routine will have incredible benefits on your health and skin function!
Celery Juice Benefits for Skin
Before you bet on celery juice as a panacea for your skin issues, it is important to know that celery juice is not a cure-all and that in addition to a celery juice protocol, a healthy diet, and lifestyle are necessary to truly see long-term effects and changes.
Health is only achieved holistically, so it is important to not be seduced by the quick treatment premises that help us feel better temporarily but don’t heal the root cause of the issue.
Celery juice has been lauded recently as a wonderful tonic by health gurus like Medical Medium (Anthony Williams), but is it really all that it is cracked up to be?
The fact that celery’s content is approximately 95% water and the rest is packed full of nutrition, it really is the perfect agent of hydration, alkalization, and mineral infusion!
But before diving into the celery juice benefits for the skin, here are a few suggestions that will help you enjoy it most effectively:
- Drink it alone without other herbs, veggies, and fruits on an empty stomach, as it is most potent when it is not chemically diluted.
- Have it first thing in the morning (8-16 oz glass is optimal) and wait at least half an hour before consuming other foods and beverages.
- After your first glass in the morning, feel free to sip on more of the juice throughout the day.
- To complement the juicing protocol, opt-in for regular dry skin brushing to promote lymph and blood circulation as well as cellular turnover.
- Hydrate your body further by consuming large quantities of raw, organic fruit and vegetables.
- Get eight hours of sleep every night and make sure you rest during the most crucial body regeneration time, which is from 10 pm to 2 am.
Helps Clean The Gut and Rebalance Intestinal Flora
Consuming celery juice on an empty stomach ensures that its nutrients are infused directly into the cells, which promotes the purgation of mucus, toxins, and acids and the healthy function of all metabolic processes. This loosening up of coagulated pockets of acids will circulate acids to the gut, kidneys and skin for elimination – which is also promoted by celery juice.
In many ways, the skin and the gut share similar functional features as the gut, as both have microbiomes that help protect our immunity and work to digest and assimilate outside chemistry and both are covered with epithelial cells, which maintain an important link between the internal body and the external environment.
Not only that, but the skin and the gut are also intimately connected through the bacterial microbiome ecosystem that is so intricately linked that the skin can oftentimes mirror the state of the gut.
Overall, this skin-gut axis microbiome system is incredibly important to keep in balance, since the gut microbiome produces approximately 30 hormones, including cortisol, neurotransmitters, serotonin, dopamine, and tryptophan.
Any disruption to the healthy functioning of the gut microbiome is bound to offset its balance and cause a ripple effect of hormonal and nervous system dysregulation.
For example, an imbalance of the bacterial flora in the gut can also lead to inflammation of the skin and skin issues such as acne and dermatitis. Let’s say you have very clear skin most of the time but all of a sudden you break out in acne (at a time when you aren’t menstruating, if you are a female of that age group).
You may easily trace this back to a recent stressful time (stress impacts gut function) or starting to eat very differently than your usual diet. Once you know how your body functions and what it is trying to say through symptoms, you’ll be all the more empowered to correct any lifestyle choices that may be the culprit.
Celery juice can neutralize bad bacteria and inflammation in the gut, supporting gut health and regeneration. In fact, two of celery’s important compounds – falcarinol and falcarindiol were able to reduce cancerous lesions in rats.
Brings Electrolytes to the Kidneys, Removing the Detox Burden from the Skin
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the kidneys are seen as the source of energy production that governs our vitality and longevity. It is where our yin (kidneys) and yang (the adrenals, which sit on top of the kidneys) collaborate to govern the life force inherited from our parents! In general, the kidney essence controls reproduction, development, and growth.
To do this, kidneys need electricity to run and filter our lives! And the best way to get that electricity is through electrolytes. If the kidneys don’t get the essential electrolytes such as calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and sodium, and may be burdened by the amount of toxic waste they have to filter, they may exhibit emotional and physical signs of dysregulation such as:
- Fear and shame
- Dread, insecurity, and phobias
- Lower back pain
- Edema
- Enlarged prostate
- Frequent urination
- Ear infections
- Early graying and hair loss
- Infertility
- Adrenal fatigue
- Heart disease
- Asthma
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Teeth and gum problems
- Cold hands and feet
- Poor memory
- Lack of energy
That is why taking care of the kidneys is very important and can be done both physically – through diet and lifestyle – and emotionally through frequent emotions of bravery, confidence, and will. Traditional Chinese Medicine also recommends “black” foods (or very dark foods) for kidney health, including dark grapes, blackberries, seaweed, plums, dark cherries, blueberries, and more.
Likewise, foods to avoid are foods that are hard to digest and break down, especially meats and nut butters, since kidneys weaken with complex protein intake.
Other incredibly nourishing kidney foods include watery and alkalizing foods, including celery, watermelon, and citrus!
One important job the kidneys have is to keep electrolyte concentrations in the body constant despite metabolic changes in the body. For example, sweating takes plenty of electrolytes, depleting electrolyte levels that must be replenished. No wonder athletes consume electrolyte-rich drinks, although in most cases, they don’t go all-natural and bring in unnecessary preservatives and artificial sugars for their bodies to deal with instead.
Celery, on the other hand, has the perfect combination of electrolytes that help kidney function, which offloads the need for the skin to take on its detoxification tasks. As mentioned, the skin is the third kidney, helping to detoxify water-soluble toxins and acids through sweat, and if the kidneys are sluggish (and the gut is imbalanced), the skin will take the brunt of the work, causing various skin issues, dryness, wrinkling, and rapid aging.
By strengthening the kidneys, the skin will not be constantly working to eliminate toxins through its pores, ensuring greater health, elasticity, and condition of the membrane.
Lowers Stress and Anxiety Levels
Celery is likewise wonderful for lowering stress and anxiety levels. It contains phytochemicals, including apigenin, that reduce inflammation, cortisol levels, and oxidative stress in the body. Apigen is known to have anti-anxiety and sedative properties, but it takes about 6-7 stalks of celery to feel a noticeable impact on the body.
Since cortisol is released to combat inflammation, consuming celery juice regularly will lower inflammation levels in the body significantly, providing a break for the adrenal glands (which release cortisol) and enabling them to heal and regenerate properly.
Lowering inflammation will rebalance the body’s systems, ensuring that the right hormones and their levels are created, that organs receive the right messages from the glands so that they work properly, and that long-standing body weaknesses are corrected.
Celery juice supports both the detox and regeneration processes of the body, helping to eliminate acids by strengthening lymphatic and elimination organ function as well as bringing alkaline chemistry to dehydrated tissues on brink of degeneration.
Since the skin is the largest organ in the body, it will immensely benefit from the cleansing and healing properties of celery juice, since internal cleansing and homeostasis will always be reflected in the external state of the body.
Final Thoughts
There are quite a few celery juice benefits for the skin, since all systems of the body are related and celery’s nutrients and qualities equally benefit all of them. Indeed, the skin is related to the function of the gut, the kidneys, the lungs, the nervous system, and the lymphatic system.
When these organs and systems are charged with nutrition and energy, they not only perform their tasks more efficiently, but they also better regulate their relationships with other parts of the body.
When you juice celery for skin health, you will also be juicing for your whole body, so enjoy the physical, mental, and energetic transformation and let your skin represent the true you!