Women don’t have it easy.
You’re the one who holds your family together. You usually take care of the household. Sometimes you do it all while working a full-time job. It’s a lot to do…
Too often, the nights are just too short. And all you can think of as you drag yourself out of bed is a hot cup of coffee.
Good for you!
You see, coffee is much more than an early morning stimulant. It’s one of the great healing herbs of the world.
During my many trips to Africa, I discovered powerful medicine in Uganda’s famous Coffea arabica. It’s the same plant that provides the rich aromatic coffee you brew at home or enjoy at your local coffee shop.
The native daktari wa miti shamba or “doctors of herbs” shared with me how they use this herb in their practice. The coffee plant treats migraine, neuralgia, diarrhea, loss of appetite, severe depression, and even erectile dysfunction.
Coffea arabica also has amazing anti-aging skin benefits. It reverses the circles, bags and crow’s feet around your eyes that can make you look old before your time. It can help you look wide-awake and ready for action even when the days are too long and nights are too short.
Research shows that oil from the green, unroasted Coffea arabica beans can improve the strength, resilience and elasticity of your skin. It works by supporting your skin’s framework of connective tissue made up of collagen and elastin. Collagen is the structure that keeps your skin taut and smooth. Elastin keeps your skin supple and young-looking.
But too much sun exposure generates free radical damage. It breaks down collagen and elastin. It can leave you with telltale signs of skin aging like lines, wrinkles and bags.
Coffea arabica seed oil can reverse that damage. Lab studies by Brazilian scientists found that it helped elastin production increase 1.5-fold and collagen production jump nearly 2-fold.1 It also boosted skin moisture to reduce dryness and fine lines.
Studies on real women proved the same thing. In a double-blind randomized controlled study, 40 women with sun-damaged skin were divided into two groups. One group applied an eye serum containing Coffea arabica each night. The other group used a placebo.
Compared to the placebo, the coffee night serum significantly improved skin firmness and clarity. It also decreased wrinkles, age spots, blotchy redness and skin roughness.2
Like your morning coffee, the oil from the coffee seed contains caffeine. Skin studies show caffeine:
- constricts blood vessels to fight dark circles
- improves drainage to reduce bags and puffiness3
- limits skin damage from UVB rays from the sun4
- reduces the appearance of crow’s feet
- reduces the depth of wrinkles5
I’ve been recommending Coffea arabica seed oil to my patients for years. I love to hear how it helps them erase fine lines, smooth wrinkles, shrink under-eye bags, and melt puffiness away.
Coffea arabica seed oil is often used in aromatherapy and massage treatments. You may see it added to body lotions and lipsticks as well as candles and air fresheners.
You can find pure Coffea arabica seed oil in health food stores or on the Internet. Look for oil that’s been cold-pressed from green beans. That ensures that heat processing will not destroy the oil’s high concentration of essential fatty acids, vitamin E and antioxidants.
The oil may seem a little pricey. You see, it comes from the tiny seeds in the coffee berry. And it takes many pounds of coffee berries to make just one ounce. But you don’t need much.
Apply just a drop to the delicate skin under your eyes to reduce dark circles, bags, lines and wrinkles. Try it also for scars, stretch marks, rashes, burns, dry skin and chapped lips.
You can also blend Coffea arabica seed oil with other oils to make a daily moisturizing serum for your whole face. Mix just eight tablespoons of rosehip oil with one teaspoon of Coffea arabica seed oil and store it in dark dropper bottles. A little goes a long way. You just need a drop or two for your whole face.
I’ve had such great success with Coffea arabica seed oil in my practice that I made sure to include it in the formulation for my rejuvenating eye serum.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
1. Velazquez Pereda Mdel C et al. “Effect of green Coffea arabica L. seed oil on extracellular matrix components and water-channel expression in in vitro and ex vivo human skin models.” J Cosmet Dermatol. 2009;8(1):56-62.
2. Palmer DM, Kitchin JS. “A double-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and tolerance of a novel phenolic antioxidant skin care system containing Coffea arabica and concentrated fruit and vegetable extracts.” J Drugs Dermatol. 2010;9(12):1480-7.
3. Herman A et al. “Caffeine’s mechanisms of action and its cosmetic use.” Skin Pharmacol Physiol 2013;26(1):8-14.
4. Koo SW et al. “Protection from photodamage by topical application of caffeine after ultraviolet irradiation.” Br J Dermatol. 2007;156(5):957-64.
5. Kaczvinsky JR, Griffiths CE, Schnicker MS, Li J. “Efficacy of anti-aging products for perioribtal wrinkles as measured by 3-D imaging.” J Cosmet Dermatol. 2009;8(3):228-33.