Witch Hazel (astringent) - Composition of Extract, and Uses

Composition of Extract, and Uses

The main constituents of the witch hazel extract include tannins, gallic acid, phenolics such as catechins, proanthocyanins, flavonoids (kaempferol, quercetin), as well as essential oils (carvacrol, eugenol, hexenol), choline, and saponins. Distilled witch hazel sold in drug stores and pharmacies typically contains no tannin. Witch hazel is mainly used externally on sores, bruises, and swelling, and witch hazel hydrosol is used in skin care (e.g., as an astringent and anti-oxidant potentially useful in fighting acne). It is often also used as a natural remedy for psoriasis and eczema, in aftershave and in-grown nail applications and to prevent facial sweating and cracked/blistered skin, and for treating insect bites, poison ivy, and hemorrhoids, with evidence lacking for further reported uses including GI maladies (diarrhea, coughing up/vomiting blood), general infections such colds and the specific infection tuberculosis, as well as eye inflammation, bruising, and varicose veins. It is found in numerous over-the-counter hemorrhoid preparations. It is recommended to women to reduce swelling and soothe wounds resulting from childbirth.

The essential oil of witch hazel is not sold separately as a consumer product. The plant does not produce enough essential oil to make production viable. However, there are various distillates of witch hazel (called hydrosols or hydrolats) that are gentler than the "drug store" witch hazel.