8 Black Walnut Benefits: Skin Conditions, Acne, Warts, Candida and More
Black walnuts are a superfood with many beneficial properties. They have been used by traditional cultures for centuries for a wide variety of ailments.
Modern scientific research is only just starting to uncover some of the unique nutritional elements in these potent nuts.
Here are 8 different ways that eating black walnuts, or using a concentrated extract of the green hulls, can benefit your wellness and wellbeing.
8 Beneficial Effects of Black Walnuts
1. Natural Remedy for Skin Conditions
Black walnut benefits include treating skin problems like acne, eczema and psoriasis.
For acne an extract of the green hulls is taken both internally and applied diluted externally as a skin treatment.
If applying it to your skin, it’s important to patch test it first for your own sensitivity.
To do this, mix a few drops in warm water and dab a small area in an inconspicuous part of your face with a cotton ball. Leave it for an hour or two to see if you have any reaction before using it on the rest of your face.
There are also many reports online of success with taking black walnut extract internally for eczema and psoriasis. Alcohol-based tinctures would be too harsh to apply topically for these skin conditions though.
Black walnut kernels are also rich in antioxidant polyphenols to protect your skin from free radical damage and improve your complexion.
2. Treatment for Warts
Warts are growths on the skin caused by a viral infection. Regular application of green black walnut hull extract is often reported to make warts shrivel up and die.
It’s applied undiluted directly to the wart daily and covered with tape or a band-aid.
Results can take several weeks but many people find their warts start to shrink and eventually die and fall off with this treatment.
There have also been cases discussed in online forums of multiple warts shrinking and disappearing after regularly taking black walnut extract.
3. Fights Parasites
Black walnuts, and in particular their outer hulls that are harvested green, are a well known vermifuge in herbal traditions. They are considered a premier treatment for pinworms, tapeworms, hookworms and other intestinal parasites.
Much more on how to use black walnut hulls for parasites here, along with two other effective anti-parasitic herbs to use in conjunction with it.
4. Controls Candida
Like intestinal worms, candida overgrowth is another common, yet rarely diagnosed and debilitating problem affecting many people.
Most people have some candida albicans yeast in their digestive systems. Problems start though when intestinal conditions deteriorate with a diet high in simple sugars, prolonged stress and especially antibiotic use.
Intestinal candidiasis is an overgrowth of the candida fungus, which weakens the walls of your intestines and can release toxins into your bloodstream.
This plays havoc with your immune system and can manifest in a whole range of baffling symptoms which can be very difficult for a GP to diagnose.
Studies on compounds found in black walnut extract have shown it to be as effective against candida as commercial antifungal treatments.
Naphthoquinone juglone, high levels of astringent tannins and other compounds in black walnut treatments may change the intestinal environment to make it unfavorable for the candida albicans fungus.
5. Antifungal Effects
These same antifungal properties make black walnut hull tinctures a popular treatment for athlete’s foot, ringworm, jock itch and other fungal infections of the skin.
To treat these fungal skin conditions the tincture can be applied externally to the affected areas and is often reported in online forums as highly effective.
Always patch test any preparations like this on the skin of your inner arm for several hours before using them to test for allergic reaction.
6. Stops Sweating
In one of the more unusual benefits of black walnut, it is known to help reduce excessive sweating.
The high levels of astringent tannins contained in the hulls have an effect on overactive sweat glands and decrease the amount of sweat they produce.
7. Improves Digestion
Alongside its powerful anti-parasitic and anti-fungal properties for your gastrointestinal tract, black walnuts have other beneficial effects on your digestive system.
Black walnut hull is said to tone and heal inflamed intestinal tissue, as well as improving the environment of the digestive tract for more effective assimilation and elimination. It’s for this reason that the tincture is considered a treatment for both constipation and diarrhea.
8. Treats a Sore Throat
You can gargle with black walnut tincture diluted in water to treat a sore throat, tonsillitis and mouth sores. Once again, the astringent tannins and naturally antiseptic iodine provide the beneficial effects.
Eating Black Walnuts
While English walnuts are a very healthy food that can be eaten in moderation every day, fresh black walnuts are a more high-powered version. They are better viewed as an occasional treatment, rather than a snack food to be eaten often.
Have you used black walnut hull extract for skin conditions like acne, psoriasis or warts? I’d appreciate hearing about your experiences in the comments below.
Next is a deeper look at how to use black walnut hulls for parasites and intestinal worms.