Vitamin E is a wonder drug! It can treat a range of problems of the heart and blood including blocked arteries, high blood pressure, hardened arteries in the leg, varicose veins, diabetes and related complications, and nerve including Alzheimer’s diseases and dementia. Vitamin E is also beneficial for the eyes, safety of the fetus in the womb, women’s health, and impotence in men. It is also commonly used to heal parched and dehydrated skin and is increasingly found in all pharmaceutically produced skin care products. Vitamin E or alpha-tocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant that is predominantly found in green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds, seafood, and fruits.
Vitamin E supplements are prescribed when your body is, for some reason, unable to absorb the nutrient from your regular diet. Topical application of Vitamin E can be in the form of an oil extract used on your skin and in your hair for growth and nourishment.
1. Acts As a Moisturizer
2. Reverses Premature Skin Aging
3. Treats Sunburns
4. Lightens Dark Spots
5. Acts As A Cleansing Agent
6. Heals Dry Fingernails
7. Treats Stretch Marks
8. Soothes Pain From Cold Sores
9. Stimulates Hair Growth
10. Prevents Premature Graying
11. Gives Lustrous Hair
12. Repairs Split Ends
13. Treats Minor Burns
14. Lightens Scars
15. Prevents Skin Cancer
16. Treats Other Skin Disorders
17. Reduces The Effects Of Bad Cholesterol
18. Treats Cystic Fibrosis In Babies
Vitamin E restores and rejuvenates dehydrated skin.
What You Need
What You Need To Do
Mix a few drops of vitamin E oil with your night moisturizing lotion and apply it on your body before going to bed.
Why Does It Work
Vitamin E is an oil-soluble nutrient and is hence heavier than water-soluble products (1). It works best for dry and damaged skin since it restores the lost moisture (2).
Caution
If you have normal or oily skin or are prone to breakout, you should seek a dermatologist’s advice. Since it is a heavy humectant, vitamin E can increase the chances of breakouts.
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Vitamin E thwarts all chances of your skin becoming dull, wrinkled, and saggy.
Why Does It Work
Vitamin E boosts the production of collagen, a fiber-like protein that is responsible for maintaining skin elasticity (3), (4). It thereby reduces the ocurrence of fine lines and wrinkles that are signs of aging (5).
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Vitamin E is also known to lead to quick recovery from sunburns.
What You Need
Vitamin E oil
What You Need To Do
Take a few drops of vitamin E oil or break a vitamin E capsule, and rub it gently over the burnt area.
Why Does It Work
Vitamin E contains antioxidants that neutralize the effects of free radicals caused by ultraviolet radiation, thus soothing sunburns (6), (7).
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Dark spots can be attributed to a variety of factors such as free radical damage, aging, liver problems, etc. Vitamin E can alleviate such problems.
What You Need
What You Need To Do
Why Does It Work
Vitamin E is an enriched source of free radical fighting antioxidants. These antioxidants reduce free radical damage that may have resulted in the hyperpigmentation leading to spots (8).
Vitamin E also helps cleanse dirt, grime, and other impurities while simultaneously maintaining your skin’s oil balance.
What You Need To Do
Use a few drops of vitamin E oil on a cotton ball to wipe your face.Use twice daily.
Why Does It Work
Vitamin E is a heavy emollient, which makes it easy to remove impurities from the surface of your skin as well as maintain its oil balance (9).
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Vitamin E oil is an effective treatment for dry, cracked cuticles and nails.
What You Need To Do
Rub a few drop of vitamin E oil on dried cuticles and nails and massage.
Why Does It Work
Vitamin E oil, being a great moisturizer, is suitable for application on dry nails and cuticles (10). Thus, it protects your skin.
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Vitamin E oil is beneficial post delivery since it helps fade stretch marks.
What You Need To Do
Regular application of this oil on the stretch marks coupled with a gentle rubbing motion has shown to reduce the appearance of these marks.
Why Does It Work
Stretch marks appear owing to skin losing its elasticity because of the stretching of the upper and lower layers of the skin. They manifest as white stripe-like marks. Vitamin E oil is known to restore skin elasticity and lighten stretch marks (11).
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Vitamin E oil is known to take the bite off painful cold sores.
What You Need To Do
Crack open a vitamin E oil capsule and directly apply it on the blister.
Why Does It Work
This oil acts as a lip moisturizer and is extremely effective in getting rid of dryness resulting from a cold sore and its eruption, thereby providing relief from the stinging sensation that accompanies it (12).
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Vitamin E repairs damaged hair follicles and encourages healthy hair growth.
What You Need
What You Need To Do
Why Does It Work
Vitamin E oil contains antioxidants that improve the circulation of blood to all parts of the body, including the scalp. It conditions your hair from the root to the shaft and ensures healthier growth(13).
Vitamin E oil is very effective in slowing down the aging process, be it your skin or hair.
Why Does It Work
The potent antioxidants present in this vitamin E can effectively prevent the corrosion of tissues, thereby reducing the probability of premature graying (14).
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Oiling your hair with vitamin E oil on a regular basis deeply conditions the hair and makes it healthier and shinier than before.
Why Does It Work
Vitamin E is a natural moisturizer that keeps your scalp in good condition (). Also, since vitamin E can be directly applied to your hair to condition it and make it smoother and softer.
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Split ends and other damages caused due to constant blow drying, curling, and coloring are some of the common problems associated with hair. They can be treated at home with the help of vitamin E oil.
What You Need
What You Need To Do
Why Does It Work
The vitamin E helps strengthen and smoothen the cuticles of your hair, thereby reducing instances of splitting and breakage (16).
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Vitamin E oil can be used to treat minor burns and injuries.
What You Need To Do
Why Does It Work
Vitamin E oil has remarkable curative powers. It has the ability to heal wounds caused by small burns (17).
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It is considered to be a superior treatment option for the removal of scars caused due to burns or acne.
What You Need To Do
Why Does It Work
The oil will penetrate deep into the skin to repair the scar tissue at the source, thereby helping to diminish the appearance of blemishes (18).
Vitamin E oil is known to effectively prevent skin cancer.
What You Need To Do
Why Does It Work
The powerful antioxidants present in vitamin E act as a protective shield against the harmful effects of the sun that cause the multiplication of cancerous cells (19).
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Vitamin E proves to be an effective treatment for skin disorders like eczema and psoriasis.
What You Need To Do
Apply vitamin E oil twice a day on the affected area on a regular basis for quick recovery.
Why Does It Work
It keeps your skin supple and combats the dryness of eczema and restores skin elasticity (20). Vitamin E can also restore the mechanism of skin regeneration, thereby effectively treating psoriasis (21).
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Including vitamin E oil in your diet supports the heart, which in turn ensures a long and healthy life.
Why Does It Work
The accumulation of bad cholesterol in the arteries causes the heart to pump harder to circulate the blood, thereby increasing the risk of a heart attack. Vitamin E oil negates the effects of bad cholesterol by disallowing it to oxidize and prevents it from lining up the arteries (22).
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Vitamin E supplements are known to help fight off the effects of disorders like cystic fibrosis that results in pancreatic blockage.
What You Need To DoInclude dietary vitamin E supplements in your child’s food to alleviate this problem.
Why Does It Work
Vitamin E supplements help children with cystic fibrosis maintain adequate weight and alleviate pancreatic blockage that results from the deficiency (23).
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Some of the food sources that can help you naturally supplement your vitamin E deficit include:
Sunflower Seeds: An ounce of dry roasted sunflower seeds delivers 7.4 mg of vitamin E that basically amounts to close to 90% of your daily requirement. In case sunflower seeds are difficult to find, you can replace them with sunflower oil since it provides 5.6 mg of vitamin E.
Avocado: Just half an avocado contains 2 mg of vitamin E and 161 calories. It makes up a major chunk of both your vitamin E as well as calorie intake.
Pine Nuts: One ounce of pine nuts contain 2.6 mg vitamin E and 191 calories. You can either choose to add pine nuts in your salads for more texture or drizzle some pine nut oil.
Spinach: Spinach is a very nutritious green that contains adequate amounts of calcium, folates, as well as vitamin E. One cup of boiled spinach can make up for 20% of your required vitamin E content. It is also a good source of fiber that helps in weight management.
Kale: Kale is an increasing popular salad green that also contains a decent amount of vitamin E. Abundant in many nutrients, one cup of boiled kale can cover 6% of your daily vitamin E requirement.
Turnip Greens: These are not the most delectable greens, but they are high nutritious. Half a cup of turnip greens contains 2.9 mg of vitamin E and only 24 calories.
Swiss Chard: Swiss chard is the healthiest among all greens containing abundant vitamins A, C, and K, along with enough vitamin E. One cup of boiled Swiss chard is accountable for 17% of your daily vitamin E requirement.
Mustard Greens: A lot like swiss chard, mustard greens contain a variety of essential nutrients. One cup of boiled greens contains about 14% of your dietary requirement of vitamin E.
Almonds: Nuts usually contain a high concentration of vitamin E as is found in almonds with 7.5 mg in every ounce.
Parsley: Parsley is not only a great idea for additional flavor and texture to your salad, but it is also adequately rich in vitamin E.
Here is an overview of the age-wise nutritional requirement of Vitamin E:
Vitamin E is an essential nutrient required for the development and maintenance of the human body. Deficiencies of vitamin E manifest in the form of:
Vitamin E usage mostly includes oral consumption or topical application. When consuming orally, it is advisable to limit the dosage to 15 mg daily. Exceeding this limit might cause serious side effects. Also, people with the following health problems should avoid consumption of oral vitamin E supplements:
Vitamin E can increase the risks of heart failure in people suffering from diabetes.
It can worsen clotting problems in case of vitamin K deficiency.
Vitamin E can increase the risks of heart attack among people with a history of heart-related problems.
People suffering from cancer of the neck or heart should avoid taking more than 400 IU vitamin E per day.
Synthetic vitamin E supplements can speed up vision loss among patients with retinitis pigmentosa. A lower (3 IU/day) and controlled dosage is, however, harmless.
Since vitamin E is a blood thinner, it can increase the risks of bleeding and should hence be avoided before and after surgery.
Vitamin E is a dietary supplement that is necessary for maintaining overall good health. If you know of some more benefits of this wonder vitamin, feel free to leave us a comment.