As seen on TV - kiwi and papaya face mask

Flicking through the channels last night, I happened across the new BBC series Grow Your Own Drugs. With not a greenhouse full of cannabis plants in sight, this series is actually a guide to using plants to create your own herbal remedies at home. The first episode, Fruit, gave us recipes for goji berries and chicken soup for colds and flu, hops and lavender pillow for insomnia, soothing kiwi and papaya face mask and, em, syrup of figs for constipation.

The kiwi and papaya face mask looked good enough to eat, as indeed it probably was, but due to the anti-oxidant and Vitamin C content of the kiwi and the papain in the papaya, this is actually a brilliant option for soothing and gently exfoliating for smoother, brighter skin.

You can view yesterday's episode on the BBC website and the recipes are also available online. Next week's episode will reveal how to use flower remedies to relieve the symptoms of acne and eczema, among other things (09 Mar 2009, 20:30 on BBC Two).