Folk remedies for psoriasis - a review of effective recipes

Dermatological diseases give a person a lot of problems: both aesthetic and general. The skin looks unattractive, and constant itching, pain, swelling and irritation impairs quality of life. Psoriasis is one such problem that can be troubling for many years, gradually progressing, increasing the duration and frequency of periods of exacerbation, spreading throughout the body. Are alternative methods of treatment effective here and which one is better to use?

What is psoriasis

An alternative name for this disease is scaly lichen. Psoriasis is a chronic dermatological disease (dermatosis) of non-infectious origin. According to most doctors, it is based on autoimmune disorders: when a pathological production of a large number of antibodies is observed in the body. A few important points:

• In 30% of patients, the onset of the disease occurs within 15-25 years. Persons of both sexes are affected with the same frequency.
• Psoriasis is characterized by a wave-like course, in which exacerbations are spontaneous or caused by the influence of external factors (alcohol consumption, smoking, stress).
• The course of the disease even in the same patient in different periods of exacerbation and remission may look different.

The clinical picture of psoriasis depends on the specific form that it has taken. The main symptom is red papules: very dry, raised above the skin, merging with each other into large plaques, which are areas of chronic inflammation. There are pale or gray spots in the center that look like hardened wax. Mostly they are formed on the folds (outer and inner zone), but they can also appear on:

• scalp;
• buttocks;
• back;
• palms;
• plantar part of the feet;
• external genital organs.

Vulgar or simple psoriasis is the most common form (occurs in 80-90% of patients) and is characterized by the formation of foci of inflamed, hot skin covered with silvery white scales. The affected area is compacted, when the gray layer is removed, the skin under it bleeds, it is easily injured. As the disease progresses, whole plates of psoriatic plaques appear. There are several more forms of the disease noted in the ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases):

• Psoriasis of flexor surfaces (or reverse) - inflamed red spots slightly rise above healthy skin, almost do not peel off, are located only in the folds. The zones of the external genital organs, armpits, and the groin area are mainly affected. In women, spots may appear under the mammary glands. Often, the disease is complicated by a fungal infection due to increased sweating of the lesions.
• Drop-shaped - the elements of the lesion are small, dry, red or purple in color, have the shape of a drop or a small dot. Large areas of the dermis are eroded, mainly appearing on the thighs, shoulders, forearms, and back. This form often develops after a streptococcal infection.
• Pustular (exudative) - the most severe form, characterized by the formation of blisters filled with transparent inflammatory exudate (pustules). The dermis nearby is hot, swollen, compacted, prone to exfoliation. With a secondary infection, suppuration appears.
• Arthropathic - skin manifestations are accompanied by an inflammatory process in the joints or connective tissue, mainly affecting the phalanges of the fingers or toes. With a severe course of the disease, the patient's disability is not excluded, up to the point of being bedridden.
• Erythrodermic - the inflammatory process and peeling in this form of psoriasis are generalized (common), the skin is actively exfoliating. There may be severe itching, swelling, soreness when touched. Psoriatic erythroderma can occur as an exacerbation of an unstable vulgar form, especially against the background of refusal of glucocorticoids, and does not exclude a lethal outcome.

In ICD-10, psoriatic onychodystrophy is also mentioned: the disease in this case does not affect the dermis, but the nail plates. The result is a change in the color of the nail bed (yellowing, whitening), the appearance of small spots or dots on the plate and under it, transverse grooves. Thickening of the adjacent skin, especially the lateral ridges, delamination of nails, brittleness or their complete loss is not excluded.

Treatment of psoriasis at home with folk remedies

The search for an effective way to combat a disease begins with establishing the cause of its occurrence. There is no single method for treating psoriasis, much depends on the severity of the patient's condition, age, the presence of additional pathologies, the specific form of the disease, therefore, doctors allow the use of traditional medicine in tandem with pharmaceutical preparations. They can have the following properties:

• anti-inflammatory;
• antibacterial;
• decongestant;
• antifungal;
• anti-healing;
• antiallergic.

Neither drug therapy nor folk remedies provide a complete and final cure for psoriasis, so they are almost equal in effectiveness: if you choose the right regimen, you can quickly improve the condition, prolong the period of remission, and reduce the severity of the acute stage. For maximum effectiveness, alternative treatment should be complex in nature - to act internally and locally, pursue the following goals:

• eliminate the cause of the exacerbation (external factors, general or non-specific hypoallergenic diet);
• alleviate symptoms (local compresses and lotions based on herbal infusions, raw grated potatoes, cabbage brine, homemade ointments, vegetable oils);
• increase the general defenses of the body (taking herbal decoctions and alcohol or water tinctures inside).

An important element in the therapeutic regimen for psoriasis is diet. The patient should refuse alcohol, confectionery, animal fats, any store products with preservatives, aromatic and flavoring additives, dyes. If it is known what kind of food provokes exacerbations, they refuse it. According to the rules of a nonspecific hypoallergenic diet, it is necessary to remove from the diet:

• chocolate;
• coffee;
• citrus;
• potato;
• flour;
• eggs.

Before treating psoriasis with folk remedies intended for internal use, alternative medicine experts advise cleaning with activated charcoal. The general condition improves, but the drug does not affect psoriatic plaques, therefore it cannot be considered an independent remedy. The cleaning is done like this:

1. Calculate the daily dosage of charcoal: take 1 tablet for every 10 kg of weight. Rounding is carried out according to the classical rules of mathematics: a figure up to 5 - downward, a figure after 5 - upward. So, with a weight of 46 kg, a person needs 5 charcoal tablets.
2. In the evening, take the tablets, chewing finely and drinking half a glass of warm water for 3 days. Some experts advise drinking charcoal during the day, for 40 days, but such actions are not safe for the digestive tract.

The principles of alternative treatment

Regularity and consistency are the basic rules that are relevant for all methods of alternative medicine. Get ready for the fact that folk remedies for psoriasis will not give an instant result, and if the disease is chronic, you will need to conduct several courses intermittently. Be sure to adhere to the following guidelines:

• Observe the indicated dosages. With increased sensitivity, you can lower them, but you should not increase them without consulting a doctor.
• Stick to an established schedule for local treatments (especially baths).
• Do not combine folk remedies with hormonal drugs (with the exception of a medical prescription).
• Do not try to peel off the crusts on psoriatic plaques on your own, avoid injuring the skin.
• If the condition worsens, the chosen remedy should be canceled and an appointment with a doctor should be made.

Ointment for psoriasis at home

Dermatologists call the most effective local remedy an ointment based on solidol: you can buy it at a pharmacy or make it yourself at home. To do this, you need to purchase the main component (pharmacy) and combine in equal proportion with baby cream. After that, sea buckthorn oil is introduced here (for 4 parts of the mixture - 1 part of the oil), mixed until smooth and the plaques are treated 3-5 times a day. The treatment lasts until they disappear. A couple more effective recipes:

• Take 1 tbsp. l. grease, petroleum jelly and liquid honey, add a raw beaten egg (you can only yolk), 1 tsp. chopped oak bark. The mixture is infused for 2-3 hours, stored in the refrigerator. Application of the ointment is possible with a frequency of up to 3 r / day until the plaques are completely eliminated.
• Burn some rose hips to obtain ash. Mix it with equal proportions of petroleum jelly. Use the ointment before bed on inflamed and swollen areas. The duration of treatment is 3-4 weeks.

Using tar

Treatment of psoriasis with folk methods necessarily involves the use of birch, juniper or pine tar, which is capable of disinfecting the skin, reducing inflammation, and drying. If there is no allergic reaction, tar can be applied in a single thin layer to the areas of inflammation (do not touch the face), leaving it for 15 minutes before bedtime. Safer drugs are made according to the following recipes:

• In equal proportions, take petroleum jelly, tar, fresh celandine juice (introduced last). Mix. Treat the affected areas in the morning, afternoon and evening for 3 weeks.
• Burn birch branches, mix the resulting ash 1: 1 with tar until smooth. Apply ointment to stains in the morning and evening. The course of treatment is 14-20 days.

Based on propolis

Beekeeping products have the ability to accelerate tissue healing and disinfect them well, and propolis is considered a powerful natural antibiotic that kills pathogenic microflora. Ointments based on it reduce inflammation and hyperemia (redness), work as an antiseptic. The most effective folk recipes:

• Melt in a water bath (low fire! ) 500 g of butter, add 50 g of propolis powdered to a state. Let the mixture cool and return to a plastic form, apply on a thick layer of cheesecloth folded three times, apply like a compress to psoriatic rashes. Keep it on for 2-3 hours. The procedure is carried out once a day for a month.
• In a water bath, warm 100 g of butter and 30 g of finely grated propolis. Stir, add grated beeswax (20 g), crushed apilak tablets (10 pcs. ) And bee bread (1 tablespoon). When all the components are dispersed, and the mass becomes homogeneous, remove from the stove, let cool. Enter camphor oil (1 tablespoon, can be replaced with fish oil). Use up to 3 times a day for psoriatic rash or large plaques. Duration of treatment - until the condition improves.

Baths for psoriasis at home

Moisturizing the epidermis, stimulating the elimination of toxins through the opening pores, eliminating itching, soreness, inflammation - this is what therapeutic baths contribute to. In folk medicine, this is one of the most important methods of therapy for most dermatological diseases. Baths are prescribed when the symptoms of exacerbation subside, while:

• the water temperature is within 35-37 degrees;
• before the bathroom you need to wash yourself in the shower;
• do not eat before the procedure (interval - 1. 5-2 hours);
• baths are taken every other day, the duration of the procedure is 10-20 minutes.

The number of sessions is determined by the severity of the disease and the form, set by the doctor. What to take a bath with is also determined individually: popular recipes for psoriasis based on herbal decoctions, turpentine, soda and salt solutions are popular. For therapeutic bathing, the following can be used:

• sea salt (for itching, burning; 1 kg per 10 liters);
• baking soda (for itching, irritation; 300 g for the whole bath);
• any starch (for edema, inflammation; 800 g per 2 l, pour into the bath);
• pine needles extract (100 ml per 250 l, pour into the bath);
• medicinal herbs in combination or separately: chamomile, sage, yarrow, eucalyptus, nettle, field horsetail (decoction - 2 tbsp. l. per 500 ml, diluted in a bath).

Soda

Cleansing the body of toxic substances and toxins, softening the skin, drying, exfoliating - these qualities make soda a good folk remedy for psoriasis. It is recommended to use it internally and externally. Systemic treatment consists in taking a glass of warm water on an empty stomach, in which 1/2 tsp is diluted. baking soda. When the powder is dispersed, the solution should be drunk in small sips. The procedure is repeated for 2-3 weeks and is contraindicated in diseases of the stomach, esophagus, intestines. For external use, the recipes are as follows:

• Pour baking soda with warm water in a 1: 1 ratio - you need a very thick gruel, which is applied to a cotton swab in an even thick layer and applied to the affected area. It is removed after an hour, the procedure is repeated 2-3 times a day. The duration of treatment is until the elimination of plaques, but if there is no effect after 10-14 days, the remedy is discarded.
• Make a concentrated solution of 3 tsp. baking soda and a glass of hot (not higher than 60 degrees) water. Moisten gauze folded three times in it, apply like a compress to the affected skin and keep until it cools. Do this in the morning and evening until the condition improves.

Linseed oil

Elimination of peeling, softening of the affected skin, stimulating their regeneration, moisturizing and nourishing are the main properties of flax seed oil, which is a good folk remedy used locally for psoriasis. The easiest way is to treat the inflamed areas with pure unrefined oil several times a day. An alternative are compresses and ointments according to such recipes:

• Add 2 tbsp to 50 g of calendula ointment. l. flaxseed oil, stir. Treat plaque-free plaque before bed. Repeat the procedure for 10-14 days.
• Combine plantain juice with flaxseed oil 1: 3, stir. Saturate gauze or cotton pads with this mixture, apply lotions to the affected areas. Remove after half an hour. Treatment is carried out during an exacerbation of the disease with a frequency of 1-2 r / day.

Iodine treatment

The disinfecting, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing and hemostatic properties of iodine made it a good folk remedy to help cope with psoriasis. Local and internal use of the drug is allowed, but the latter option has a large number of contraindications:

• disruption of the endocrine system (especially thyroid pathology);
• vascular disease;
• heart failure;
• liver disease;
• tuberculosis;
• age up to 3 years.

Topically iodine (do not dilute, do not mix with anything) is applied to psoriatic spots if they have a small coverage area. Do this 1 r / day or less often if it is slowly absorbed. Do not cover the treated area with a bandage. Inside, iodine is taken in 5 drops, diluted in warm water (100 ml), in the morning and in the evening. Such therapy is carried out no longer than 12 days.

Decoction of bay leaves

Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties due to the high content of essential oils in the chemical composition are the main reasons why bay leaves have become a popular folk remedy in the fight against psoriatic plaques. Additionally, it reduces tissue swelling, prevents the development of arthropathic forms of the disease, removes excess salts from the body. To obtain the result, the broth should be taken for 3 weeks, and it is prepared as follows:

1. Take 7-10 dry bay leaves, pour 400 ml of boiling water.
2. Bring to a boil over low heat, covered and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Let the broth sit on a warm burner for another 15 minutes. Filter through cheesecloth.
4. When the product has cooled to room temperature, you can use it. A single dose - 50 ml, 3 times a day, a quarter of an hour before a meal or an hour after it.

Wellness with tea

Herbal teas, which are used internally, are an important part of the therapeutic regimen for psoriasis. On their basis, concentrated decoctions, prescribed in small doses, or lighter infusions, which should be drunk instead of tea, can be made. They help cleanse the body and skin, increase immunity, relieve inflammation, and improve overall well-being. Keep in mind that herbs are allergens, so they can provoke an exacerbation in case of individual intolerance. Effective folk remedies for psoriasis on the body and face:

• Chamomile tea: 1 tspBrew flowers with boiling water (200 ml), leave for 10 minutes, drink warm. You can add honey, mint leaves, lemon balm, vanillin on the tip of a knife (recent studies by American scientists have shown that it helps reduce inflammation in psoriasis). Drink 2 glasses of this tea per day. The treatment lasts 1-2 months.
• Monastic tea: brew in a thermos under a liter of water 2 tbsp. l. collection of violets, St. John's wort, burdock and licorice roots, hop cones, poplar buds from the grass. Insist 8 hours, drink 400 ml per day, dividing into 2 servings. The treatment lasts a month. Then they take a break and repeat the course. Throughout the year, they do 6 courses with a month's rest between them.

Kalanchoe

For skin problems, dermatologists advise trying to use aloe or Kalanchoe juice externally and internally (they are similar in properties). For topical use, an ointment is prepared based on honey, warm water and Kalanchoe juice (proportion 1: 3: 1 by volume), which must be infused for 3 days in a dark, cool place. After the resulting product lubricate the affected areas in the morning and evening. You can apply compresses with this ointment for 2-3 hours before bedtime. Duration of treatment - until the condition improves.

Using hydrogen peroxide

Daily washing of psoriatic plaques with undiluted 1. 5-3% hydrogen peroxide is the easiest way to use this remedy. You can make a lotion on a cotton pad, cover with a bandage and leave for half an hour, repeat the procedure 3-4 times a day. Additionally, in the absence of problems with the digestive tract, you can carry out the following treatment:

1. In the morning, drink 1 drop of peroxide (1. 5%) diluted in half a glass of warm water on an empty stomach.
2. The next day, take 2 drops.
3. Increase the dose daily until you reach 10 drops. Afterwards, similarly reduce. The entire course will take 20 days.

How to quickly cure psoriasis

There are a large number of effective folk recipes that help to cope with psoriatic rashes in a short time, but for each patient the set of the most effective ones is individual. For a general cleansing of the body, you can drink 2 tbsp 3 times a day. l. fresh celery juice (from the stalks). Additionally, experts advise trying the following options:

• Combine the string and alcohol (you can vodka) 50 g each in a glass container, keep in a cold place for 10 days. Squeeze out the grass, mix the tincture with lanolin and petroleum jelly (30 g each). Use the resulting ointment in the morning and in the evening on psoriatic spots, and an alcoholic tincture of the train can be additionally prepared separately and drunk 10-15 drops (they are dissolved in 50 ml of warm water) during the day. The treatment lasts 3 weeks.
• Cabbage brine contributes to the rapid regeneration of the dermis and the healing of plaques: they need to moisten the affected areas 6-8 times a day (until the rash disappears). Likewise, you can use milk scum (bring it to a boil in an enamel saucepan and drain).
• Pour clover flowers (4-5 tbsp. L. ) With a small amount of boiling water (100 ml), let it brew (10-15 minutes). Place them in double-folded gauze, apply a compress to the inflamed area for a couple of hours. The procedure is repeated daily until improvement occurs.

How to get rid of psoriasis once and for all

Local treatment, according to experts, predominantly has a symptomatic effect. If you need folk remedies for psoriasis that work from the inside and give more meaningful results, consider herbal teas that are taken internally. They need to be drunk for a long course (3-6 months or longer), but even they are not a guarantee of complete elimination of the problem, since psoriasis is difficult to treat. Effective recipes:

• Lingonberry leaf, elecampane root, corn silk and celandine are taken in 1 part. St. John's wort, marsh calamus root and a succession - 3 parts each. By the 2nd Art. l. the resulting collection add a couple of inflorescences of black elderberry, pour all 400 ml of boiling water. Warming up the broth over low heat under a lid for 10 minutes, insist on it for half an hour and strain it. Drink 100 ml after meals one hour in the morning and in the evening. The course of treatment is 4 weeks. In diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, the safety of using this folk remedy should be discussed with a doctor.
• Mix flowers of black elderberry, violet, chamomile and calendula with sage, string and celandine (equal ratio). Brew 5 tbsp. l. collection in 1 liter of boiling water, leave for 3 hours. Drink 100 ml before meals for half an hour for a month. The remedy is most effective in the chronic form of the disease.
• If the rash is small and covers a small area (not common throughout the body), home treatment for psoriasis can be done with fir water. For 40 days they drink it in 100 ml between meals or in the morning on an empty stomach (the latter option is more effective). After that, you need to take a break for 14 days and drink fir water for another 30 days.