Herbal medicine for psoriasis

In The Natural Way Psoriasis Hilary Bower describes how herbs could help for psoriasis. 

"Plants have been used to prevent or heal disease for thousands of years and are still the main source of medicine for four out of five people in the world. Some plants have also provided the raw materials for today's modern drugs. For example, the heart drug digoxin comes from foxgloves, alkaloids used to treat leukemia and Hodgkin's lymphoma are extracted from the Madagascan periwinkle, and the active ingredient in aspirin comes from willow bark.

Drugs are made by isolating one part of a herb and then reproducing it synthetically. The pharmaceutical industry believes that these copy chemicals are more consistent and can therefore be given in more accurate doses, unlike plants that can vary from season to season. 

But herbalists say synthetic drugs contain only the active ingredient, leaving out many others that make up the whole plant. This 'whole plant' combination may relieve several symptoms that occur together, not just the most obvious one, and may also counteract any nasty side-effects of the active ingredient. 

For example, herbalists use the plant Ephedra to treat asthma. A side-effect of its active ingredient, ephedrine, is raised blood pressure, but the other constituents of the plant (taken in a herbal prescription but excluded from synthetic drugs) counter this side-effect and maintain normal blood pressure.

Meadowsweet, the herbal equivalent of aspirin, also illustrates this point. Like aspirin, it contains salicylic acid which can cause stomach ulcers if taken alone or too frequently. But as meadowsweet also contains tannin and mucilage, natural protectors and healers of the stomach lining, the effect of the acid is balanced.

Herbalists usually see symptoms as the body's way of trying to restore internal balance, so although they may give you a lotion to ease the immediate symptoms, they may also prescribe remedies which aim to deal with the root cause (liver over-load, for example and stimulate the body's own healing powers.

Herbs that may help psoriasis

Red clover and sarsaparilla: Key herbs in psoriasis and eczema; used to detoxify the system, cleanse the blood and encourage good use of nutrients in food. Sarsaparilla is also used to control chronic arthritis.

Burdock: One of the best herbal remedies for dry scaly skin. Make a tea by simmering one teaspoonful of burdock root in a cup of water for 15 minutes. It can also be combined with yellow dock root, red clover and sarsaparilla and taken three times a day for up to three months.

Elder: A hot infusion of elderflowers stimulates the circulation, causes sweating and cleanses the system of toxins. Ointments containing the root and bark of elder soothe plaques.

Dock: A liver tonic with a high iron content and an aid to weak digestion (both possible causes of psoriasis). Dock is also a good detoxifier and stimulates congested blood and lymph fluids. Take as a tincture or tea, or use as a lotion to counter inflammation.

Watercress: A blood cleanser that livens up the digestion, improves absorption of food and increases circulation. It stimulates the liver and helps detoxify the system as well as pepping up the immune system. Also good as a stress tonic because of its large number of vitamins, mineral and trace elements.

Cleavers: As a lotion is a treatment against psoriasis, eczema and other skin conditions. Taken as a tea it cleanses the lymphatic system and reduces glandular swelling."

My approach

In my experience as a doctor of medical heilkunst, individual herbal medicine for psoriasis can help palliate the symptoms. But psoriasis is a systemic disease and needs a comprehensive and systematic approach. If you'd like to know more give me a call.