Psoriasis is a hereditary disease which involves a more rapid growth of skin cells, overgrowth of skin cells and sloughing off of skin cells in such a way as to have silvery scales show up on a red base of skin on areas of the body that can include the scalp, face, trunk, arms and legs, and genitals. There are a number of medical treatments used to treat psoriasis but many people are in search of natural, herbal remedies for the disease-remedies that have fewer side effects than regular drugs for the disease and that work as well as those medications.
It is not likely that an herbal remedy for psoriasis will work as well as medication for psoriasis but there is some merit in a few of these herbal remedies. Herbal remedies that slow skin growth, that affect the immune system and that cleanse the liver may actually have some benefit in treating this disease. The herbs can be taken on a regular basis to prevent flare-ups or you can take the herbs only when flare-ups occur. Nothing will cure psoriasis but you can shorten the flare-ups and prevent flare-ups with herbs that act against the disease.
Liver cleansing is important in psoriasis because the liver is the major organ that can filter out the toxins from our body. If the liver is overloaded, the toxins build up and these can be triggers to psoriasis. When the liver does its job and neutralizes the toxins, they must be gotten rid of by the colon so that colon cleansing is another good option for treating psoriasis. If there are bad toxins in the colon, other body areas can be affected, including the skin.
The major herbal remedies for psoriasis include those that cleanse the colon, gallbladder and the liver and make it so these organs work better and rid the body of toxins. There are a few herbs that safely do this:
Slippery elm. This is a colon cleansing herb that tones the colon and helps it work better. Waste is not backed up and the colon can get rid of toxins the normal way. You can take slippery elm supplements on a regular basis to keep flare-ups of psoriasis from occurring.
Dandelion extract. This tends to work on the liver and allows it to cleanse the toxins out of the body. It can also repair a damaged liver, making it good for people with very overworked livers.
Cascara sagrada. This is a natural laxative herb that cleanses the colon and gets rid of toxins and waste materials, thus improving psoriasis.
In traditional Chinese medicine, there are many herbs used in the treatment of psoriasis and that are the mainstay of Chinese medical treatment of psoriasis. Some of them have names we would not recognize and one might have to see a Chinese medical practitioner in order to be treated with Chinese medicine for your psoriasis.
One example of Chinese herbal medicine helping psoriasis is the herb called Radix rubiae. It has the ability to prevent the excess growth of skin cells and is used as one of over sixty herbal treatments for psoriasis in Chinese medicine. Herbal baths are also prescribed by Chinese doctors. It’s called the Yuyin recipe. These are just a couple of ways herbs can be used to prevent outbreaks of psoriasis.