Psoriasis is a skin condition that is caused by an excessive and rapid growth of cells in the skin that results in patches of skin to become red, dry, itchy and scaly. The root of the word psoriasis comes from the Greek word psora, meaning "itch." It's not contagious and there's no known cure.
There are many celebrities who live (or had lived) with this annoyance, including Leann Rimes, Kim Kardashian, Cyndi Lauper, Phil Mickelson, Art Garfunkel, Jon Lovitz, Cara Delevingne and many more. It appears many have turned to corticosteroids and/or biologics such as abatacept, adalimumab, or etanercept for relief, however these don’t always eliminate 100% of the patches. So how do you treat the stubborn, visual effects that remain?
There are many creams, balms and lotions available for psoriasis sufferers, but they can be expensive, negatively affect your health or make the condition worse. Thankfully, there are a handful of natural and organic (i.e. “clean”) treatments based on herbs and oils that can readily be found.
This article will explore what can expect when you use natural remedies to help manage psoriasis, including what ingredients to look for as well as those you might choose to avoid.
For many years, the popular go-to creams, balms or lotions might contain tar, coal tar, salicylic acid or vitamin D3. However, some people find these remedies too expensive, too “chemical” or not effective enough. What these folks need is a more natural option for psoriasis, eczema and dermatitis that can be found in wild and organic flora. As an example, let’s look at salicylic acid, the main ingredient in aspirin as well as a superior skin exfoliant. This can be produced in a laboratory using only chemicals, chemically isolated from natural ingredients like wintergreen, or included in natural/organic plants as part of a synergistic whole. Plants that naturally include salicylic acid include violet leaves (yay!), aspen bark, white willow bark and even tomatoes! Many folks would agree that these are much more palatable options than coal tar, which according to the National Cancer Institute (https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/coal-tar ) increases the risk of skin, bladder, kidney, lung and gut cancers.
When researching ingredients in any potential psoriasis treatment, we want to look for plants that have been shown to help reduce inflammation, reduce itching and slow the proliferation of skin cells that lead to “scaling” or patches of dead skin. Sure, coal tar has been proven to reduce both itching and scaling, but so has Berberis aquifolium (Oregon grape root), Indigo naturalis (qing dai) and Matricaria recutita L. (German chamomile).
There are literally hundreds of plant types that would benefit any psoriasis, eczema and dermatitis treatment protocol. Here at Violet Leaf Skincare, we’ve chosen 38 of them to use in our P/E Balm that include moisturizers, inflammation fighters, antioxidants and scale retardants. We invite you to experience for yourself the power of natural plants in managing these skin annoyances.
For a more in-depth review of the constituents and usage of specific flora in your psoriasis/eczema/dermatitis treatment:
Violet leaf: https://scialert.net/fulltext/?doi=crc.2015.44.52
German chamomile: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3834722/
Oregon grape: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6334833/
Qing dai: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5581407/