Eczema: How to soothe itchy, irritated skin with these natural remedies

Eczema comes from a Greek word meaning to boil over a feeling which is all too familiar to anybody who has been driven crazy by the intense itching the disease causes. The condition is characterised by scaly, inflamed, thickened patches of skin, which can become cracked and red, and often appear on the face, elbows, knees and wrists. In some cases, tiny blisters form that can burst, weep and crust over. 

The condition is far more common these days than it ever used to be, affecting around one in five children and one in twelve adults. It is caused by things we come into contact with in our daily lives, either as foods (or food additives) or as chemicals absorbed into the skin. These can act as allergens (which cause the body to mount an allergic reaction) or as plain irritants, or a combination of both.

The allergic kind of eczema (which doctors call atopic eczema) is often associated with asthma and hay fever and tends to run in families. Foods and contact chemicals can both cause atopic eczema. Common dietary culprits are dairy products, soya, eggs, wheat and shellfish.

Food additives, such as tartrazine colourings and the flavour enhancer monosodium glutamate, are a particular menace (Clin Exp Allergy 2001; 31: 265-273). Many cleaning products also contain chemicals that cause allergic reactions, such as ammonia, chlorine and carbolic acid.

Eczema caused by irritant substances is also known as contact dermatitis. It can be caused by many of the thousands of artificial chemicals that are part of modern daily life. You wouldnt dream of putting car radiator anti-freeze on your face, but its main ingredient, propylene glycol, is commonly used in cosmetics, hair care products, deodorants and aftershave.

When you consider what antifreeze can do to your cars paintwork, it isnt surprising that this toxic chemical can often be a cause of eczema (Contact Dermatitis 1975; 1: 112-116). Another frequent offender is sodium lauryl sulphate, found in washing-up liquid, shower gel, shampoo and even toothpaste.

Conventional treatments come with a host of unwanted side-effects

The first obvious step to treating eczema is to identify, and then avoid, the foods or chemicals that are to blame in causing your symptoms. This is sometimes quite difficult and you may need the help of a nutritional therapist or naturopath who is experienced in this kind of detective work, to track down the culprits.

If you visit your doctor youll probably be prescribed a cream containing hydrocortisone or other steroid drugs that help suppress inflammation. However, you should be aware that long-term use of these creams can cause side effects such as weight gain, immune system suppression and high blood pressure.

As well as pinpointing factors that are triggering your condition, there are a number of nutritional supplements that can be of great help in keeping distressing symptoms under control.

Herbal remedies can be more effective and safer than conventional treatments

The herb St Johns Wort (Hypericum perforatum) is most commonly used as a treatment for depression, but its active ingredients, hypericin and hyperforin, also have powerful anti-inflammatory properties.

In a recent double-blind study carried out in Germany, a cream containing St Johns Wort extract was compared with a placebo cream in 21 people with mild to moderate eczema. The patients used the real cream on one side of their body and the dummy cream on the other, for a period of four weeks. The results showed that St Johns Wort cream can significantly reduce eczema symptoms (Hautarzt 2003: 54: 248-253). As St Johns Wort can cause sensitivity to sunshine, avoid prolonged sun exposure when using this cream.

Another herbal treatment that has a long history of use in treating skin problems is the oil of the Indian neem tree. Studies have found the constituents of neem oil to be more effective than both hydrocortisone and the non-steroid drug phenylbutazone in treating inflammatory skin conditions (Planta Medica 1981; 43: 59-63). Neem oil is best used topically for eczema, in a proprietary cream.

Chinese herbal medicine also has a high success rate in treating eczema. Researchers found a proprietary combination of traditional Chinese herbs including Tribulus terrestris, Glycyrrhiza uralensis and Schizonepeta tenuifolia among others to be significantly more effective than placebo in controlling eczema symptoms, in both adults and children (Brit J Dermatol 1992; 126: 179-184).

Visit a qualified Chinese herbal medicine practitioner for an individual blend of herbs suited to your condition. A common component of Chinese herbal formulas is liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), which has recently been found to be successful for treating eczema when used alone in a topical cream (Dermatol Treat 2003; 14: 153-157).

Essential fatty acids could be the key to controlling your eczema

Researchers have discovered that people with eczema often lack the ability to use essential fatty acids properly, resulting in what doctors call a functional deficiency of these nutrients. Because of this, eczema sufferers are likely to benefit from taking additional supplements of essential fatty acids.

Evening primrose oil, which contains the essential fatty acid gamma linolenic acid (GLA), has been found to be a helpful treatment for eczema in several clinical trials. An analysis of nine separate studies concluded that its most striking effect is in reducing itching, which is often the most distressing symptom of the disease (Brit J Dermatol 1989; 121: 75-90).

Fish oil, which contains eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), could also play a major role in reducing eczema symptoms. According to the results of a double-blind clinical trial in which atopic eczema patients took 10g of fish oil daily for 12 weeks, itching, scaling and other symptoms all reduced significantly (J Intern Med Suppl 1989; 225: 233-236).

The researchers concluded that fish oils effectiveness is due to its ability to reduce levels of an inflammatory substance called leukotriene B4 in the body, which is associated with eczema. Take around 500mg of GLA and 1,500mg of EPA daily for best results.