Medical Today

Alternative Treatments for Psoriasis include:

• Soaking in warm water and German chamomile (Matricaria recutita) or bathing in warm salt water.

• Drinking as many as three cups a day of hot tea made with one or a combination of the following herbs: burdock root (Arctium lappa), dandelion (Taraxacum mongolicum) root, Oregon grape root (Mahonia aquifolium), sarsaparilla (Smilax officinalis), and balsam pear (Momardica charantia).

• Taking two 500-mg capsules of evening primrose oil (Oenothera biennis) a day. Pregnant women should not use evening primrose oil, and patients with liver disease or high cholesterol should use it only under a doctor’s supervision.

• Eating a diet that includes plenty of fish, turkey, celery (for cleansing the kidneys), parsley, lettuce, lemons (for cleansing the liver), limes, fiber, and fruit and vegetable juices.

• Eating a diet that eliminates animal products high in saturated and unsaturated fats, such as fried foods, dairy products, and fatty meats, that promote inflammation.

• Drinking plenty of water (at least eight glasses) each day.

• Regularly imagining clear, healthy skin.

Other helpful alternative approaches include identifying and eliminating food allergens from the diet; enhancing liver function; augmenting the supply of hydrochloric acid in the stomach; and completing a detoxification program.

Constitutional homeopathic treatment, if properly prescribed, can sometimes help resolve psoriasis.