Herbs for Eczema
Eczema Diagnosis & Treatment According to Chinese Medicine
There's no single cause of eczema. There are actually many causes. Curing it requires understanding and countering all its root causes.
Even though eczema appears as a skin rash, doctors of TCM consider it an internal disharmony, usually a sign of Internal 'Heat' and 'Dryness'.
This makes eczema treatment complex. Heat in the Blood, Yin Repletion Heat, Blood Deficiency Dryness are some causes of eczema.
Heat: A Common Cause of Eczema
Heat refers to heat you can measure like the heat of a fever. The word also refers to heat you can’t measure, like a hot flash or a hot rash.
Heat appears as inflammation, hyperactivity, or over-stimulation. Heat can come from irritating chemicals, foreign organisms, or by the friction caused by the constrained flow of qi (emotional constraint).
Heat is also the by-product of our metabolism and our digestion. Hormonal activity causes and is stimulated by heat. An overly stimulating diet can cause excess heat; so can a hyperactive mind or life style. Since friction, caused by the emotional constraint of qi, causes heat, frustration and anger are considered to cause heat as well.
Our skin reflects heat as rashes, redness, pimples, boils, dryness, infections, and other skin inflammations. Sometimes heat is caused by Blood Deficiency. Deficient blood can't dilute cell wastes. Because these toxic wastes must be transported in the blood. Deficient Blood can result in Toxic Heat in the Blood which will be diagnosed as many different inflammatory skin diseases.
Common sources of heat and suggestions
1. Excessively stimulating diet
Eat simple, easily digestible foods
2. Hormonal imbalances
Take herbs to harmonize Yin and Yang
3. Stagnation
Increase exercise to move the blood.
4. Blood Deficiency
Eat more red meat, take blood building herbs like Si Wu Tang or Ba Zhen Wan (Women’s Precious Pills)
5. Worry stress, and agitated thoughts
Be here, notice your thoughts, dispel anger. Take Free & Easy Pills
6. Hot weather
Get cool
Dryness: Another Cause of Eczema
Dryness can come from heat, fluid deficiency, or a dry environment. Dry weather, wind, or the influence of drying substances can cause internal and external dryness. Dryness can also come from deficiency of blood or other fluids. Internal heat, whether from feverish disease or from fluid deficiency, will further scorch the fluids, causing more dryness.
Baby Eczema
Eczema in babies and infants is quite common. About 20% of infants and children have eczema. 65% develop symptoms in before they are one year old. 90% develop their eczema within 5 years. About 60% persist into adulthood, although many babies with eczema improve before they are 2 yrs. old.
If you’re breastfeeding:
Baby eczema can also be aggravated by heat, and irritants contacting your baby’s skin. Wool, chemicals in soaps, lotions, and detergents, and your consumption of stimulating foods.
Psoriasis and Eczema
Psoriasis is often confused with eczema. However, psoriasis is a different condition altogether. Both conditions present with a skin rash. These rashes can appear similar at first, however the rashes are different. Psoriasis rash involves the scaling and flaking off of the skin at a later stage. Eczema does not. According to Chinese medicine, psoriasis involves stagnation and toxicity in addition to the heat and dryness which causes eczema.
Information on this site is provided for educational purposes and is not meant to substitute for the advice of your own physician or another medical professional. We make no claim as to efficacy or safety of herbs or herbal medicine appearing on this site. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.