According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, psoriasis affects 7.5 million people in the United States.[9] A chronic disease that causes skin cells to grow quicker than they can be shed, there is no cure for psoriasis. Symptomatic episodes often flare, then abate, in a cycle that can continue throughout a person’s lifetime. The goal of Western medical treatment, as is often the case, is to merely manage symptoms. These symptoms include red, patchy skin that can be both itchy and painful. Skin can take on a dry, cracked appearance, or resemble thick, silvery scales. Skin may crack and bleed. There are several classifications of the condition, including plaque psoriasis (the most common form), and psoriatic arthritis which produces stiff, swollen joints and can lead to permanent deformities.[10]
Once again, treatments for psoriasis include the go-to pharmaceutical arsenal of steroids and immunosuppressive drugs aimed at stopping the rapid turnover of skin cells. As we have seen time and again with chemically-derived drug treatments, the effects are never limited to just “problem” cells. Side effects of these treatments can be severe, including infections and cancer, especially related to the skin.[11]
As researchers plumb nature’s pharmacopeia, we are routinely rewarded by plant-based remedies that produce better results than can be obtained through pharmaceuticals, and with fewer-to-no side effects. In April 2018, a group of researchers released one such report, on the potent anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric and its therapeutic effect on psoriasis. Published in the April Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, “Turmeric tonic as a treatment in scalp psoriasis: A randomized placebo-control clinical trial”,[12] follows forty patients with mild-to-moderate scalp psoriasis through a 9-week intervention. Topical applications of turmeric tonic were applied twice-daily, with a control group applying a placebo in the same manner. Patients were evaluated at baseline, 3, 6, and 9 weeks, and were assessed for dermatologic quality-of-life indicators as well as psoriasis area and severity scores. Probable adverse effects were recorded and reported.
Results from this study are highly optimistic; improvements were reported across all indicators. “Compared to the placebo, turmeric tonic significantly reduced the erythema, scaling, and induration of lesions, and improved the patients’ quality of life.” Patients reported no serious adverse effects. Researchers concluded that the clinical effects of turmeric tonic on scalp psoriasis were satisfactory, overall, and recommended that turmeric be considered as a treatment for scalp psoriasis.
Despite Western medicine’s knee-jerk response to most afflictions-whipping out a prescription pad-for those who wish to explore natural remedies first, you may find that you need look no further than nature to cure your dandruff condition. From wild honey to fragrant yellow turmeric, science continues to support what herbalists and natural healers have known for millennia: nothing heals better than Nature herself!
