‘Sister reminded me of Stalin with her unwavering discipline and wavy moustache’Chinese herbs may ease eczema in children
A study by the Chinese University of Hong Kong evaluated the effects of ‘pentaherbs formulation’ on 85 patients aged between five and 21 with atopic eczema. Half were given the herbs and half placebo.
The formulation capsules contain extracts of five raw herbs – Japanese honeysuckle, peppermint, root bark of peony tree, underground stem of the atractylodes herb and Amur cork-tree bark.
The researchers found that the quality of life improved by a third in the group taking the herbs, compared to no improvement in the placebo-treated group. They also found the remedy reduced need for topical steroids – the duration of use reduced by an average of four days per month in the herbal group compared to one day per month for placebo.
Nina Goad, a spokesperson for the British Association of Dermatologists, said: ‘We would warn against using Chinese herbal medications without first speaking to your doctor. Some retailers may not be reputable.’
Have your say
You must sign in to make a comment.
Share
Readers' comments (1)
Tiggy Boas | 25-Feb-2009 5:28 pm
I am pleased to hear of more success regarding treatment of eczema with chinese herbs. I was successfully treated in this way after clinical adult trials at the Royal Free in London some 10 years ago, however the herbs were never fully licenced and treatment was delisted from prescription which seems very sad. I would also recommend anyone having this treatment in any form undertake regular liver function tests to make sure there is nothing toxic building up from the various herbs.
Tiggy Wilson, Registered Nurse
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment