Ayurvedic Psoriasis Cure: Natural Healing for Skin

According to Ayurveda, every person has a distinct energy pattern consisting of three energies. These energies are called doshas and include:

•    Vata Dosha – Governs the bodily functions
•    Pitta Dosha – governs the metabolic functions 
•    Kapha Dosha– governs the growth in the body

If the body doshas are out of balance, you may feel stressed or become sick from dosha related diseases.
Ayurvedic specialists believe psoriasis is caused by unbalanced vata and kapha doshas. Kapha is responsible for the rapid growth of cells while Vata causes the dryness and scaling of the skin in psoriasis.

Toxins, also called ama, stress and some foods like processed and junk foods cause inflammations to the skin and affect the immunity of a person. When a person has low immunity, they may contract disease like psoriasis.

Psoriasis exposes the patient to other serious conditions such as:

•    Psoriatic arthritis
•    Cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and strokes
•    Mental health problems like anxiety, depression and low self esteem
•    Diabetes, obesity, liver disease, kidney disease and also certain cancers

You should therefore address psoriasis as early as you get the diagnosis to prevent it from escalating to something more severe. 

There are different types of psoriasis and each may be caused by different factors. For instance plaque psoriasis, which is caused by formation of plaque in the body, can be treated in Ayurveda by administering practices that dissolve the plaque formed. 

Ayurveda treatment for psoriasis involves a lifestyle and diet changes, herbal supplements, application of oils and massages and also detoxification procedures. 
The specific treatment plan is given according to the symptoms a patient is experiencing and the severity of the disease. A practitioner should therefore access the extent of the disease before prescribing a treatment.

The main treatment for psoriasis is Panchakarma therapy, which is basically purification and cleansing of the body. There are five actions in Panchakarma namely:

•    Virechana
•    Vamana
•    Basti
•    Nasya
•    Raktamokshana 

Your therapist will recommend the most effective therapy depending on the severity of your condition.

Panchakarma therapies are carried out in three stages:

•    Preparation
•    Active treatment 
•    Post therapy procedures

Preparation procedures involve snehan and swedana therapies. Snehan, also called oleation is where the entire body is lubricated with medicated oils and ghee. Other portions of the ghee are given to the patient to consume to help lubricate and soften the body tissues. After taking the ghee, the patient should drink warm water throughout the day and eat light food only when hungry.

Swedana, also called fomentation is induced sweating. This procedure channels the toxins to places where they can be easily ejected from during actual cleansing.

Vamana Therapy 

This is medically induced vomiting or emesis. Vamana therapy removes the excess kapha dosha by dissolving toxins from the respiratory and gastrointestinal tract. Just like all the other Panchakarma therapies, vamana therapy is carried out in three stages.

During the preparation stage, the patient is asked to take specific types of foods like ghee or oil or a kapha increased diet a few days before the active therapy procedure.

The high kapha diet increases the kapha in the body and triggers the body to forcefully eliminate it through vomiting. The following day after taking this diet, the patient then drinks a vomit inducing beverage t trigger vomiting. 

The patient vomits the whole kapha from the body and they are left feeling lighter and better. 
After the therapy, the patient takes a rest and consumes light food. The patient is supposed to make gradual introduction of heavy foods to their diet because the system is usually delicate after therapy.

Basti Therapy

Basti therapy cleans out toxins from vata, pitta and kapha doshas in the body. It is especially beneficial for people with vata dosha disorders like psoriasis. 
During the preparatory stage, a patient is given medicated ghee, oil or herbal decoction as an enema. These help in cleaning the colon and increase the muscle tone. The toxins are eliminated from the body through fecal material.

Herbal Supplements

Here are some herbal treatments used to cure skin disease like psoriasis:

Turmeric: This is a bright yellow orange spice that is known to reduce inflammations. The spice also has antioxidant properties that protect body cells from abnormal functioning or multiplication.

Andira Araroba: This botanical powder is made from crushed Andira Araroba tree. Ayurvedic practitioners advices that you mix the powder with vinegar or lemon juice to form a paste. Take the paste and apply on the psoriasis patches to ease the inflammation and heal the skin.

Olive oil: Apply organic olive oil directly to the psoriasis patches or use it when bathing to reduce dryness and irritation of the skin.

Milk thistle: This herb helps to ease the symptoms of psoriasis by boosting the liver and immune system. 

Cayenne pepper: This spice contains a compound called capsaicin that helps block the nerve endings that cause pain. It also eases inflammation, scaling and redness that are caused by

psoriasis. Capsaicin is more effective when applied as a cream, but then you need to be careful because it may cause a burning feeling on your skin.

Aloe vera:  The gel of aloe vera plant is applied to plaques and it also reduces itching and scaling.

Other herbs that are used in Ayurveda to cure psoriasis include guggul, Jasmine flower paste, neem, black nightshade and Boswellia, or frankincense.
 

Stress, anxiety and other mental health diseases leads to imbalance of body doshas. Stress triggers psoriasis flares and therefore if you address stress then you might cure psoriasis.
Meditation helps in management of stress and anxiety. Mindful meditation and practices of Pranayama, which is controlled breathing techniques help a person, reduce stress. 

Yoga is also a relaxing exercise that keeps the body doshas balanced. It also helps in uniting the body, mind and consciousness of a person. When these three components are in synch, then dosha related diseases like psoriasis can be cured effectively.

Ayurveda basically revolves around a vegetarian diet and elimination of ‘ama’ causing foods.  Keep away from high carbohydrate foods and products with high sugar concentration.
You should also listen to your body and respond effectively. If you feel the urge to urinate, defecate or even vomit, obey the body as it is a way of removing ama from the body.

Dietary habits like eating only when hungry and taking more fruits and vegetables helps in cleansing the body. You should also drink a lot of water throughout the day for hydration and to also remove toxins through urinating or sweating.

There is no much research that has been done on Ayurvedic medicines for treating psoriasis and other ailments. However, Ayurvedic treatment is known to use natural methods to remove toxins from the body and balance the doshas. 

Most body ailments are as a result of accumulation of toxins or imbalance of body doshas. When you remove the toxins and balance the doshas, it restores the normal functioning of the body systems. This will cure the diseases that were caused by abnormal functioning of the body systems including psoriasis. 

Ayurveda also, does not use extreme treatment methods that damage the body. The treatment should leave you energized and relaxed if done correctly. 

During treatment you may experience uncomfortable side effects, but if they are extreme, you should consult your physician to determine if it is safe to continue with the treatment or you stop it. 

It is therefore safe to use Ayurveda practices to treat psoriasis as long as you are doing it under the supervision of a qualified Ayurveda practitioner.