Chinese herbs may offer alternative eczema cure

Published on Wednesday 12 March 2008 21:13

A CONCOCTION of Chinese herbs may help treat people suffering from eczema, research revealed yesterday.

The study found that patients taking a capsule of five raw herbs reported a better quality of life.

The patients using the herbs also had to rely less on conventional steroid creams.

The study was welcomed by dermatologists, but they warned patients to consult a doctor before taking herbal remedies.

This comes after the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) warned last week that low quality herbal products, put patients at risk of dangerous reactions.

The latest research, published in the British Journal of Dermatology, examined the effects of the remedy known as a "pentaherbs formulation".

The capsules contained the herbs Flos lonicerae (Japanese honeysuckle), Herba menthae (peppermint), Cortex moutan (root bark of peony tree), atractylodes rhizome (underground stem of the herb atractylodes) and Cortex phellodendri (Amur cork-tree bark). A group of 85 eczema patients aged between five and 21 were given either three herbal capsules twice a day, or dummy pills over 12 weeks. They continued to use their conventional medication as they needed.

Those taking the herbs saw their quality of life improve by a third compared with those taking the placebo, who saw no improvement.

The number of days patients had to use steroid creams reduced by four days a month in the herbal group, compared with just one day in the placebo group.

Dr Ting-fan Leung, one of the researchers, said: "Further studies are needed to explore this in more depth. However this is an interesting first step."

The British Association of Dermatologists said the findings could eventually lead to the herbal remedy entering mainstream medicine.

But spokeswoman Nina Goad added: "We would warn against using Chinese herbal medications without first speaking to your doctor. Some retailers may not be reputable"