Scabies Home Remedies
Relentless itching, skin rashes, redness and blisters — these are symptoms of scabies, a contagious skin disease caused by an infestation of the itch mite, Sarcoptes scabiei. It’s estimated that about 300 million scabies cases occur each year throughout the world! It’s spread through personal contact by relatives, sexual partners, chronically ill patients and crowded communities. Outside of the U.S., scabies is even a significant cause of morbidity. If you’ve ever had scabies, you know how annoying and disgusting they can be. The good news is there are home remedies for scabies and rash natural remedies that are not only effective, but help your entire skin health. Here are some of them.
1. Neem
Neem oil, soaps, and creams can be a useful alternative treatment for scabies. It has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and analgesic properties. The active components of neem have been shown to kill scabies in laboratory tests. Using neem seed extract shampoo successfully cured scabies in infested dogs. Most of the ten dogs showed improvement after seven days. After 14 days of using the shampoo, eight of the dogs were totally cured, and the remaining two dogs only had a few mites.
2. Tiger Balm
Tiger balm is a topical cream used to reduce inflammation and provide relief from muscle aches and pain. It works as an analgesic agent because it contains camphor and clove oil. Tiger balm won’t kill the itch mites or cure the scabies infestation, but it will provide some relief during the waiting period after conventional treatment.
3. Tea tree oil
Tea tree oil is an effective topical treatment for scabies since it relieves itching and heals the rash on the skin, but it doesn’t work as well on the eggs deeper in the skin. You can also add a few drops of tea tree oil to a squirt bottle, and spray it on your bedding. A review of studies from 2016 suggests that tea tree oil is a promising treatment option for scabies, especially for cases that did not improve using typical treatments. Tea tree oil has been shown to effectively treat scabies in lab tests and in people, though more large-scale, randomized controlled trials are needed.
4. Anise Seed Oil
According to a scientific review, oil extracted from anise seeds display insecticidal activity. It can be used topically to treat scabies as well as head lice. It’s not recommended that women who are pregnant use anise oil for the purpose of safety.
5. Turmeric
This herb has been fervently studied for its immune boosting, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and protective properties. Several studies have emphasized its potential in boosting immunity against foreign invaders. Results of a pilot study evaluating 814 patients with scabies reported that 97% of the participants were found to be completely relieved of scabies after applying a paste of turmeric for a period of 3-15 days. Moreover, no toxic or adverse reactions were observed.
6. Rosemary Oil
Rosemary oil uses and benefits include the potential power to stop the infestation of scabies. Rosemary oil also decreases pain and prevents the development of secondary infections. A study conducted China found that when combined, rosemary and clove possess significant antimicrobial activity.
Undoubtedly, natural remedies possess a wide spectrum of impressive pharmacological effects that make them versatile, multifarious and resourceful. Use these remedies to make your condition a little more bearable.
