Skin diseases often end up becoming a big source of embarrassment for people. They usually take a long time to get cured and call for the sustained use of strong medicines. A simple knowledge of Ayurveda can help us prevent and even treat painful skin disorders.
According to Ayurveda, the skin has six layers, located not only superficially but extending to the deeper levels of the body. A skin disease is, mostly, rooted deeply into various dhatus or tissues like fat, muscles, blood etc. Most skin treatments are generally external applications like creams or oils. These, however, never reach the deeper layers of the skin. As a result, the symptoms disappear temporarily, and the disease is not rooted out permanently. Ayurveda always tries to root out the disease by treating it specifically according to its cause. As the disease is deep-seated it is difficult to fix the problem quickly. Ayurvedic skin products and treatments may take a few weeks to remove the symptoms but the diseases are treated permanently.
Causes
Two of the main causes of diseases in Ayurveda are a wrong diet and lifestyle, which an individual follows either knowingly or unknowingly. Following a diet or life style that is against the season or the prakriti (nature) of a person, creates an imbalance in bodily energies, thus contaminating the body tissues to produce a skin disease. In Ayurvedic terms, although skin diseases are caused due to imbalances in all the three doshas, the prime dosha involved is pitta. Pitta symbolizes heat or fire. Therefore all those foods or activities that increase the fire element in the body should be eliminated. This includes hot, spicy, fried, oily and greasy foods. Acidic foods like tomatoes, citrus fruits, yogurt and vinegar should be avoided. Exposure to heat and sun, drinking too much tea, coffee, and alcohol, and smoking also aggravate the pitta.
Remedies
Removing the root cause is the main line of treatment in Ayurveda. Therefore eliminating all the foods and activities that increase pitta is the main treatment. Here are some general remedies for all kinds of skin diseases.
Prepare a powder by mixing equal quantities of turmeric, Amla, and Neem leaves. One teaspoonful of this powder can be taken twice a day with water. In case Amla and Neem are not available, only turmeric powder can be used in the dosage of half a teaspoonful twice a day with water.
If Neem leaves are available, boil them in water everyday and wash the affected area. Soaps and shampoos should not be used on the affected area.
Take 50 grams of powdered yellow sulphur and mix it with 250 ml. of mustard oil or coconut oil. Apply this mixture to the affected area everyday in the morning and wash after half an hour. It is better to sit in the sun or in a hot place after applying this oil.
Take 100 ml. of coconut oil and add 5 grams of powdered camphor to it. Put this mixture in a glass bottle and screw the cap on tightly. Put the bottle in sunlight for two hours. Applying this mixture on the affected area is helpful.
The patient should get as much fresh air as possible. Restrictive and tight clothing should not be worn. The patient should drink 3-4 litres of water everyday.
One should avoid tea, coffee, alcohol, hot spices, fried foods, acidic and sour foods. White sugar, white flour products and preserved or tinned foods should also be avoided. Consumption of meat, especially red meat, should be minimized. Following these simple remedies and dietary tips can relieve even the most skin problems. Thousands of patients suffering from chronic and irritating skin disorders have received relief through Ayurvedic treatment and products from Jiva Ayurveda.
Janvi Sharma is a healthcare professional associated with Jiva Ayurveda. The company provides authentic Ayurvedic products for treatment of all kinds of chronic diseases and conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, stress, migraine, high blood pressure, skin diseases, cancer, asthma, spondylitis, allergies, hair loss, and obesity, among others.