Eczema

Eczema (atopic dermatitis) is a chronic, non-contagious skin condition in which the skin's natural barrier is weakened, so it loses moisture more easily and becomes more susceptible to irritants and allergens. It shows up as red, itchy, often scaling or weeping patches, and can be worsened by stress, certain substances, weather changes or allergens. It is partly hereditary and often linked to other allergic conditions such as asthma and hay fever.

Plants and herbs that help

Oats (colloidal oatmeal), Contains avenanthramides and beta-glucans, scientifically documented to be anti-inflammatory and anti-itch.
Calendula (marigold), Clinical research shows that calendula speeds healing and improves skin moisture.
Coconut oil, Studies show that virgin coconut oil reduces moisture loss from the skin and lowers bacterial load.
Chamomile, Contains bisabolol, which can calm redness and itching.

Recipes

Bath

Oat bath

Colloidal oatmeal is one of the few things in the whole apothecary that dermatologists themselves recommend. It appears in international guidelines for atopic eczema, and it is the same oats you have in the cupboard. They simply need grinding fine enough to stay suspended in the water instead of sinking. Test it with a glass of water: if the oats are fine enough, the water turns milky white and cloudy. If you can see grains settling, blend further. And then there is something just as important as the bath itself, which almost nobody is told: Make sure that you have your moisturiser ready next to the tub before you get in You have about three minutes from getting out before the skin begins drying again. Moisturise yourself, and you lock the water in. Wait until you have dried off and found clothes, and you have lost most of the benefit. Lukewarm water, not hot. Hot water feels wonderful on itching for thirty seconds and makes the eczema worse afterwards.

20 minutesEasy

Salve

Calendula salve

Calendula is the herb I would choose if I could only have one for skin. Gentle enough for a baby, strong enough for eczema that has been there for weeks. The flowers are orange like something that knows what sun is, and the oil turns golden. It is one of the most beautiful things you can make in a kitchen. It asks for patience of the pleasant kind: two hours over low heat, where you have nothing to do but look in on it. Set it going on a morning you are home anyway.

150 minutesMedium

Compress

Chamomile compress

When eczema itches so much you cannot stop scratching, moisturiser is not what you need in that moment. Cold is. A cold chamomile compress does two things at once: the cold numbs the itch immediately, and the chamomile calms the inflammation in the skin meanwhile. It is one of the oldest treatments there is, and it still works. Make the tea twice as strong as you would drink it, and let it get properly cold. Fridge cold, not room temperature.

25 minutesEasy

The content here is general knowledge and folk herbal lore, not medical treatment. In illness, pregnancy, breastfeeding or alongside medication: always talk to your doctor first.