Psoriasis is a very common type of inflammatory disease. In fact, 1-8% of the global population has psoriasis. Plaque psoriasis is the most common type of psoriasis. Plaque psoriasis shows up as large round plaques on the scalp, trunk, front of the knee, and back of the elbow. These areas of skin can be dry, red, painful, itchy, and flaky. Plaque psoriasis is difficult to treat and response rates across treatments vary widely.

Plaque psoriasis treatments and remedies

Because plaque psoriasis is difficult to treat and response rates vary widely, members of the Inspire Psoriasis Community often share information about what types of psoriasis treatments have or haven’t worked for them. Below is a sample of member experiences with various remedies that can be made at home or accessed without a prescription.

The following posts represent a sample of Inspire members’ experiences with psoriasis remedies. This content should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As always, consult with your doctor before trying any new treatments or medications.

To access more psoriasis treatment discussions, join the Inspire Psoriasis Community.

Herbs and supplements

“What I have found is an asian herbal normally for internal use called Indigo Naturalis or also known as ‘qing dai.’ After a period of three weeks of epidermal use, my skin flaking and redness has gone down to less than 5% consistently. Most importantly, I no longer have a scalp covered in scales... the skin is so clear you would never know I grew up with this disease.”

"I have been using cherry blossom oil with no fragrance whatsoever. I use a vegan soap that’s just probiotic with chamomile and Oates that has really helped me a lot also. You can pick up pine tar soap on Amazon, a lot of these over-the-counter creams are a waste of money trust me I spent so much money and none of it helped, the trick is to make sure you always have it moisturized try not to pick at it because you don’t want to wind up with staff or sepsis which can happen. Also 15 minutes of sun helps.”

"Anyone with psoriasis and arthritis should do some research on Golden Paste (turmeric, oil and black pepper). I started using this to help with inflammation in my back and not only does it take away my pain, it cleared my psoriasis by 90% after about 7 months of use."

Sauna and light exposure

“After 15 years of severe plaque psoriasis on my arms and legs I recently had a dry sauna treatment in an infra-red sauna. After 4 treatments that were once a week, I was almost completely clear. It was shocking to me to see my smooth unblemished skin again. Worth a try for anyone with plaque psoriasis. I have tried everything available except the immune suppressant drugs. My only improvement before this was from a UVB machine, I finally purchased my own, that I was using 3x a week and helped but never cleared my skin.”

Diet and nutrition

“I have cleared my psoriasis but I’ve eliminated dairy, sugar, gluten, nightshades and eat only an anti-inflammatory diet with some supplements.”

“I have minimal plaques, but I do have a bad case of psoriatic arthritis. I noticed a difference in my level of disease after leaving out all potatoes, even yams and sweet potato, and peppers. Besides those nightshades, I also can't eat Szechuan peppercorns, roasted chicory or shiitake mushrooms. Tomatoes are not a problem for me.”

“For the first time in 20 years my psoriasis cleared up. No steroid creams, moisturizers, no special baths. I finally over time understood that this is a condition that needs to be healed from the inside out.”

“I am using the elimination diet: - No wheat products - No rice - No sugar - No dairy products (except yogurt & kefir milk) I started this diet for the last 3 years, and 80-90% of my psoriasis is improved.”

Other types of remedies

“I am on to an exciting experiment - wet saline occlusion. I have already gotten excellent results from this years ago- twice. But they always came with other variables. So this time I am going to carefully control my experiment and see if it really works by itself. I suspect it would.”

To access more psoriasis treatment discussions, join the Inspire Psoriasis Community.

Sources

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430879/

Disclaimer

Member comments have been edited for length and clarity. This content is for general informational purposes only and does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of any organization or individual. The content should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult your healthcare provider about any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.