20 year case of Eczema cured with St. John's Wort

General health and lifestyle
1

I have already posted on my success story in other discussions, however, I think my case should be discussed over here, for the benefit of all those who suffer from this supposedly incurable condition and believe in exploring alternative routes.

I suffered from a severe case of Lichen Simplex Chronicus (aka Neurodermatitis) for about 20 years. Prescribed creams, suntanning, sea water baths, and various natural therapies may have provided some relief on occasion, however, the disease progressed overall, and I had just about given up...

...until something extraordinary happened a year and a half ago, when I decided to try St John's Wort to deal with a temporary and unrelated anxiety condition. I started taking 300mg a day, which worked very well for my anxiety, as the quality of my sleep improved quickly. What I was not expecting, was the dissappearance of all the red plaques, flaky skin, itching symptoms and oozing on my lesions after only 6 weeks! I then increased the dose to 600mg a day, and after about 5-6 months, all the scarring left behind from 20 years of combat with the disease was gone. I now have fresh new skin everywhere the lesions used to be, and signs of the disease have not returned for about a year.

Puzzled about this unexpected miracle as it was unfolding, research on the Web led me to a few explanations, one of which was the presence of a bacteria called Staphylococcus Aureus in the lesions of 90% of patients suffering from atopic dermatitis. Further reading lead me to a potent molecule in St John's Wort called Hyperforin. The molecule had been studied extensively to treat depression, but one of its less-documented properties was its high anti-microbial potency against Staphylococcus Aureus.

Additional reading about St John's Wort lead me to its documented use since antiquity in helping repair small cuts, bruises and burns, attributed to a second molecule called Hypericin.

I therefore have excellent reasons to believe that St. John's Wort extract helped in repairing my damaged skin and getting rid of a tough-to-beat bacterial infection, to which most conventional antibiotics are known to resist. Maybe most varieties of Atopic Dermatis are nothing more than a form of damage to the protective layers of the skin that eventually become colonized by Staph bacteria... We could speculate for hours, despite all the scientific theories about this disease being stress and immune-related. Nevertheless, I am cured and hope this information may help others in achieving comparable success.

good luck to all!

2

Hi

Just a warning......Although St John's Wort is a complimentary/alternative medice.....that doesnt mean it is without side effects.

I am one person who cant take it because it is contra-indicated to some other meds i take.

I'm not knocking it......just a warning to cheki it out first before taking it and good luck

Love

Eileen  UK

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Sorry for the typos  LOL

MEDICINE......and a warning to CHECK it

Love

Eileen  UK

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Very well said Eileen... I actually had mentioned this in one of my other posts, but neglected to do so over here...

Yes, SJW is indeed pretty potent and bio-active medicine, eventhough it's a natural plant, so one should always check if there are counter-indications with meds being taken. Also, check about potential side-effects in advance.

I personally didn't suffer any unpleasant side-effects (on the contrary, I felt relaxed and slept very well), but each person reacts differently with medication, so it is best to be aware in advance of all the possibilities. I wasn't taking ANY prescription medication of any kind either, so this is something to consider, to better understand the parameters surrounding my case.

Cheers!

5

I was working with SJW yrs ago and found it elevated blood pressure.

But if you have things under control, good for you.  I'm all for using alternatives vs too many pharma synthetic drugs.....

I think I was taking it for depression and then FINALLY got my thyroid supported and that long 10 yrs of depression lifted....  Joy 

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Thank you so much for posting.  How wonderful we have this site so people can share their success stories and go on and help others.

x

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Hi Greg

Glad you accepted that post in the spirit it was meant.

I know I've got epilepsey {well controlled....its 33 years now, I drive etc} but that is one of the big NO NO'S for me.......I wish it wasnt  LOL

Love

Eileen   UK

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That is terrific news that your LSC has gone after so many years using St Johns Wort. Some of the other posts warning against St Johns Wort are correct though, my sister had some bad side effects. I believe in France they have now banned products with it in and other countries are looking at its use. On the other hand Hypocrites wrote about its medicinal qualities.

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Hi Claire - I believe it's the natural thing to do. I actually would have shared my story earlier, but I did want to make sure I wasn't just experiencing a temporary remission of LSC, but that I could declare quite confidently being cured. All the best!

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Yes it is and thank you! I'm sorry to hear that your sister did not tolerate SJW as well as I did. Would you know if she might have tried it at the same time as other meds?

As far as France is concerned, an important debate started in 2000, when the sales of SJW almost got banned due to the documented interaction risks. However, by 2009, the debate was officially closed and the sales are now allowed under certain trade names, behind the pharmaceutical counter (no need for a prescription, but you have to ask a pharmacist and can't just pick it up on the shelves freely). In Germany on the other hand, it is the most popular anti-depressor on the market, prescribed 90% of the time in cases of light to moderate depression. Over here in Canada, where I live, you can purchase it freely from health food stores, as well as on the pharmacy shelves.

Regards

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I agree with you. I also have a clear preference for what Mother Nature can offer, as long as documented evidence and positive statistics back everything favorably. There are "good" drugs in conventional medicine, but one must really stay as well informed as possible about all the risks, in order to take a safe decision. I believe one should remain his own "ultimate" doctor in the end, and it is unfortunately not a small responsibility to take, when your own life may be at stake.

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Most remarkable and we leave the theories up to the scientists.  

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Truth is, Hanny, we are all very weak and ignorant when it comes to understanding disease. People may try, with sophisticated concepts, to understand what is going on and they may tell us they know. But sometimes, keeping things simple may just lead to a better solution.

What I am saying is that ultimately, we, the patients, can make a difference by finding out what really works and what doesn't for ourselves. It is our own health after all! For way too long, people insisted that the earth was flat, and it was literally a crime to say otherwise! I believe we should all explore different views, and then try to make a difference for the sake of progress. Cheers!

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Cheering for you too!  When we all, doctors, scientists and patients, work together we will found better solutions.  But we have to do it without thinking 'profit'.  The only goals should be - serving humanity.

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'Found' should be 'find' of course.

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I hear what youre saying Hanni... the perfect world that we all dream of, but that none of us has discovered yet! Until then, everyone is pretty much condemned to earn a living in this imperfect world. Let's just hope that most of us can do so, while causing the least possible harm to others.

All we can do as patients for now, is to try out those discoveries that are the least susceptible to cause us harm. And that ends up being a personal choice, based on the knowledge of ourselves, and of what is believed to be the least harmful to others of our kind.

I don't think there is such thing as a "perfect pill" for everyone, but maybe we can each be of some use to help in finding one for most. Luckily, that is exactly what we are trying to achieve thanks to this forum!

Have a nice weekend! biggrin

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Enjoy your NEW world!  Being healed after such a long time will no doubt have re-newed your life. 

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To a great extent, yes... and thanks! However, it's just one small battle won in the same old world of more upcoming battles lol. What I do really enjoy, is to be able to tell others that they too can make it, if they really want to, and especially if they stop listening to the naysayers!

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I have stopped using biological washing solution and fabric softer saw a good result now tonight I'm itching all over again and don't understand? I have the excema all over my body, and want to stop using steroid cream, thinking of taking St. John's wort.

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Hi Sandra and welcome to this discussion!

I am sorry to hear you appear to be experiencing an outburst of eczema... I had to deal with the same situation so many times in the past and completely understand how frustrating it can be when you thought you had discovered the culprit in your life, only to return to square one.

Since I last posted over here, I have been active on several other forums worldwide, and have helped a few people relieve or eliminate their eczema by suggesting them to try St. John's Wort. In all successful cases, it did take a little time to see improvements, but once they were there, they became quite spectacular. In one particular case, a woman with her own blog on eczema, documented with photographs the disappearance of her plaques within 2 weeks of starting a 600mg/ day oral course of St. John's Wort. After 2 months, she now declares herself almost entirely cured, suffering only from mild skin dryness, which she alleviates with ordinary moisturising cream. But the itching and the plaques are gone and she is literally in complete disbelief. To add to her state of surprise, she no longer needs to take medication for asthma, a condition she obviously did not expect to improve by taking St. John's wort. I am extremely happy to have made such a difference in her life and hope many others will benefit from St. John's wort potential curative powers.

If you do elect to try it out, please do read about all the potential side effects and interactions that St. John's wort may create, but otherwise, I wish you as much success as I had with this wonderful plant!