Shitake mushrooms
Shitake mushrooms have been used as an integral part of ancient Chinese medicine for thousands of years, while in modern day Japan, they are used to help chemotherapy and radiation patients to recover more quickly.

This is because the medicinal benefits of Shitake mushrooms have the ability to penetrate deep into the bone marrow of anyone who eats them on a regular basis.

Of more interest to an eczema sufferer is the fact that one of the most important constituents of these mushrooms is a substance called lentinan. This substance has been shown to have the ability to stimulate the growth of T-cells while also stimulating increased macrophage activity, improving the strength and numbers of white blood cells that lie at the heart of a strong immune system.

Both of these characteristics are therefore highly relevant for boosting the performance of your immune system, as it is the ability of lentinan to increase production of immune competent cells.

Including Shitake mushrooms in your daily diet will therefore give your immune system a great deal more strength to fight back against eczema attacks in the future, so they are definitely something that should be added to your weekly shopping list.

Sage
The full scientific name of the common sage which is most effective for dealing with skin conditions like eczema is salvia officinalis. The fact that we commonly referred to topical skin applications that are most soothing and reviving as ‘salves’ should give you an indication of just how effective this particular herb can be for helping you deal with your eczema problem.

Sage is packed with powerful antioxidants, so it is highly effective in dealing with a condition like eczema. In addition, it has marked antibacterial qualities and is a known immune system stimulant.
One particular benefit of using sage both as a component of herbal-based eczema potions for topical use and including it in your diet is that both applied to the skin and taken internally, sage can reduce the severity of an eczema attack more quickly than almost any other herbal remedy, according to available research.

Honey
Honey is a natural antibacterial substance that is often classified as one of the ‘super foods’ because of its abilities to boost your immune system and increase your natural vitality and energy levels.

Although most people would probably think of honey as something sweet that the bees make, you might be surprised to know that honey is in fact a very complex mix of antibacterial agents, organic acids and a wide array of necessary trace minerals like iron, copper, phosphorus, manganese and zinc.

I previously highlighted that zinc is an essential element to include in your diet if you want to fight off eczema entirely naturally, so including honey in your daily food intake could be a very smart move indeed.

In fact, honey demonstrates many other qualities which are especially appropriate to an eczema sufferer. For example, surgical wound infections and skin burns respond remarkably well to topical applications of pure honey. Indeed, there is some evidence that burns in particular respond better or more quickly to honey than they do to pharmaceutical burn treatments.

Not only should you include honey in your diet, but it is also something that you can apply topically to eczema affected areas of the skin to bring instant relief and to help reduce the chances of scarring.

St John’s wort
St John’s wort or Hypericum perforatum is a plant that contains numerous compounds which have many well documented beneficial medical and psychological effects. While St John’s wort is most widely known for its ability to act as an antidepressant that is every bit as powerful as pharmaceutical antidepressants like Prozac, it is also an herb that has significant benefits for anyone suffering from eczema as well.

The ability to counteract depression and affect mood is extremely relevant. If this herb has the ability to counteract depression, it makes it far less likely that you will suffer the kind of stress related problems that can make your eczema problem flare-up at any time.

Going beyond this and without delving into every individual active constituent of St John’s wort, its most obvious benefit for an eczema sufferer is that it is a very powerful anti-viral and antibacterial agent, which significantly boosts the strength of your immune system.

It is also an herb that is highly effective for promoting rapid recovery from skin damage because of these qualities. For example, studies have indicated that applying St John’s wort topically to burns can help the patient recover from their burn trauma up to three times more quickly than they would do using pharmaceutical applications.

Garlic
The active ingredient in garlic that gives it its familiar pungent smell is a sulphur-rich volatile oil known as allicin. It is this oil that gives garlic its ability to boost your immune system while also stimulating circulation and killing bacteria. In other words, garlic is another natural antibacterial substance that can help to improve the quality of your immune system, strengthening your body’s ability to reduce the severity and frequency of eczema flare-ups.

However, in addition to being extremely effective as an antibacterial agent, garlic has many other qualities that further boost your immune system to fight back against any kind of infections or medical conditions such as eczema or psoriasis. For example, garlic has been shown to be antiparasitic, anti-viral, antiseptic and antifungal.

In short, including a healthy dose of garlic in your diet is going to give your immune system a significant boost, which would in turn help your body to fight against eczema.

The only downside of eating lots of garlic every day is that some people might find your breath a little unpleasant, which could be inconvenient at those times when you want to be at your best.

Consequently, many sufferers from a wide range of conditions including eczema choose to take garlic capsules rather than including garlic in their diet. There is nothing wrong with doing this, although it might have a bearing on your choice if you realize that including garlic itself in your diet is considerably cheaper than having to buy a constant stream of garlic capsules.

Nevertheless, no matter how include garlic in your daily ‘diet’, the main point is that you should do so as soon as possible.

There is evidence that eczema is a problem that is caused by an immune system that is not as strong or as robust as it should be. Consequently, using natural treatments and herbs to strengthen your immune system also helps to keep your eczema under control.

There are a multitude of different herbs that are capable of improving the performance of your immune system, making your ability to fight eczema from the inside more marked. By including these herbs in your diet or at least supplementing your diet with them, you increase the chances of dealing with your eczema in a wholly holistic way.

Milk vetch
Milk vetch or Astragalus membranaceus is one of the most important plants in traditional Chinese medicine, one that has been used for at least 2000 years to strengthen the body.

As far as using Astragalus to combat eczema is concerned, the first thing to understand that it is that it is an adaptogen, a substance that helps the body de-stress both physically and psychologically. Knowing that stress can often play an extremely important part in causing eczema attacks, this ability to reduce stress naturally is extremely important.

Many studies of the effects of the milk vetch have indicated that the plant offers ‘non-specific’ immune system benefits. This means that instead of activating the body’s defence system against one particular form of ‘invader’ or infection, it enhances the overall strength of the immune system by increasing the number of macrophages, the all-important white blood cells that give the immune system its strength and ability to resist attack.

Another significant benefit of Astragalus is that it possesses both tissue regenerating and anti-inflammatory qualities. It provides a great deal of assistance to an eczema sufferer because it reduces inflammation and also helps healthy new skin tissue to grow.

With extremely powerful antibacterial qualities as well, Astragalus is definitely a herbal remedy that you must include in your diet.

In China, it is common to boil a piece of Astragalus root in a broth with ginseng and other health giving plants, before discarding the root and serving. This is not only highly nutritious, it is also extremely delicious and an excellent way of including milk vetch in your diet.

Zinc: Zinc is a trace mineral that we all need in our diet because zinc possesses extremely powerful antioxidant qualities, which will help to prevent damage to or ageing of your skin.

Some foodstuffs that provide a reasonable level of zinc are things like lean roast beef, dates, roasted pumpkin and squash seeds.

The major problem with trying to consume enough zinc in your everyday diet is that most of the foods that are really rich in zinc are foods that you might be avoiding.

It may be necessary to find zinc supplements rather than trying to consume sufficient amounts of zinc in your normal daily food intake.

Fish oil: I mentioned earlier that fish oil is extremely important because it contains omega-3 fatty acids, due to the widely accepted health benefits. However, fish oil is also a very rich source of vitamin A, which is essential for maintaining healthy skin while also providing anti-inflammatory benefits. Remembering that eczema is a condition of skin inflammation, including sufficient amounts of vitamin A in your diet or in your supplemental nutrition program is therefore essential.

Grape or cherry juice: Both of these juices possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities, so by doing nothing more complex than drinking a glass of juice every day, you could give your body a significant boost in its fight against eczema.

As suggested earlier, there are lots of different foodstuffs and beverages to avoid, things that might cause your condition to flare up if you suffer from eczema.

On the other side of the food argument, there are plenty of nutrients that you should definitely include in your diet if you want to minimize the more unpleasant effects of eczema. You must ensure that your diet is rich in the necessary nutrients that you need in order to fight against eczema.

There are various different nutrient groups that are widely believed to offer great benefits to anyone who suffers from eczema.

The vitamin B complex: While it was at one time believed that there was only one form of vitamin B, it is now known that instead of just one vitamin B, there are eight vitamins that together make up the vitamin B complex. While all of the different forms of vitamin B have their own health giving qualities, they also work together as a ‘team’ to promote different aspects of essential health.

All of the individual components of the vitamin B complex cooperate with one another to help the body function in many different ways.

Of particular interest to an eczema sufferer is the fact that the vitamin B complex is known to boost metabolic function and to promote skin and muscle tone. Vitamin B also helps to support both the immune and nervous systems, while also promoting cellular rejuvenation, growth and division.

In short, including the vitamin B complex in your diet will help your skin while also aiding your immune system to protect your body so it can fight back against skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis far more effectively.
There are many foodstuffs rich in the various vitamins that make up the vitamin B complex, such as bananas, lentils, potatoes, green vegetables and Tempeh.

You can also find vitamin B in many other foodstuffs such as eggs and dairy products, but as we discovered earlier in this report, these may be foodstuffs that make your eczema problem worse, rather than better.

The alternative is to use vitamin B supplements to increase the amount of this vital vitamin that you are taking in every day. Whether this is a sensible or viable alternative will to a large extent depend upon whether eating enough ‘natural’ vitamin B. sources is realistic, because if not, then supplementing your diet is probably going to be your best option.

Just take it easy…

It is an established fact that people who suffer from stress and tension are likely to exacerbate any pre-existing chronic medical conditions that they have like eczema and psoriasis because they allow their emotions to run away with them.

If you can reduce stress levels in your life, you will give yourself a far better chance of avoiding further outbreaks of eczema.

The first thing you can do to reduce the amount of stress you have to put up with on a daily basis is to change your life so that you don’t put yourself in situations where you are going to be stressed.

For example, if you are the kind of person who ends up running to the subway or railway station every morning for the very last train that will get you to work on time, try getting out of bed 10 minutes earlier so that you can catch a subway or train that is not so desperately last minute.

If you are always too rushed to eat properly because you hang around the office during your break times, try to get away for 30 minutes or an hour so that you are completely removed from the stress filled environment of work. If you can find somewhere that is peaceful and relaxed to go to during your break, that’s even better. Sitting in the park feeding the ducks is going to be less stressful than fighting your way to the front of the queue in the local burger or fried food joint.

Try to plan your meals at home in advance as well. By doing so, you ensure that you do not spend every evening immediately after leaving the office having to dash to the mall or convenience store to find food for the family dinner.

If you are almost always at the beck and call of your family, try to set aside some time for yourself, time when you can relax and perhaps even pamper yourself. While it is absolutely commendable that you are going to do everything you can to help everyone else, you must realize that living your life at Mach 3 is going to damage your health.

When that happens, how will you be able to help and look after others when you are sick?

Stress always floods your body with ‘flight or fight’ chemicals, which is extremely useful in genuine emergency situations. However, once it becomes a constant factor of your life, it gradually wears you down and further damages your immune system (which as an eczema sufferer is probably in a pretty poor shape anyway) as it does so.

On the other hand, it is inevitable that if you slow down your everyday lifestyle, you will reduce the stress levels that you have to put up with on a daily basis as well. When you do this, difficulties which are exacerbated by stress like eczema are likely to become far less problematical for you.

What we are talking about here is a complete reassessment of your life.

You must give yourself the time to take a step back so that you are able to assess everything you do in your normal day-to-day life, because it is only by knowing what you’re doing that you can begin to change it.

A daily journal would be invaluable so that you can really see what you do every day. Armed with this information, you can start making the necessary changes to reduce stress levels in your life.

Vinca Minor: Vinca minor is a homoeopathic moisturizing solution that is highly effective for relieving sensitive, sore or itchy skin. It is therefore ideal for anyone who suffers from eczema to use as a moisturizer, because dry and itchy skin is probably the most common characteristic of the eczema sufferer.

Hydrocotyle Asiatica: Hydrocotyle is an aquatic plant with between 75 and 100 species included under this one major ‘heading’. However, as a herbal remedy, it has been used for many centuries because of its wound healing capabilities and its ability to aid skin rejuvenation. You may be able to find moisturizing solutions containing this herb, but if not, try to find the herb online and infuse it into a mild unscented baby oil to make your own moisturizing solution.

Calendula: Calendula is an ancient medicinal herb which helps to treat dry and damaged skin which is also excellent for minimizing the effects of eczema and psoriasis. In suspension and used topically, calendula is highly effective for reducing skin inflammation while also soothing irritated tissue.

If you run an online search for calendula, you will find plenty of places where you can buy plants or at least the extract so that you can make your own soothing, moisturizing lotion or oil yourself. Failing this, you might consider buying a commercially produced calendula salve like this one.

The bottom line is that the more often or regularly you can moisturize the affected areas of your skin, the less of a problem you are likely to have. Hence, whenever you have washed away layers of moisture from your skin by bathing or showering, you need to replace that moisture each time.

Blowing hot and cold…
Another potential cause of eczema that you should try to avoid whenever possible is extremes of heat or cold. While to a certain extent your ability to do this will depend upon where you are located, it is nevertheless a fact that many people find extremes of temperature encourage outbreaks of eczema.

By avoiding temperature extremes, you therefore remove another potential cause of a breakout of eczema.

Moisture is the key

If you are an eczema sufferer who does not have a particularly serious condition, it is possible that you can minimize the effects of eczema to an acceptable level with some practical home-based ‘treatments’.

As an example, once you have established what it is that causes you to suffer flare-ups (e.g. exposure to pollen or food allergies), the answer is to avoid putting yourself in a position of risk. Once you know that it is eggs or milk or nuts that cause your problem, all you have to do is to avoid eating them or try staying inside at the height of spring and summer when the pollen count is at its highest.

Given that eczema is a condition that is characterized by dry skin, it is logical that anything that reduces your dry skin is an effective way of dealing with your problem.

For this reason, you should always bathe for as short a time as possible, while also reducing the amount of soap that you use during the bathing process. It will probably be more effective to use a natural moisturizing oil like tea tree oil in your bath because this will help to keep your skin moist and supple.

Once you get out of the bath, it is essential that you try to retain as much moisture in your skin as possible, applying natural moisturizers such as olive or tea tree oil to all the dry areas of your skin. Try to do this within three minutes of getting out of your bath, because by doing so, you ensure that you are applying moisturizer to skin that is still moist and therefore flexible.

You can further increase the benefits of this particular strategy by wrapping any dry skin areas to which you have applied moisturizer with plastic bags that will prevent your skin drying out for the maximum length of time.

The primary advantages of using either olive or tea tree oil as a moisturizer is that both of these substances are easy to get hold of.

As with all aspects of dealing with eczema, while these particular moisturizers are highly effective for most people, they may not work for you. Consequently, you might like to consider some alternative moisturizers made from completely natural substances:

Vitamin E oil: Vitamin E oil is famous for its ability to hydrate the skin while promoting healing at the same time. This particular moisturizing oil helps to protect cell membranes while also promoting the body’s ability to use vitamin K and selenium. Also, because of its antioxidant qualities, it provides another level of protection for your skin.