Benefits of Neem for Psoriasis

Benefits of Neem for psoriasis are quite obvious. There is a widespread belief in India that neem can help heal any skin disease and hence psoriasis as well. A number of times, people would recommend me to use various parts of the neem tree to heal my psoriasis.

In India, Neem is termed as Village pharmacy owing to its amazing skin related health benefits. Neem is widely used in Ayurveda and Naturopathy. More than 50% of Ayurveda medicines have neem as an active ingredient. More than 2000 clinical trials and studies has been conducted to milk various health benefits of neem and it is one of the most researched trees across the world as far as human health research is concerned. More than 100 biologically active compounds are found in the neem plant which makes it- Analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, antifungal and antibacterial in nature.

About the Neem tree

Neem (Botanical name- Azadirachta indica) is a tropical tree which grows rapidly in dry, hot conditions. It is believed that its origin lies in India and Myanmar. The word neem comes from Sanskrit language (an ancient Indian language) which means- the healer and illness reliever. In India, particularly in Indian villages, the neem tree is a part of daily life. People would use boiled neem leaf extracts in their bathing water to cure various skin ailments and infections. Various herbal soaps, shampoos, toothpaste, face wash and facial creams contain neem extracts.

Neem has been considered as one of the most effective natural blood purifier since ages in India, Myanmar and few other Southeast Asian countries in particular.

Parts of the Neem tree

• Neem seeds– Neem tree produces oval shaped neem fruits. These neem fruits, when ripened, are harvested and dried to get the neem seeds. These neem seeds are then cold pressed to produce neem oil. Neem oil is widely used as a powerful healer. Neem oil contains more than 40 active ingredients.
• Neem leaves– Neem leaves have a slightly alkaline character. Neem leaves contain a lot of active ingredients which are used in various medicines and cosmetics. Neem leaf extracts exhibit very powerful anti fungal and antibacterial properties. In India, neem leaves are mixed with stored wheat and legumes to save the grains from parasite attacks. Neem capsules/ tablets contain these neem leaf extracts in good quantities.
• Neem bark (and branches) – Neem tree has a hard and thick bark. Much like neem seeds and leaves, neem bark has many special active ingredients. In Indian villages, neem bark and branches are used as tooth brush replacements. People would massage their tooth gum with neem bark and branches because of their powerful antiseptic properties.

Benefits of Neem for Psoriasis

Primarily, neem is considered a natural blood purifier and a strong anti-bacterial (and anti-fungal) natural herb.

Neem is available in the market in two different forms:

1. Neem oil (extracted from seeds of oval shaped neem fruit)

2. Neem capsules/tablets (neem leaves, seeds, bark and other parts of the neem tree are used for that)

Neem oil benefits in Psoriasis healing

Neem oil is considered as one of the best natural external treatment for Psoriasis because: –

• Psoriasis makes your skin extremely dry with covering of thick scales. Neem oil is rich in vitamin E and omega 6 & 9 fatty acids. Hence, neem oil is an excellent moisturizer for your skin, reducing the thickness of those thick scales gradually.
• Thanks to such a high number of chemical compounds (in neem oil), it is a natural steroid which helps in reducing skin itching, swelling and irritation.
• Neem contains Nimbidin which possesses anti inflammatory and anti-arthritis properties and we all know that psoriasis is characterized by skin inflammation. Hence, neem oil reduces swelling, inflammation, redness of psoriasis flakes if neem oil is used for external topical application.
• Neem is anti bacterial, anti fungal and anti parasitic in nature. It would not let external bacteria or viruses settling in those broken skin cracks to enter your body and make it worse.

Benefits of Neem tablets/capsules

Regular consumption of neem tablets/ capsules have a lot of health benefits:

• Neem is a powerful natural blood purifier and liver detoxifying agent. Regular intake of neem tablets/capsules would help in the cleansing of the liver and blood.
• Neem is a natural immune booster. It helps in increasing your body immunity by stimulating the production of T-cell to enable your body (and skin) to fight against infections.
• Neem is considered very useful in treating ulcers and gastric disorders. Regular consumption of neem capsules can help in reducing acid output and acid reflux (acidity).
• Neem can help in treating Candida by restricting the growth of Candida albicans (yeast)
• Due to powerful antibacterial (and anti fungal) properties, regular intake of neem capsules/tablets assist in eliminating the harmful fungi, parasites and viruses without causing any harm to the healthy intestinal flora of healthy micro organisms.
• Neem contains carotenoids which are quite similar to carotene. These carotenoids provide antioxidant compounds which can help fight against skin damaging free radicals. Significant researches and studies are going on to discover if these carotenoids can help in dealing with various types of cancer as well.

Due to all these amazing benefits of Neem for psoriasis, some people recommend using neem based bathing soaps and shampoos to take care of your psoriasis patches also.

My experience with Neem

A number of times, people would recommend me using neem to heal my psoriasis. To be honest, I didn’t give it a serious try for a longer duration of period. I consumed neem capsules for a month without any remarkable benefits and then I discontinued it. Actually, I am consuming turmeric and flaxseed oil capsules regularly. Hence, I found it difficult to consume so many herbs together.

As far as neem oil is concerned, it was a good experience. Neem oil used to soothe my skin flakes and itching would be less. But for me, psoriasis have always been a problem of my gut and hence, I have always looked for inside-out treatment for psoriasis and I rarely use any natural or pharma based external ointment/cream/oil.

To summarize my experience, neem oil is a good option if you are looking for a natural external treatment. As far as neem tablets/capsules are concerned, these are completely natural and have powerful blood purifying, anti inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Hence, consuming neem capsules for a longer duration (for a few months at least) is not a bad idea at all.

Recommended dosage

In general, recommended dosage of neem capsules for an adult is 1000-2000 mg per day. Hence, take 2-4 neem capsules of 500mg twice a day.

Neem oil should be used for external application depending upon the body coverage with psoriasis flakes and thickness of these scales.

Availability of Neem products

Neem capsules and neem oil are easily available at various chemist shops and herbal stores. You can try purchasing these products at online portals like Amazon also. Please check the below links for buying at Amazon: –

General issues/concerns regarding the use of Neem products

Bitter taste of neem tablets certainly makes it a turn off for some people. But in Indian villages, I have seen people chewing raw neem leaves for health benefits. Even Mahatma Gandhi used to consume neem paste daily.

Hence, when we are trying to heal a complex problem like psoriasis, slight bitterness in taste should be tolerable. The good news is- you can skip the bitter taste of neem if you consume neem capsules instead of tablets. In case of neem capsules, neem extracts would be filled up in those hollow capsules making it completely easy to swallow.

Neem oil does possess some unpleasant small. But not a very big deal if it helps in managing psoriasis. It is better to apply neem oil on your skin patches at night before going to bed. In this way, the unpleasant smell would not bother you much.

Precautionary measures

Consuming neem tablets/capsules would not pose any harm even if taken for a longer duration because it is a completely natural blood purifier which thousands of people in Indian villages are using almost everyday without any problem for years.

But, pregnant women and ladies willing to conceive should refrain from consuming neem tablets/capsules because of its contraceptive qualities. It can develop some fertility issues.

External use of neem oil is completely safe. It doesn’t have any such issues.