Herbal Creams For Eczema Have Steroids In Them

Main Category: Eczema / Psoriasis
Also Included In: Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine
Article Date: 09 Dec 2003 - 0:00 PDT

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If you have eczema, the one thing you try to avoid are steroids. Scientists have found that 'herbal creams' have steroids in them.

Patients who use steroids over the long term will experience permanent damage.

The scientists (Sheffield, UK) have called for tighter regulation of herbal medicines. Cases of eczema have been increasing over the last few years.

Eczema can be controlled by using corticosteroid creams (prescription only). However, many people do not like them because of their long-term effects (there can be permanent skin damage, growth retardation in children and hormonal disruption during milestones of a child's development).

As a result, many people have resorted to herbal medicines.

Dr. Helen Ramsay (Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffied, UK) has said that patients are getting steroids from 'natural, herbal products'.

They tested 24 creams and found that 20 of them had 'powerful, or very powerful steroid drugs' (in varying concentrations).

One product called 'Wau Wau' was found to be a pharmaceutical steroid brand mixed in a paraffin base. The instructions on the packet told the patient to apply it all over - there was no minimum age. If a parent followed the instruction on their 4-year-old, the child would be receiving 135 grams a week of cream. The child would be exposed to dangerous levels of steroids.

The researchers also found that these creams were more expensive than standard prescription charges (in the UK).

This is an unfortunate state of affairs. Three years ago a similar study found 80% of natural creams had power steroids in them. So, no progress at all has been made to protect patients.

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