Supplements to Help Treat Psoriasis

There are a number of supplements that have been used to treat psoriasis—though, what works for one person sometimes doesn’t work for another, so you may have to try a few different things.  As always, make sure you are working with a knowledgeable health professional who understands supplements and herbs.  For example, people with psoriasis should avoid St John’s wort because St John’s wort can make you light (and sun) sensitive. Some of these supplements have been useful as topical (on the skin surface) or taken as capsules or tablets.

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  Fish oil high in omega-3 fatty acids are potent anti-inflammatory agents. A number of studies have shown that people with psoriasis can benefit from taking up to 5.4 g of EPA and 3.6 g of DHA. Side effects were mild—mostly the fishy taste.  Fish oil has also been applied directly to the skin with an improvement of symptoms and appearance.
• Neem oil comes from the neem tree (Azadirachta indica), which is an evergreen tree found primarily in India. The active ingredient in the bark is nimbidin, which has sugar-lowering, wound healing and anti-cell growth effects. Nimbidin is a more potent inhibitor of prostaglandin synthesis, and therefore a better anti-inflammatory agent than acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin).  The neem oil was taken orally.
• Aloe vera has pain and itch-relieving, anti-allergic, wound-healing, and anti-inflammatory properties and has been used topically to treat the plaques of psoriasis.
• Minerals such as zinc and selenium have been reported to be low in patients with psoriasis  and adding these minerals as supplements has shown some positive results.
• Vitamin D has been studied and showed some slight improvements—but they were not considered significant.
• Various herbs such as Oregon grape (barberry, Mahonia aquifolium), yarrow (Achilleae millefolium), garlic (Allium sativum), calendula (Calendula officinalis),  dandelion (Taraxacum), stinging nettles (Urtica urens/dioica) and common gypsyweed (Veronica officinalis) have been used topically with some success.