Herbal poultice protocol for extreme eczema
I have dealt with skin problems my whole life. When I was a baby I had rashes on my face and my mom took me to the Chinese herbal doctor. She gave me a cream which resolved the rash and she told my mom, this kind of skin problem means that they will “grow up to be really smart". I’m paraphrasing here because I was just a baby and don’t actually remember, but my mom manages to tell me the story most times my skin problems come up. It’s nice to think that there’s a benefit to being in such discomfort, that my knowledge-seeking brain makes up for the way my skin reacts and is sensitive to it’s surroundings.
Three weeks ago this most recent flair up started. It started as a dry itchy spot at the crook of my elbow, which is something that happens to my skin when the seasons change from winter to summer. The long layers come off and I am moving and sweating in a way my body hasn’t been used to in the winter time. It started out normally, but then quickly devolved into an uncontrollable weeping red mess, spreading over most of my right arm. I took myself to urgent care ASAP. I would usually resist taking pharmaceuticals as long as possible, but the rash was reaching an uncontrollable point and an allopathic intervention was needed. I was diagnosed with Atopic Dermatitis and Cellulitis of the upper limb and prescribed antibiotics, steroids and and an anti-histamine.
Eczema is not curable and no one knows what causes it, but according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, some of the causes and triggers include: pollen, mold, dust mites, animals, cold, dry air, respiratory viruses such as influenza, and harsh chemicals and dyes and certain food allergies. There are also emotional triggers which I find the most interesting. In my experience with this extreme case, stress was definitely a huge trigger in how the rash go so out of control. I am at the very end of a period of transition, where the endings and beginnings are overlapping, and the stress of navigating an unideal living situation for me for many months made those suppressed emotions present on my body in a very visible, and unavoidable way. Just another way that my body reminds me to feel my feelings.
The antibiotics and steroids felt really intense for my body and I felt the immediate need to build myself a deep rest cocoon and let the medicine do its thing. I work on the weekends at a coffee shop and I had to call out for the two days I was scheduled to get up and down every few hours during the day and night to do rash care and manage the itch. Not fun at all. But I found myself getting into a kind of rhythm with it. Calling upon all of my plant medicine allies to help me and also welcoming in new allies. I was casting about desperately for anything that could help. I started applying full arm sized poultices for hours at a time, elevating the arm and cooling the temperature with an ice pack. The following is the protocol that I’ve been following has been supporting me in resisting the itch.
leaf on day three of antibiotics and steroids
poultice-wrapped arm, supported by pillows
Simple Oatmeal Herbal Poultice
materials: paper towels, plastic bag or wrap, towels, ice pack, oatmeal.
step one, make the oatmeal: depending on the size poultice you need, measure out an appropriate amount of oatmeal into a glass jar. Then pour boiling water about 1/4 inch (or one centimeter) over the top, mix and cover. (best to make in advance so that it can cool down completely and be left in the fridge for multiple uses)
optional: I also made versions of the oatmeal that used calendula flowers, horse tail, and chamomile in the mixture, but decided that the most simple recipe was actually what was needed for this case.
step two, assemble the poultice: lay down two layers of paper towel on a clean, sanitized surface, spread cooled oatmeal mixture evenly onto the paper towel in a size and shape that completely covers the whole rash (bigger is better.) Either lay oatmeal directly on the area, or place another layer of paper towel on top to be against the skin. (I found that this extra layer makes for easier clean up and feels smoother sensorily.)
optional: add some drops of calendula oil and castor oil to the oatmeal before covering with final paper towel layer.
step three, wrap and rest: place poultice against the skin and wrap in plastic. Then make your way to a place where you can rest undisturbed with the area elevated above the heart. The poultice can be left on for 30min to an hour, but I tried to leave it on as long as I could, as long as the ice pack stayed cold.
optional: I opted to also utilize cannabis, specifically in edible form and found that it helped me a lot in surrendering to the poulticing process and helped me to keep it on longer.
optional: I also recommend tying an ice pack over the poultice with a clean cloth to cool down the oatmeal as it reaches body temperature. This helps the cool, soothing sensation last longer.
optional: something nice is also to have a cool weighted pillow to put over the chest as you rest. This stimulates the vagus nerve and activates the parasympathetic nervous system to reduce stress and anxiety and promote calm rest.
step four, post poultice care: after removing the poultice, the skin should feel slick from the oatmeal. If possible refrain from rinsing the area to keep the oatmeal goodness on the skin. The first thing that I add to the skin after poulticing is aloe vera gel. This soothing cooling moisturizer creates the first defense against dryness, but dries out fast if used by itself, so on top of that I use a combination of home made salve and then Aquaphor on top to lock in the moisture. It’s best to leave the area uncovered for a while, to breathe and be exposed to air.
other considerations: Since one of the main triggers for this flair up was stress, there is something to be said about identifying what is causing the stress and removing it from your field. Since the stress in this case was caused by a build up of suppressed emotions rooted in instability in my living situation, there’s not much that I can do about it at the moment. I did ask my dad to pick up some more aloe vera gel for me and he came back from the coop with these wonderful gifts: Urban Moonshine’s Joy tonic- fast acting relief for stress & anxiety with motherwort & lemon balm, as well as a homeopathic herbal oil for eczema control. I’ve also been taking Echinacea tincture every day for immune system support.
Urban Moonshine: Joy tonic and Forces of Nature: Eczema control
As you can see, this has been quite an involved process. I followed this protocol making a full arm sized poultice for three days. Each time seeing my skin transform underneath as the poultice draws out the infection. Now I am at a point where the skin is still very raw, sensitive and starting to peel. I am continuing to keep the area moisturized and managing the itch. Progress is slow, but there has definitely been an improvement.
Poulticing: a poem
My skin is a permeable membrane
I live and breathe through this organ, the largest of my body
my skin is angry
with me or with the circumstances I find myself in, I don’t know
even so, I tend to the anger with patient, soothing touch
until I feel the scream in my throat choke me with it’s persistence.
I am a permeable membrane
inextricably connected to all that surrounds me
Breathing deeply into the sensations of coming alive, over and over again
drawing out the poison,
re-building a new layer of skin that let’s in all the love I deserve
learning new ways of being
thinning on the boarders and inbetweenness
my old skin falls off
like a snake shedding
and underneath, I am pink and tender and new
they say that every 7 years we have a completely new skin
but I am made new every month, week, day and minute
in progress
coming into being before my own eyes.
