Herbs for Skin Infection

A skin infection can usually be blamed on a bacteria or fungus. For example, ringworm, athlete's foot and jock itch occur due to an invasion of various fungi that belong to the genus tinea. Other infections are caused by candida overgrowth, while warts are specific to the human papilloma virus. Fortunately, you can often stop a skin infection in its tracks by harnessing the antimicrobial properties of one of several studied herbs for skin infection.

Garlic

• According to Venezuelan researchers, ajoene, a sulfuric compound obtained from garlic, has been shown to be effective against athelete's foot. The research team set out to measure the efficacy of varying concentrations of a topical ajoene solution compared to terbinafine (Lamisil). The results, which were published in the Nov. 2000 issue of the Journal of American Academy of Dermatology, reported that 100 percent of the study participants treated with a 1 percent solution of ajoene for seven days experienced complete cure compared to 94 percent of the terbinafine treated group.

Tea Tree

• Australian tea tree has long been valued as one of the best herbs for skin infection since it contains a number of chemical compounds that possess antibacterial and antifungal properties, including terpinen-4-ol and 1,8-cineole. The former is of particular interest to Italian researchers who discovered that the compound effectively neutralizes several strains of candida "in vitro" and "in vivo," meaning outside and inside of the body, respectively.

Myrrh

• This botanical has been extensively investigated for its antimicrobial activity due to containing several sesquiterpene compounds. One area of frequent study is the application of myrrh to combat schistosomal infections, which result from coming into contact with cercariae parasites that are shed from snails living in fresh or salt water. When the parasites burrow into the skin, a form of dermatitis erupts that's commonly known as swimmer's itch. However, unless treated, this form of skin infection progresses to impact muscles and organs, the bladder in particular. In an Egyptian field study conducted by researchers from the Department of Tropical Medicine at Cairo University, more than 1,000 patients infected with either S. haematobium or S. mansoni were treated with an oral dose of a myrrh formulation for six days. At 90-day follow up, the researchers reported a 97 and 96 percent recovery rate, respectively. According to an abstract published in the May 2000 issue of Planta medica, myrrh sesquiterpenes are also effective against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans.