Alternative Treatments for Scabies

Scabies is an allergic reaction to the bite of an arachnid. The most common treatment is a simple over-the counter medication. It is effective, but it can be dangerous. There are safer herbal remedies that can be used to kill the parasites that cause the rash and to relieve the itch.

Evening Primose and St. John's Wort

• These herbal remedies will not kill the mite that causes the rash, but they will relieve the itch. Apply these products to the skin directly. Repeat this process as needed.

Neem and Tumeric

• S.X. Charles, a doctor from India, used a paste containing leaves from the neem tree. The paste was four parts neem to one part tumeric. Neem works as an insect-repellent and has anti-parasitic properties. When applied to the affected areas, the paste will relieve the itching.

Onions

• Onions contain a chemical called quercetin. A salve can be made by boiling 15-30 onion skins in a half-gallon of water. Apply the salve to your entire body. This will kill the mites that cause the rash.

Mountain Mint as a Preventative Measure

• This herb may not be as popular as some of the others, but it is an effective insect repellent. Rubbing leaves from the plant on the body can prevent ticks, scabies and other parasitic mites and insects from getting on the skin.

Pliny the Elder's Flea Repellent

• The Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder noted that the penny royal herb that grew in Europe repelled fleas. The naturalist would also be one of the causalities of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. American and European flea oil can be applied to the skin as a way to prevent a person from getting scabies.