Scabies is a common skin infection caused by the mite, which are small round insects that live under our hair or on other parts of our bodies. They feed on dead skin cells and shed their skins every 6 – 12 months. When they die, they leave behind these tiny white eggs. These eggs hatch into adult mites (scabs) when exposed to sunlight.
The mites usually move from one person to another within a few days after hatching. If not treated, the infection may spread quickly and cause severe itching, burning and redness. Itching can last for weeks and sometimes even months. Some people experience no symptoms at all until it’s too late.
If left untreated, scabies causes a painful rash that spreads over the body causing sores that itch like crazy. The rash becomes very hard and crusty and itchy. Scabies can lead to scarring, loss of hair, infections, rashes and even death.
Scabies is most commonly found in warm climates such as Australia, Africa and Asia. It occurs mainly in children but can occur at any age if not treated properly.
1. 5 Home Remedies for Scabies
Vinegar
Vinegar can be used in treating scabies as it is able to kill mites and eggs. To use this method, mix equal parts of vinegar and water. Soak your entire body in this solution. You must also soak all your clothes and bedding in the solution. This will make your environment safe from the mites and prevent their spread to others.
Clean your body with the mixture, then rinse it off with water. You may use a loofah or similar tool for this purpose. Pat dry with a clean towel and air dry. You may then apply a medicated anti-scabies cream to the effected area.
You can also apply ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) on your skin as this helps in curing scabies.
Castor Oil
Castor oil can be used in curing scabies. Castor oil can help eliminate an infestation of the scabies mite. The itching and rash disappear as the castor oil expels the mites from your skin.
Saturate a cotton ball with castor oil and apply it on the rough, patchy areas of the skin.
Leave the castor oil in place for at least one hour. You may then bathe as usual.
Cinnamon
You can use cinnamon to treat scabies as it helps eliminate the mites from your skin. Cinnamon provides the same results as treatment from a doctor, but it is cheaper and easily available. Cinnamon has been used for this purpose since ancient times.
Make a paste by mixing 4 tablespoons of cinnamon powder with 1 tablespoon of honey.
Sources & references used in this article:
… . KM Nadkarni’s Indian materia medica: with Ayurvedic, Unani-Tibbi, Siddha, allopathic, homeopathic, naturopathic & home remedies, appendices & indexes … by KM Nadkarni – 1996 – books.google.com
Prevalence of pediculosis and scabies in preschool nursery children of Afyon, Turkey by IH Ciftci, S Karaca, O Dogru, Z Cetinkaya… – The Korean journal of …, 2006 – ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Ethnopharmacological survey of home remedies used for treatment of hair and scalp and their methods of preparation in the West Bank-Palestine by AN Zaid, NA Jaradat, AM Eid, H Al Zabadi… – … and alternative medicine, 2017 – Springer
