Prescription medicines offer relief from the itching, burning and dryness of eczema, but parents may prefer more natural remedies to control this allergic condition in children. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, a variety of supplements to help eczema in children exist, but not all remedies have evidence to support their use in children. Before using supplements in children, parents should check with their child's skin care doctor.
Probiotics
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, some research suggests that taking eczema medications and probiotics--supplements that help balance the good and bad bacteria in the intestine--may lessen the severity of childhood eczema. However, a 2008 Cochrane Collaboration review found that taking probiotics such as Lactobacillus acidophilus did not improve eczema symptoms or severity. The review authors concluded that taking probiotics did not confer any benefit to people with eczema, especially when taking the side effects into account.
Evening Primrose Oil
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, evening primrose oil improves itching and skin inflammation associated with eczema. This supplement, harvested from the seed and plant of the wildflower evening primrose, contains omega-6 fatty acids and is safe to use in children with eczema or atopic dermatitis. A study of more than 1,200 participants found those who took this supplement in oil or capsule form experienced reduced skin crusts, itching, redness and irritation.
Chamomile
Europeans often use chamomile as an ingredient in skin creams, and the University of Maryland Medical Center says that early evidence shows it may help relieve the skin irritation of eczema. However, chamomile tea may actually worsen inflammation in the body in people who are allergic to it. Consuming tea containing the herb chamomile is linked to life-threatening anaphylactic allergic reactions, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.
Oatmeal
You may improve your child's eczema by reaching for this common breakfast food. Children who used colloidal oatmeal-based body wash and an oatmeal therapy cream experienced significantly improved eczema after only two weeks, according to researchers from Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego, California. Oatmeal baths that involved soaking for 20 minutes daily for a week resulted in a 50 percent reduction in itching and a 67 percent reduction in burning in children with eczema.
Oolong Tea
Drinking oolong tea could clear up your child's eczema, according to a Japanese study reported by the American Academy of Dermatology. About two thirds of people with severe eczema experienced improvement in skin symptoms within a week or two of drinking 1 liter of oolong tea a day; however, children were not included in the study.
References
- American Academy of Dermatology: Dietary Supplements, Foods, Herbs and Teas
- The Cochrane Collaboration; Probiotics for Treating Eczema; Boyle RJ et al.; October 2008.
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Evening Primrose Oil
- University of Maryland Medical Center: German Chamomile
- Cutaneous Medicine; Natural Advances in Eczema Care; Lawrence Eichenfield et al.; December 2007.
