Hidradenitis Suppurativa Herbal Treatment

Hidradenitis suppurativa, also called acne inversa, is an inflammatory skin condition that usually develops in the armpits or groin and features blackheads, lesions and nodules. The severity ranges from mild to debilitating. According to MayoClinic.com, complications can include thickening skin, scarring, restricted movement and a serious secondary infection called cellulitis. Doctors treat severe cases with prescription medications and surgery. Herbalists sometimes recommend marsh mallow poultices as a remedy for skin inflammations and abscesses. However, always consult your doctor before using any herbal treatment, including marsh mallow for hidradenitis suppurativa.

Hidradenitis Suppurativa Features

Hidradenitis suppurativa often starts at puberty, and can worsen with age. As with regular acne, the disorder is caused by hair follicle openings becoming blocked by excess oils and dead skin cells. Bacteria in the oils trigger infection and inflammation. Hidradenitis suppurativa usually develops in areas with many sebaceous and apocrine sweat glands. Symptoms include blackheads, red lesions that drain unpleasant-smelling pus, and painful, pea-sized nodules under the skin.

Marsh Mallow Traditional Uses

Marsh mallow, botanically known as Althaea officinalis and Malva sylvestris and also called sweet weed, is a perennial plant related to hollyhocks and native to Europe, North Africa and western Asia. Dried roasted marsh mallow root was originally used as an ingredient in marshmallow candy. Herbalists have long recommended marsh mallow for use in a poultice for infected wounds and abscesses. Herbal Medicine From Your Garden notes that it is credited with preventing gangrene. Other traditional uses for marsh mallow include being employed in a decoction for whooping cough, bronchitis, and constipation, as well as topical use for bruises and burns. Blue Shield Complementary and Alternative Health notes that herbal authority Dr. Rudolph Weiss recommends marsh mallow for eczema.

Constituents and Properties

Marsh mallow contains tannins, volatile oils, beneficial flavonoids and phenolic acids. It is also rich in mucilaginous polysaccharides, which give it a soothing, or demulcent, quality. Drugs.com, which provides peer-reviewed medical information to consumers, credits marsh mallow as an in-vitro antioxidant with antibacterial effects, while noting that its high mucilaginous content provides it with anti-ulcer properties as well. The website adds that marsh mallow has anti-inflammatory properties on skin.

Research

Some scientific research supports the belief that marsh mallow works against bacteria. In a clinical study published in the June 2003 issue of Phytotherapy Research, researchers found that marsh mallow extracts had inhibiting effects against pathogenic aerobic bacteria.

Application and Safety Considerations

To use marsh mallow, you can use the method suggested by Blue Shield Complementary and Alternative Health and boil 2 to 4 tsp. of the dried leaves or flowers in 8 oz. of water. Let the mixture cool, and dampen a clean washcloth to make a compress. According to Herbal Medicine From Your Garden, you can also make a poultice by mixing 2 tsp. of chopped mallow root with enough honey to make a paste, applying it to the affected area, and wrapping a bandage around it for two to three hours at a time. Drugs.com states that no adverse reactions have been reported from the use of mallow root. Before using mallow root for hidradenitis suppurativa, ask your doctor.