h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

do you know anything about st johns wort

Hi there


I know a bit about St John's Wort - what in particular where you after?

just curious i had heard it was good for depression but as your here what's best for a rash ive had one on my wrist fer ages nothing seems to alleviate it

It is good for depression, but you have to be careful with it - it can make people hyper if they suffer from depression that is of the manic kind. Also it can affect any medication that you might be taking as it affects the way that the meds are metabolised by the liver.

What caused the rash on your wrist?

i haven't got a clue it first showed up a couple of years ago seems to calm down and then flare up again

Without taking a look, it's difficult to say really.

Do you wear any metal on that wrist, because that can cause the skin to flare up.

no idont wear jewllry at all and if a watch allways on my left i was told to try witch hazel fer awhike and the doc gave me betnovate an later coal tar cream all with limited success but none seem to clear it up entirely

What does the rash look like?
Does anything make it worse, i.e. stress, detergents etc?

at times it looks like alligator skin kinda like scales or something also lately i been having having the skin pealing off on my thumb and index finger

So is it psoriasis then?

i'm not sure the cream i have is for psoriasis but the doc shwed me i picture from a medical book satu something like roseacrucia or something and i was told by someone it could be fungal....also i noticed that when it first got bad i was eating a lot of cheese

Sorry I haven't got back to you before, I've been a bit busy.

I'm going to do a bit of research for you and get back to you on Friday ok?

ok thanks m8

Hi there

Right, I've had a look at some books and stuff, and here's a bit of info that I'll copy out for you (from the magazine from Holland and Barrett). It's actually concerning dermatitis (eczema), but has sound advice for any skin complaint:


"Can I prevent it from occurring?

* Avoid the known triggers - milk, wheat, yeast, oranges, peanuts, food additives and soya products. (Obviously people have different triggers, so try eliminating them from your diet one at a time so that you can find out what yours are.)

* Consider your diet - avoid coffee, alcohol, red meat and sugar when possible.

* Avoid stress. (Easier said than done right?!? )

* Shower immediately after exercise - sweat can aggravate dermatitis.

* Use-soap free cleaning products.

* Avoid rough, textured or woollen clothing.

* Eat plenty of fish, which contains anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids...or at the very least, take a good omega 3 & 6 supplement. A good one is fish oil, but *not* cod liver oil as it can contain toxins. Flaxseed oil or hempseed oil are also good.

* Other good foods include avocados, seeds, tahini and nuts (but avoid peanuts!).

* Drink *plenty* of water (at least 1 1/2 litres a day).

* Take vitamins A and zinc which are good for skin problems, as well as B-complex vitamins (also good for stress and depression)."


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There's also a cream that you could try, called PS-98 Dermanova. Apparently it has over 86% success rate. It's based on a combination of plant extracts, such as the tropical Neem Tree, Cystus Flower and Cactus. Many of these have been used for centuries for skin complaints.

It does, however, cost £19.95 for 100ml jar.
If you're interested, you can contact the company that supplies it: Pharmavita - 020 8870 5533

Hope this helps!
I'll keep looking for you.


* Stre

cheers m8..do you know if that cream is available on prescription

I very much doubt it.

oh well...i might ask the doc just in case i was reccommended an herbal tea with plantain n cammomile tried it fer awhile seemed to help a bit

Chamomile is excellent for stress - do you think that your skin gets worse for stress?

i don't really think it's stress but i gotta admit my diet includes everything on the bad list...when it first really flared up i had gone through a period of living on bread n cheese allmost exclusively

I'd recommend you get yerself to a nutritionist - I'm sure that your doctor could help you with that.

Another tack to try might be seeing a kineastheoligist....they 'test' your muscles and can tell you what you are allergic/intolerant too and then suggest herbs/vitamins that you can take to improve your general health - then your skin should right itself.

Apparently tomatoes and tomato based dishes can aggravate psoriasis because of their high acidity level. So cut out the ketchup!


Something you could try to help allieviate the skin problem is to mix 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large glass of milk and add that to a bath and have a good soak.