Hives

Clinical case of chronic urticaria

resistant to allopathic treatment, treated by phytotherapy

 

Dr. Cristina-Daniela Cîmpean

Divine Star Natural Health Centre

 

Summary

Urticaria is a very common allergic condition with a polypspectrum, manifested by round rash elements, which areOval, variable in size, generally very itchy and can occupy any region of the body, appearing and disappearing suddenly, with recurrences caused by various factors (drugs, exposure to allergenic substances of different categories, food poisoning, immunological reactions caused by intestinal parasites, emotional factors, etc.).

Allopathic treatment includes avoidance of contact with allergenic substances, eradication of parasitosis, correction of digestive disorders, antihistamines and corticosteroids. For the most part it is limited to treating the acute eruptive phase and does not specifically address the background. Phytotherapy influences allergic reactivity, removes metabolic waste accumulations, corrects metabolic terrain, has antihistamine effects. The paper presents the case of a patient with 8 months old chronic urticaria, with daily rash regardless of the diet followed, characterized by very large elements, spread all over the body, treated with xyzal, but at the cost of significant side effects (6 episodes with angioedema, glottic oedema and cardiac disorders requiring emergency intervention). After two months of phytotherapeutic treatment the patient is completely healthy, with no relapses in the next 4 months.

1. Introduction

Urticaria is a very common allergic condition with a polypspectrum, manifested by round rash elements, which areOval, variable in size, generally very itchy and can occupy any region of the body, appearing and disappearing suddenly, with recurrences caused by various factors (drugs, exposure to allergenic substances of different categories, food poisoning, immunological reactions caused by intestinal parasites, emotional factors, etc.).

Allopathic treatment of urticaria includes: avoiding contact with allergenic substances, eradication of parasites,

correction of digestive disorders, antihistamines and corticosteroids. For the most part it is limited to treating the acute eruptive phase and does not specifically address the background.

Phytotherapy influences allergic reactivity, eliminates metabolic waste accumulations, corrects metabolic terrain and has antihistamine effects.

2. Material and method

The clinical case presented in this paper is a 44-year-old male patient who isPresented for his first consultation in October 2013 with a diagnosis of severe chronic urticaria that started 8 months ago. Clinically the patient presented with generalized urticaria, with lesions about 2 cm in diameter at the onset of the rash, with very large papules, burning sensation in the skin, intense itching; the lesions appear and recede the same day with treatment with xyzal (levocetirizine dihydrochloride - antiallergic, antihistamine). The patient has presented in the last 8 months with large weight changes and insomnia. The rashes wake him up at night from sleep which is why he is very tired. The altered general conditionhas led at times to thoughts of suicide.

In the first month of the onset of the condition the patient was investigated for Helicobacter pylori infection and treated allopathically until the infection was eradicated, but without influencing the course of the urticaria. During the 8 months since the onset of the condition he presented as a secondary reaction to anti-allergic medication and 6 episodes of glottic oedema with tachycardia, angioedema, sometimes atopic bronchial reactions (inspiratory dyspnoea), treated in the emergency department.

Paraclinically we mention increased eosinophilia with normal serum Ig E and Ig F levels.

The phytotherapeutic treatment recommended in our clinic consisted of:

Rp1: mixture administered as a powder, 1 teaspoon 4 x daily of rocoine (Stellaria media) aerial part, burdock (Arctium lappa) root, mousetail flowers (Achillea millefolium), aerial part of smokehouse (Fumaria officinalis), aerial part of three spotted brothers (Viola tricolor), blackcurrant seeds, blackcurrant leaves (Ribes nigrum ), red clover flowers (Trifolium pratense).

Rp 2: shirish bark (Albizza lebbeck) and priyangu (Callicarpa macrophyla) - powder mixture, 1 teaspoon 4 x day

Rp 3: blackcurrant bud glycerin macerate tablets 2 tabs x 2 /day morning and noon

Rp 4: oil from negrilica seeds (Nigella sativa) - 5 pic of 3 x day

After a month of treatment the rashes decreased in intensity and it was only necessary to use xyzal once every 3 - 4 weeks.4 days, not s-woke up at night from sleep due to the rash only once, for itching only in the palms, s-improved appetite because no more food rashes appeared (prior to herbal treatment, rashes caused by almost any food). Herbal treatment started to have an effect after 3-4 days of administration.

At this point s-additionally recommended: blackcurrant glycerin macerate 3 x daily, last time at 5 pm and blackcurrant oil 3 x daily.

A month and a half after starting the herbal treatment, the rash appears only on the most demanding days (Tuesdays and Fridays), in the areas with increased friction (where the stocking tightens, on the inside of the arms, in the groin area,

Symptoms associated with the rash: nervousness, warm to hot skin sensation at the time of the rash, sometimes mild prickling in the epigastrium. No further rashes occur in connection with meals, regardless of food ingested. Additional s-also found normalization of blood pressure (at the beginning of treatment the patient was hypotensive).

Rumex carbo - ½ dose in the morning on an empty stomach.

2 months after starting herbal treatment the patient has not needed xyzal for the last 2 weeks, very rarely a few small rash elements of a few millimetres have appeared, which recede by the evening without requiring xyzal, he can eat anything and with this result ends the herbal treatment. So far she has had no further episodes of illness (7 months after the end of treatment).

3. Considerations on the phytotherapeutic treatment followed

The objectives of the phytotherapeutic treatment followed were the following:

a) Depurative and lymphatic draining action: burdock root, sticklewort aerial part, mousetail flower, fumitory aerial part, three-brothers-stained, red clover flowers

b) Antiallergic, antihistamine, immunomodulating action: black currant leaves and buds, black currant seeds and oil, the aerial part of three-brothers-the red clover blossoms, the bark of the shirish, aerial part of priyangu

c) Reduction of inflammatory predisposition and skin reactivity: Rumex carbo

d) Addressing the emotional cause of the illness: separation from wife

The most important phytotherapeutic species with antihistamine and antiallergic action used in the therapy of this case are briefly presented below:

a) Three-brothers-stain (Viola tricolor)

Part used: aerial part (Violae tricoloris herba).

Active ingredients: triterpene saponosides, mucilages, flavonoids, volatile oil, tannin.

Actions : depurative, antiallergic, anti-inflammatory, emollient, laxative, antihistamine and antiallergic (thanks to myricetin - RWG122: Jim Duke's personal files, rutinei - Duke, James A. 1992. Handbook of biologically active phytochemicals and their activities. Boca Raton, FL. CRC Press. and thanks to quercetin - JNP60:884: Jim Duke's personal files)

Indications (internal): allergies, bronchial asthma, skin conditions (acne, eczema, boils, hives) - internal and external

b) Red clover  (Trifolium pratense)

Part used: inflorescences (Trifolii pratensis flos).

Active ingredients: triterpene saponosides, flavonoids, resins, minerals, carotene

Actions : depurative, antiasthmatic, expectorant, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic (due to ascorbic acid and calcium - PIL: Jim Duke's personal files, niacin - Werbach, M. 1993. Healing with Food. Harper Collins, New York, 443 pp), antihistamine (due to caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid, niacin, ascorbic acid -Duke, James A. 1992. Handbook of biologically active phytochemicals and their activities. Boca Raton, FL. CRC Press. isorhamnetinei - Williamson, E. M. and Evans, F. J., Potter's New Cyclopaedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations, Revised Ed., Saffron Walden, the C. W. Daniel Co., Ltd., Essex UK, 362 pp, 1988, reprint 1989.

(c) Black currant (Ribes nigrum)

Part used: leaves (Ribes nigri folium)

Active ingredients: the leaves contain tannins, rutozide, vitamin C, small amounts of volatile oil, mineral salts.

Therapeutic actions leaves: depurative, astringent, antianemic, antiseptic, sedative, antihistamine (due to routine - Duke, James A. 1992. Handbook of biologically active phytochemicals and their activities. Boca Raton, FL. CRC Press), antiallergic, uricosuric,  

Leaf indications: internal: allergies, bronchial asthma

d) Shirish (Albizia lebbek)

Part used: bark

Therapeutic actions antiallergic - J. Duke; antihistamine: Analysis of the plant revealed the presence of flavonoids, triterpenoids and triterpenoid saponins; oleanolic acid, albigenic acid, albigenin and acacic acid. The bark contains condensed tannin; also d-catechin and d-leucocyanidin. Aqueous extract of the bark decreased histamine-induced bronchospasm in guinea pigs. - C.P. Khare - Indian medicinal plants

e) Negrilica, black cumin (Nigella sativa)

Part used: seeds and seed oil

Active ingredients: linoleic acid has antihistamine action (Economic & Medicinal Plant Research, 6: 189.)

thymoquinone - antihistamine (List, P.H. and Horhammer, L., Hager's Handbuch der Pharmazeutischen Praxis, Vols. 2-6, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1969-1979.)

(f) Priyangu (Callicarpa macrophylla)

Pharmacological actions: due to betulinic acid it is a potent anti-inflammatory and immunomodulator - Bharat et. all 2011, due to flavonoids it has anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic and immunomodulatory action - Singh et all. 2012

(g) Tail- mouse (Achillea millefolium)

Parts used: flowering tops - Millefolii flowers

Main constituents: volatile oil rich in azulenes, pinenes, comfor, cineol, borneol, limonene, etc.; lecithins; coumarins, flavonoids (apigenin, luteolin, rutin, etc.), alkaloids (achilein, stahydrin, etc.), beta-sitosterol, organic acids, salicylic acid, caffeic acid, tannins, coumarins, carbohydrates, proteins, mineral salts of Fe, Zn, Ca, Co, Si, etc.

Actions: anti-inflammatory, choleretic-cholagogue, liver stimulant, diuretic, antiseptic, antifebrile, analgesic, diaphoretic, antispasmodic, vulnerary, cicatrizant, antihistamine - by caffeic acid, azulene, isorhamnetin, limonene, luteolin, menthol, niacin, cvercetin, rutin, apigenin, ascorbic acid - Duke, James A. 1992. )

Indications: dermatological conditions- ulcers, pustules, inflammations, ulcerations

4. Conclusions

Phytotherapeutic treatment is effective even in severe chronic hives that do not respond satisfactorily to allopathic treatment and is free of the side effects specific to antihistamine or cortisone medication.