Vine extract offers natural alternative to steroids for adults & children

A natural cooling gel made from a vine extract called Cardiospermum has been shown in a UK trial to be a helpful alternative to steroids for the treatment of very itchy skin, dermatitis and eczema and is also safe for use on babies and children for who steroids are not a safe option.

The trial found that the Cardiospermum Gel was both more effective and significantly more pleasant to use than all existing treatment the patients had tried, including steroids. Notably, 66% of the patients said they intended to continue using the gel in preference to their previously preferred treatments.

Dr DonaldGrant, a Bristol based GP who carried out the trial comments, “As Cardiospermum Gel can be shown to be as effective as a basket of other treatments for eczema, including steroids, and at the same time is significantly more user-friendly and can be used by children as it has a low risk of side-effects, there seems to be a compelling argument to encourage its use and to pursue further research into its effectiveness.”

Aside from the UK trial, Cardiospermum is gaining a reputation for its anti-inflammatory and dermatological effect and has been studied in more than 12 published research trials on its medicinal effects on inflammatory conditions of the skin. In one recent double blind study carried out in Germany Cardiospermum was found to have a significant anti-inflammatory effect without any side effects.
Cardiospermum is one of the commonest herbs used for skin problems from Sri Lanka where it is locally known as balloon vine. Its main medicinal powers lie mostly in its leaves which have been used for hundreds of years in Sri Lanka as a poultice for skin diseases, namely eczema and dermatitis.

The UK trial was carried out on Skin Shop’s Cardiospermum Gel which is available for £14.99 from www.skinshop.co.uk