Neem: A Home Remedy For Scabies

Neem home treatment of scabies is often a safer and more effective way to get rid of this horrible parasite. Why not try a neem natural home remedy for scabies before you turn to any nasty over the counter or prescription medications?



You can fight scabies with neem home remedies and at the same time do your skin a favor.

Neem not only gets rid of the scabies mites, it also soothes the skin, numbs the pain, relieves the itching, reduces the inflammation and redness, and heals any secondary infection that might have occurred because of scratching and open lesions.

In contrast permethrin—the most common prescription scabies treatment—may kill the scabies mite but it makes all other problems worse.

(See the bottom of this page for more background information on the use of neem for scabies.)

How To Use Neem Home Remedies For Scabies

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or veterinarian. I have no training in medicine. (I am a biochemist.) I do not give medical advice. I share research information that is publicly available as well as my own experiences, thoughts, and those of my readers.

Products and information mentioned on my site have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not meant to diagnose, cure, mitigate or prevent any disease. If you have a health condition see your physician.

Dealing with a beginning scabies infestation:
If you only have localized lesions and itching in one or several spots, it may be enough to treat that area regularly with a good neem cream, lotion, salve or ointment. Those neem products may contain neem leaf extract, or both leaf extract and neem oil. Both ingredients affect the scabies mite.

Not only does neem deal with the scabies mites, it also soothes the itch and softens and moisturizes dry, cracked skin. All forms of neem contain aspirin like substances that reduce redness, inflammation and pain associated with any secondary infections. Neem's antibacterial properties also kill the bacteria responsible for the infection.

Dealing with an established scabies infection:
If larger areas are affected, bathing is a good solution. You can add several table spoons of pure neem oil to a hot bath. 

If using neem oil, add some liquid soap or other emulsifier first to dissolve the oil.

Alternatively you can use the neem leaf by making a strong cup of tea from fresh or dried neem leaf and adding it to the bath, or using a "bath tea bag" that you add directly to your hot bath.

Soak in the neem bath for fifteen to twenty minutes. Then wash yourself down with neem soap, and after the bath use a neem lotion, salve or cream liberally on your whole body.

Don't have a bath tub? Use a strong neem soap, possibly combined with neem oil shampoo, in the shower.

However, I have to tell you that none of those easy solutions are quite as effective as the messy traditional neem scabies treatment...

The traditional neem home remedy for scabies:
If you have access to fresh neem leaves you can prepare the neem treatment that was so successful in a clinical study:

Pound neem leaves and tumeric to a paste using a pestle and mortar, mixing four parts neem leaves to one part fresh turmeric. Spread the paste on the affected skin and leave to dry.

Buying Neem Home Remedies For Scabies

When purchasing neem products for use on scabies, look for raw, cold-pressed oil, preferably organic. Look for extra-strength neem soap with a neem oil content of at least 20%, not just a tiny token amount.

Buy lotions and salves that were formulated for treating skin conditions, don't just buy some general beauty products. The beauty neem products only use very small amounts of neem. They are great for maintaining healthy skin but not as effective in dealing with skin disorders.

If you go to this page and scroll down you will find a good selection of products recommended for scabies.
"Scabies relief bundles" are also available in different sizes (small, medium and large). Which size you get depends on the severity of the infestation. Larger bundles contain more products, not just larger amounts of the same products. So they allow you to combine several treatment strategies. 

How Often To Use The Neem Scabies Home Remedies

Any neem home remedy for scabies needs to be applied daily!

Neem does not kill the scabies mites directly (read more about that under neem insecticide). Neem interferes with their breeding and reproduction, so it wipes out the population over time.

The symptoms should disappear within three to five days. Unless we are talking about very severe cases where the whole body is affected and secondary infections need to be treated as well. To heal severe cases of scabies with neem may take up to two weeks. That is still faster and safer then conventional products.

Scabies is spread via personal contact and via sharing a bed or clothes. It may take up to two months from the first infection for the allergy to the mite to develop and symptoms to appear. So, all household members need to be treated whether they are itchy or not!

Unfortunately that's not all yet. Only treating the skin will result in re-infection, because the mites can survive in clothes and in bedding.

To totally eradicate the scabies mite all clothing and bedding needs to be washed, and preferably dried at very high temperatures. (Washing alone may not kill the mites.) Don't use any of that clothing or bedding for at least ten days in case any mites survived.

If you want to be really safe, seal all clothes in a plastic bag for ten days to make sure all mites are dead.

Also, vacuum around the bed, clean all furniture etc. and keep using the neem soap and lotion for at least two more weeks.

A scabies mite infestation is no laughing matter. It will take work and discipline to eradicate. But at least you don't need to poison yourself in the process.

By the way, it's not a bad idea to stick with neem products for your personal care even after the successful treatment of scabies with neem. Neem products have many benefits for your skin and general health. And of course, while you are using them you prevent any recurrence of scabies.


Here are the other pages on this site where you can learn more about neem and scabies:

More Neem Tree Home Remedies




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