Neem and Tea Tree for Scabies

by Lee
(Germany)

Unfortunately, I really believe it is easier to catch these horrible little scabies mites than what most information suggests. When I finally came to the conclusion that I had scabies, I thought back and tried to figure out how I got them.

I'm in a monogamous relationship, haven't been trying on clothes in any shops, hadn't slept anywhere other than at home nor done or been exposed to any of the things that normally cause one to catch scabies. The infestation started in my elbows, I think from resting them on a desk at school, which at first I thought just to be an irritation from the cold winter weather in the foreign country I've been living in just since last summer.

I'm an avid fan of tea tree oil in general and so I just started applying it mixed with a little olive oil to the areas several times a day.

After a few days I saw improvement and after a few weeks the pink itchy bumps and dry scaly skin seemed to be gone, but that's when I started to notice an itching in my pubic area. No longer could I believe this was just winter dryness, I had something else.

I used some permethrin which helped at first, but I didn't do a follow up as I'd convinced myself that I didn't really have scabies since my partner hadn't shown a single sign of them and they are supposedly very contagious. About two weeks later the itch was back.

We found neem oil online and I started spot treating my pubic area and it really started clearing things up. Since my boyfriend had no signs and really hates the smell of the neem oil, he was stubborn and resisted further treatment even though he did do the one permethrin treatment earlier on with me.

We went on an 11 day vacation, thinking that any mites in our home would be dead by the time we got back. Apparently we were not diligent enough, because about a week after we got back I woke up with the worst infestation. I found burrows and itchy red bumps on my neck and flanks.

Once I finally broke down and cried over the situation my boyfriend finally submitted to any treatment I thought necessary.

Months later after the first signs, I finally feel like we are now over the hump and I think they are not likely to come back. Drastic steps must be taken and family members absolutely must be treated no matter what.

We devised a system where we only used clothes and bedding one time and then in the wash they'd go to be washed in 203F temperature water.

Everyday we shower with neem soap and/or Dr. Bronner's liquid tea tree soap and every few days exfoliate with a mild body scrub. Afterwards we either spread tea tree oil (sometimes mixed with olive oil) or neem leaf tincture (which does not smell like the oil) from head to toe.

I would then use pure cold-pressed neem oil on any areas where there was visible signs and/or irritation and mixed in some turmeric powder with the neem oil to use in places where it would not show in public--turmeric will stain your skin very bright yellow if you're at all fair skinned.

Bleach surfaces that can be bleached. We use a diluted bleach solution on our mattress and pillows too. Boil items if you can, freeze them (i.e. shoes) if you can't. Stow away anything you can live without for two to three weeks in plastic bags. Wear gloves when you do the laundry, use the dryer if you have one. I would have used Borax in the laundry, but could not find it in Europe even though it's very inexpensive and easy to find in the States.

Both oils do seem to kill the scabies one way or another, but you have to apply it often enough that you get to the mites in the small window of time between when they emerge from the burrows where they've hatched and before they have a chance to mate.

Both oils also help to relieve the itch, though the tea tree does have a sort of cold burning sensation for the first 10-20 minutes after application, though I don't find it all together unpleasant. Neem on the other hand aggravates the itch, but only for about a minute or two and after which begins to feel very soothing.

Resist scratching!!! But if you feel absolutely compelled to scratch place a bag of frozen peas or an actual cold pack onto the area. The cold will numb the skin and the itch will subside long enough for the neem or tea tree oil to take over.

You have to be fastidiously hygienic, far more so than you should ever need to be in normal circumstances and diligent with the treatment.

Aside from the bleach, I think it is possible to remedy a scabies infestation with natural products and to me that is very important in an overly industrialized, chemical-happy world.

Comments for Neem and Tea Tree for Scabies

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Different names for a Neem tree
by: Anonymous

Other vernacular names include Neem (Hindi, Urdu), Nim ((Bengali)), Nimm (Punjabi), Arya Veppu (Malayalam), Azad Dirakht (Persian), Nimba (Sanskrit, Oriyaand Marathi), DogonYaro (in some Nigerian languages), Margosa, Neeb (Arabic), Nimtree, Vepu, Vempu, Vepa (Telugu), Bevu (Kannada), Kohomba (Sinhala), Vembu (Tamil), Tamar (Burmese), sầu đâu, xoan Ấn Độ (Vietnamese), Paraiso (Spanish), and Indian Lilac (English).

In East Africa it is also known as Muarubaini (Swahili).

The Sanskrit name of Neem is Arishtha meaning the reliever of the sickness.

http://gardener.saosis.com/neem/

Neem Oil
by: Maree

Hi

My family have had the itch on and off for 8 months. We've done the Perethrim from the Doctors and it didn't work. Today I went back to the doctor and he has once again given us the usual chemicals for the family. But I just read about Neem Oil and Tea tree oil. I'm going to try it and try and get rid of these scabies once and for all.

Treat Scabies with Neem, Tea Tree and Coconut Oil
by: Anonymous

For anyone out there trying to get rid of scabies, if you are serious, get Neem oil, Tea Tree Oil and Coconut oil. Use the three combined to make a mixture which you can apply from head to toe and do this every day for the next two weeks. Change your bedding everyday and steam clean your bed and every surface in the house. Steam will kill them. Steam your pillows, and bed twice a day and any place you sit or touch. Wash your clothes everyday and dry them twice on high heat.

Please Help!
by: Anonymous

I've tried getting rid of these annoying mites but nothing’s working. My sister, boyfriend and myself were told all 3 of us have them. I have washed everything and instead of using the pesticide the doctor gave me lavender. I have been using lavender. I’m allergic to bleach and most medicines so I try to do the all natural thing when I can. The tea tree oil is way too strong of an odor so I can’t use it and we are still itching with more bumps popping up daily. I don’t know what else I can do. Someone please help!

It could be bird mites
by: Anonymous

It could be bird mites.

recent study shpws 6% clove oil kills mites
by: Anonymous

easy to google. 6 drops clove oil in 100ml olive oil with about a teaspoon of neem has been very effective for me. the study is recebt and was done in australia. requires repeat uses but is surprisibgly even mpre effective than neem, which i was using with eucalyptus before

I don't have a dryer.
by: Anonymous

Ok so I know everything I need to do to get rid of these things but I don't have a dryer and only 2 sets of sheets. There's no way I can wash every day. I also have roommates and they would probably get mad that I'm washing so much. Also same issue with clothes. Like wtf do i do

11 day vacation
by: Anonymous

Thanks for the story. The mites can't live off the the human body for longer than 3-4 days. I find it unlikely you got reinfected from your apartment after being gone for 11 days. There must be some other source of infection you came into contact with.

Clinical testing says...
by: Firemyst

Upon some studying, I found awhile back this brief synopsis stated that under the right conditions, of low temperatures and high humidity, the mites lived 19 days off the human hosts. Dehydration is their enemy, what I cannot find is any specific opinions/ideas/tests suggesting specifically where eggs could be laid (if outside the body at all) and how long those could be dormant. There was a topic started on another site from a guy who reportedly dealt with scabies some 4 years before his reinfection. They finally cleansed themselves, but when he would go through clothing from the past (long story) he would be reinfected and thought that the eggs were in the clothing. That's heresay, but the testing I mention is an article in the U.S. National library of medicine, published 1984, Survival and infectivity of Sarcoptes scabiei var. canis and var. hominis.

There are some other articles on there, and another site called living scabies free, these offer some insight, different perceptions based on experience. As with life, no 2 situations are identical, with different immune system strengths and habits, certainly busy schedules prevent meticulous cleaning schedules.

Ectoparasites from rodents and birds, typically misdiagnosed by MDs as "dermatitis"
by: Anonymous

Observing an indoor environmental health case of an urban building in which a family plagued by what doctors diagnosed as "spider bites", "nonspecific dermatitis", and "eczema". Culprit appears to be traced to an extended infestation of "tropical rat mites" (Species O. Bacoti, confirmed by obtaining specimens ID'd by entomologiests). After months of pruritis (intense itching) and systemic inflammation, one of the family members appears to have compromised certain heavily affected areas of body by combining multiple topical remedies (since the MD's had consistently misdiagnosed and appeared to be "blaming the patient" with questions apparently leading to a "delusional parasitosis" diagnosis). The affected areas then appear to have become infected with a widespread bacterial or fungal rash, followed by a growing general Demodex mite infestation developed (aka Demodicosis).

Currently exploring several remedies most or all involving Neem:

1 Topical treatment to reduce outbreaks of demodex caused skin erruptions (currently trying coconut/neem/tea tree ointment; coconut/mustard powder).
2. Internal treatment: (considering: borax/peroxide; neem tea; clove/cinnamon/lemon/rosemary/eucalyptus oil tincture).
3. Cleaning clothes and sheets daily in hot water and high heat dryer;
4. Environmental: considering neem-based powder and sprays for in and around building.

Requesting :

(1) Experienced successes with rodent, bird mite, and human demodex mite infestations;
(2) Relevant links to medical and scientific papers supporting best practices, etc.
(3) Referrals to pest control, medical and Neem treatment experts to consult on our building remediation project which will be published in a white paper available online.

Thanks in advance for any useful information!

Scabies Treatment that Worked
by: Anonymous

This website is very helpful: The Healthy Skin Program.
http://www.greendept.com/maximpulse/permethrin/healthy_skin_program.html

He also has a Youtube video and makes his own cure.

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