Has Anybody been cured of LP?

Hospital Doctors have said Lichen Planus is brought on by Stress. Once you have it, it must run it's course. In 28 years I have had it three times. The first two times I had it on my body and legs, it lasted around Nine months. This time (3rd) it started up in January 2014 and I have it on my Scalp and right down my back and front including my legs, arms and back of my hands. My body is a complete mess with it. Have been on the internet researching about it and it can last up to two years from start to finish. I use Betnovate cream from my GP as well as Calomine cream this helps a little with the itching, I have come to the conclusion that when a Doctor tells you it is Stress that causes whatever you have it's because they haven't got a clue  but don't like to admit it and once you have it you WILL get it again. The second time I had it, it was Seven years after the first time, this time it has been Eighteen years since I last had it.

I suffered from Lichen Simplex Chronicus for about 20 years. This variety of neurodermatitis is not too different from Lichen Planus in terms of symptoms and treatments. Initially, I was told the same thing by health professionals as everyone else: that it was an incurable disease, caused by stress, and that all that could be achieved was to apply creams that would prevent me from scratching and thereby aggravating my condition. Nothing worked during sevral years and my condition deteriorated with time.

A few years later, I discovered I could obtain relief by exposing my skin to the sun (by suntanning) and also bathing in sea water for long periods of time. As a result, every time I had the luxury to take a tropical vacation, I would find temporary relief.

Later still, I read about Omega III fish oils, and by taking some orally, I did obtain a partial response and reduced the coverage of my lesions by about 30%.

However, my big break and success story came about a year and a half ago, when I started taking 300mg a day of St. John's Wort extract, to treat a temporary and unrelated anxiety condition. After about 6 weeks oral treatment, the itching, red plaques, scaling and oozing on the skin surface had completely dissappeared! I upped the dose to 600mg daily, and after 5-6 months, all the long-term scarring left over by 20 years of combat with the disease was gone.

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Puzzled about how this miracle had taken place, I decided to do some research to see if there might be a scientific explanation. It turns out I discovered several recent research articles explaining that a common but tough-to-beat bacteria was involved in about 90% of cases of atopic dermatitis (which include LSC). Simply type "atopic dermatitis" and "Staphylococcus aureus" in your favorite search engine to view the articles.

If you read the articles, you will learn that the bacteria called Staphylococcus Aureus is at least an aggravating factor, responsible amongst other things, of inflammation and consequently, the chronic itching often associated the condition. 

Additional reading about St John's Wort lead to a molecule called Hyperforin, apparently one of the most effective antimicrobial agents against Staphylococcus Aureus. In fact, the bacteria is often resistant to most of the conventional antibiotics available on the market. So, because typical St John's Wort extract contains about 3-4% Hyperforin, I now have excellent reasons to believe it may first have helped me in getting rid of the Staph infection. And, because St John's Wort also has a documented ability to repair damaged skin, it probably contributed in healing the broken barrier that allowed the bacteria to colonize the skin in the first place. Please type "Hyperforin" and "Staphylococcus aureus" in your favorite search engine to learn more.

So, there it is, my lesions are completely gone and there is no doubt in my mind that St John's Wort was a complete cure for my condition, since there were no other major changes in my lifestyle or diet, during the healing period. This obviously does not guarantee it will work for everyone, and as a word of caution, St John's Wort can interact with other medications, so it is essential to read about those potential interactions before trying it out. Hope this helps as much as it helped me!

I actually tried several brands of extracts in 300mg capsule form, mostly the generic ones that were custom-made for the drugstore where I purchased them. I did learn that they were all manufactured using a pharmaceutical grade extraction process called LI 160, standardized to contain 0.3% Hypericin derivatives. Hypericin is apparently the second most beneficial molecule in St. John's Wort, but not the one we are actually looking for which is Hyperforin. Apparently, the Hyperforin content per capsule does vary somewhat with this extraction process, but is supposed to be sufficient to promote the sought-after benefits. I did not manage to find capsules guaranteeing a certain percentage of Hyperforin content.

As for trying it, as I mentioned above, please make sure that you are not taking any other meds with which St. John's Wort may interact. Otherwise, I did not personally suffer from any unpleasant side-effects while taking it, but you may want to read about potential ones since anyone can react differently to drugs, including natural ones.

Good luck in you trial if you indeed elect to try it out, and please share if you end up being succesful as I was!