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Spen (Kokura, Japan) on 07/01/2007
5 out of 5 stars

I have scalp folliculitis, for the last 10 years. I've been on many anti biotics, which always fail eventually, and the infection comes back with vengence, painfully. I've therefore turned to natural remedies.The folliculitis causes about 1cm wide spots, filled with puss, very sore, and they are slowly joining together. From 3 days ago, I tried a teaspoon of tumeric, mixed in a little cold water, 3 times a day.

The results are amazing. When I tried anti b's, I would see no results for 5-6 days. With turmeric, within 24hrs, my swelling had halved, and now, 4 days later, although I still have the red marks, the swelling has gone, 100%. I'm amazed, and the happiest man on earth! I'm sure it will not cure me, but the pain and irritation relief is unbelievable. I hope it continues, and if anyone else tries this method, please let me know, and good luck. Spencer

Replied By Melonie (Atlanta, Georgia USA) on 07/19/2008

I have Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS). It is a pus-producing and debilitating skin condition that causes large infected boils on the neck, breasts, armpits, abdomen, buttocks and groin areas. They can grow together and also form a tunnel called a "sinus tract". It sounds like what some of you may have. I was self-diagnosed after doctors didn't know what is was & still didn't after informing them. Their treatment was years of antibiotics which didn't work, by-the-way because in most cases, the pus is sterile. I went online and searched for a Natural/Holistic treatment and found Turmeric. I took as directed ( 1 teaspoon in a cup of warm water 10-15 minutes before breakfast & dinner for 3 days). I felt results in hours - not days. I felt better overall. In 3 days all of my golf ball sized areas on my neck, breasts, underarms ans sinus tract disappeared, along with the terrible deep-purple scars that HS leaves. I went back to my dermatologist 6 months later and they could not believe I was the same person. I have told my HS Support Group Members about it and they, too, have been successful into putting their condition into remission. I have been in remission for 7 months now. For some reason, the capsules do not seem to have the same effects and affects as the powder in warm water, though.

Replied By Solida (Brooklyn, New York) on 05/19/2010

I'm simply trying to find out if I can use the regular supermarket spice version of turmeric to drink? Thanks!!

EC: Yes, absolutely. That's the one we use!

Replied By Lauren (Scottsdale, Az) on 07/19/2010

HI GUYS! SO SO SO GLAD IM NOT THE ONLY ONE STUGGLING WITH THIS LIFE RUINING ISSUE! I JUST GOT BACK FROM THE DERMA A BIT AGO. . . IM ONLY 19 YEARS OLD AND HAVE FOLLICULITIS! IT HAS RUINED MY SUMMER AND IM SO OVER WITH IT! MY DERMA HAS GIVEN ME SO MANY PILLS FOAM CREMES AND SO MANY CHEMICAL PEELS. . ! ! ! BTW. . . AND I JUST WANNA BE NORMAL AGAIN I HAVNT GONE SWIMMING OR BEEN IN THE SUN ALLL SUMMER. . . CUZ WHEN I AM IT GETS REALLY RED AND GROSS AGAIN. . . . . SO YOU GUYS ARE TELLING ME IF I JUST MIX

1-TEASPOON OF Turmeric W/GLASS OF WARM WATER, IT SHOULD HELP???
IF IT DOES I'LL BE THE MOST HAPPY AND THANKFUL PERSON ALIVE! ! PLZ LET ME KNOW YOUR FEEDBACK PEOPLE. . . . HOPEFULLY IT'S ALL POSITIVE! THANK U AND GOD BLESS

Replied By Djpurity (Berkeley, Ca) on 07/21/2010

Turmeric is one of my very favorite spices. I put it on everything. It is very powerful antioxident and good for the digestive track and immune system among a dozen other bonus things. You can get capsules if you don't want to taste them, or get the spice and put it on all your food -I even put it on my yogurt with fresh berries, granola, agave nectar, cinnamon, and turmeric. Every day. I put turmeric on anything I cook (I am vegan) so if it's tempeh or seitan, it's awesome. But if you eat meat it's great on meat. It's good on rice, on grains, on everything, IMHO. Just the amount may take getting used to. Work up to a good amount. Start small, take a little a few times a day. You can buy soap and shampoo and conditioner and even body wash and oils with turmeric in it to keep you clean. It's very powerful stuff and used in many things and awesome to learn to like. But if you want to skip appreciating one of the most awesome spices out there, then I guess you could gulp it down in water but that sounds really gross. I would try it in kefir and maybe with agave and cinnamon unless you cannot eat those. But cinnamon goes well with turmeric so the flavor really is nice together. Give it a try and let us know what you think.

EC: IMHO: acronym for IN MY HUMBLE OPINION

Replied By Rach (Atlanta, Ga, Usa) on 10/28/2010

I just wanted to say that I am so greatful that I stumbled across this site. I have been dealing with horrible folliculitis on my chin for the past couple of months and nothing seems to help. I bought the tea tree oil, I'm getting the white vinegar tonight, but I have a couple of questions.

1. Should I use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar?

2. Can I use the tumeric that you can buy in the local grocery store or is there a certain type/organic grade that I should look for?

3. How often should I use the turmeric and should it be an ongoing thing?

4. How much turmeric should I use on a daily basis (amount)?

Thank you so much for everyone's input on this website.

Replied By Vineet (Mumbai, India) on 02/05/2011

Hi, I have a basic question regarding the remedy..

Do we eat one tablespoon full of turmeric powder with warm water 2 or 3 times a day or do we form a paste and apply it to the affacted area to treat scalp folliculitis?

Replied By Lita209 (Sanford, Fl, Usa) on 02/07/2011

It would be a good idea to do both. Good luck!

Replied By Lancey (Johannesburg, South Africa) on 07/26/2011

WOW - I am so happy I cam across this. I have had Folliculitus for over 10 years on my scalp. I have tried all available anti bi's and they have worked but only for a limited time. I have been using Turmeric for 3 days now and my scalp has almost cleared up. Thanks so much for putting the info up.

Still early day but I am really excited at the results.

Replied By Countrygirl (Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada) on 09/08/2012

I was so very happy to find this site, just as the rest of the people here. The first time I got folliculitis I of course went to the doctor and took antibiotics to get rid of it. That was about 4 months ago. It came back about a week ago, which was when I decided to try to find a better and permanent solution. Since last week, I have been soaking a cotton ball this the Apple Sider Viniger and applying this, just dabbing it all over the infected area for about 5 minutes three times a day and it is almost all cleared up. I just today started taking the tumeric - but had not liked the idea of putting it in a glass of water and drinking it. It is such a great spice! So I just put one teaspoon in a bowl of rice with virgin coconut oil (cold expeller pressed - another great healing agent) with some fresh spinach sliced up thinly and it was great! I fully believe that the reason the infection had started in the first place is because our immune systems are not up to par - which is where the tumeric comes in. I have done much research on this and it seems to be the answer to a whole lot of health problems. So, I will continue to put the tumeric on anything I think it will go with, (on potatoes, meat, rice etc) every day to build up my immune system and will hopefully never have this happen again. Thanks for all the great advice here from everyone (and from the one post about just putting the tumeric on food - that is the way to go). :-)

Replied By Southaussie62 (Adelaide) on 12/31/2015

I'm so glad I found this thread. I believe I've finally found a cure for this hellish disease.

So here's my story:

I've suffered from folliculitis around my back area for I don't know how many years (it has to be 6-10 years or so).

My condition started after I developed itchy pus-filled welts that would appear around my groin area which would split and bleed (absolutely disgusting). I consulted a doctor who prescribed me what I recall was Doxycillin, which knocked it on the head (thank god), though I did get a milder recurrence a short time later. So I consulted a specialist but when I saw him the symptoms weren't there (I had to book in to see him some weeks ahead) and did nothing but tell me to come back when I had symptoms and charged me $150 for the consult.

So back to my GP I eventually went who gave me a follow up dose of the antibiotic which seemed to knock out the welts symptom but then, at about that time, I noticed I started getting itchiness and redness around my rear area. The area would look like sunburn. Its odd I know but in my mind I believed the disease had simply moved from my front area to my rear, albeit with somewhat different symptoms (apart from the itchiness which was the same & which was still present in my groin area but without the split skin etc). Another course of the antibiotic though this time did nothing. I asked my GP for a stronger dose but he advised the dosage he was prescribing me was already reaching 'toxic levels', so this wasn't an option. So at this point I tried all sorts of 'home remedies' including Colloidal Silver, Tea Tree Oil, Peroxide, MSM, antiseptics - basically anything I came across that might have good anti-bacterial or anti-fungal properties (as I was of the opinion it was a fungal or bacterial disease), but nothing worked. At best I would get mild temporary relief but then the disease would return with a vengeance. Its almost like it had a 'mind of its own', developing a resistance to anything I threw at it. So over time I decided I would just have to live with the condition. Blood tests I had had found nothing. Another GP I saw a year or 2 later did the same blood tests and tried different creams etc but eventually made the comment that this condition may be a form of eczema and that I 'just might have to live it' which is not what I wanted to hear, as I was thinking the same and this simply reinforced this 'give up' approach, which was not what I really wanted to do.

So I then had my medical records transferred to another GP who lived closer with a view to getting someone to take a 'fresh look' at my condition. This GP was better. I don't recall what he did originally. From memory he tried different antibiotics which didnt help but it was good in that he was keen to try and find a cure. He subsequently referred me to a Specialist who also was very good. This time I had the symptoms of the red rash and itchiness around my rear area (sitting was painful & I had a desk job so this made it all the more a problem). By now I had this condition for so long and had been scratching the area for so long (it used to drive me nuts at night when I was trying to sleep) that a fairly large area of the skin had 'thickened up'. He diagnosed me with a form of folliculitis. At least now I could take some comfort in the fact I now knew what it was - the condition had a name. He prescribed me a cortisone that would thin the skin and asked me to come back so he could prescribe something else once this cream had done its job. A few weeks later I returned and he said the area looked much better and that the skin had thinned out as he had expected. He then prescribed a cream for me (Bactroban) and a few weeks later I went back to see him. At this point he discharged me as he was of the opinion the condition had improved significantly. He advised me to use the Bactroban if I had any 'flare-ups' and its this that I have been using for some years now @ $15 a tube, which usually lasts me about a month.

Then yesterday morning when sitting down in front of my laptop I noticed the itchiness and discomfort return again (which is nothing new as I have the symptoms pretty much every day) and made the first of probably 6 trips to the bathroom for the day to apply the Bactroban cream. It was then that I decided to google 'natural remedies folliculitis' and the 1st thread I found was this one. I read how simple vinegar has cured this ailment for many people and was keen to try Turmeric so I looked online for the VICCO cream and ordered a tube. I also dabbed some cotton balls in plain white vinegar and dabbed the affected area and WOW what a reaction! Instantly the itchiness disappeared & the redness started to fade. I then rushed round to my pharmacy and bought some Turmeric tablets (3,000mg) and took one and I noticed over the next hour or so the redness had completely gone. Knowing I had to wait several days at least for the turmeric cream to arrive I googled 'Indian Grocery Stores' and found one not far from me that stocked the cream so I drove around and grabbed another tube & dabbed that onto the affected area for good measure. I also purchased some Vitamin E cream and applied that over the top of the VICCO cream, & 24 hours later I can confidently say I believe I've finally beaten this thing. I've said this before trying other treatments but none of them had had such an effect as to remove all the symptoms of this disease as the vinegar and turmeric has. This has not simply alleviated the symptoms to a large degree (as other treatments have) - its completely snuffed it out. I noticed a very slight itch in one area between the folds of skin this morning and dabbed it with white vinegar and the itch instantly disappeared. Bactroban & nothing else I have ever tried has had such a profound & immediate effect. At best they have reduced the itching somewhat but I've always had to go back and apply more cream a short time later but an hour after applying the vinegar the itchiness hasn't returned. I can't stop checking in the mirror expecting to see a return of the redness only to see NOTHING there. I am absolutely stunned (not to mention over-joyed) that this thing has finally gone. Just WOW.

In summary, for me at least, turmeric & white vinegar are god sends. I'm not sure which is most responsible for ridding me of this condition, but I can attest to the immediate affect of directly applied vinegar. It could be the turmeric is preventing it from coming back & possibly assisting with the symptoms. Its hard to say as I started using both the turmeric and vinegar at the same time, however I will continue to use both if & when I notice symptoms again. I will post here again at some stage in the future with an update on this condition and what seems to be - its cure.

As a side note, my partner sometimes suffers from acute bouts of eczema so I have put her onto the turmeric tablets and cream and yesterday she noticed an immediate result also. Hopefully this gold colored substance is a cure for her condition also.

Replied By Southaussie62 (Adelaide) on 01/03/2016

So..its been several days since I added my post above and the results so far have been extremely good. I've had a couple of minor flare-ups of the folliculitis over the least few days but nowhere near as many as I would normally get particularly in view of the fact it is mid-summer here in Australia (the heat & humidity exacerbates the condition). I've immediately wiped the area with ACV upon noticing the slightest symptom (usually discomfort and redness) then applied Turmeric skin cream. I continue to take turmeric 1 x3,000mg capsule daily as well. But the symptoms have been very minor since I started with this new regime. I am absolutely elated!

I've noticed the odd minor itch occur a couple of times (but only in the folds of the skin and in 1 small area) and hit it with ACV which removed the itch immediately. I then applied more turmeric cream to the area & the itch hasnt returned.

Interestingly, I noticed the tube of Bactroban yesterday sitting on my bathroom shelf that I havent touched now for several days. I couldn't live without this antibiotic up until now as nothing else gave me relief.

So far the ACV/Turmeric regime has proven to be a winner. It may be too early to say its a cure until I allow more time to see if this disease develops a resistance but I doubt it will. Most things I've tried in the past have only given me some relief of the symptoms (they've not cleared it up) and only for anything from a few hours, to a day or so, before the folliculitis comes back even worse than before. But this time it hasn't and its been several days. At the very least I can say so far that using ACV & turmeric cream are very cheap alternatives to Bactroban and are much more effective. I used to have to apply Bactroban up to 6 times a day or more when it was really bad. Now I apply the ACV & turmeric 2-3 times a day, and that's really more to stop it from returning and/or due to very minor symptoms.

I hope to be able to post here in another week or so to say I'm 100% cured.

Replied By Southaussie62 (Adelaide) on 01/08/2016

So its been about a week since I started with the ACV and Turmeric and I'm elated. I havent touched the Bactroban since I started and my symptoms are 95% better than they were. I still get the odd itch in the middle of the night sometimes but leave it until the morning to apply the ACV or Turmeric unless its irritating to the point it keeps me awake (which is rare). When I awake in the morning I apply ACV followed by Turmeric if required. Each time the ACV kills the itch. This stuff is brilliant.

I might also add that I used to also get some itching around my groin area as well with some redness which was just an added burden, (& I still do occasionally), but again an application of ACV & Turmeric kills it dead. The skin around this area is looking much better.

Replied By Steve (Pgh, Pa) on 04/01/2016

Do you use turmeric capsules or just put the actual ingredient on yourself, and have you tried hibiclens also.

Replied By David (Sa) on 04/01/2016

I use both. And though ACV together with the turmeric is the most effective treatment I've used yet, and the condition is 90% better than it was its still not gone completely. Occasionally I get some irritation and/or itching so need to apply a repeat dose. Its way better than prescription cream but thanks for the Hibiclens suggestion, I'll give that a go also.

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