A couple of weeks ago, I took a 3-day trip to Chiang Mia in northern Thailand with a Thai friend. At the airport, on the way back to Bangkok, we discovered that the little red spots she had been suffering from all weekend were in fact chicken pox. Thankfully, I had had chicken pox when I was a kid, so was pretty much immune to it.
After a call to her mother though, my friend discovered she hadn’t, so we ended up on a plane back to Bangkok sitting on the front row, isolated from the rest of the passengers , and with my friend forced to wear a mask by the flight crew.
When we got back to Bangkok, I did some quick research on Thai natural home remedies for chicken pox and my friend’s mom came up with some too. So, if you are unfortunate enough to get chicken pox, try these Thai natural home remedies.
They worked for my friend, and they will probably work for you too.
Take a Ginger Bath – One of the old Thai remedies is to fill a bath with lukewarm water and put in some fresh ginger. Bathe in the bath for at least half an hour, and this will help stop any itching you might be experiencing.
Take an Oatmeal Bath – If you don’t like the smell or the feel of ginger, try one of my friend’s grandma’s home remedies for chicken pox. Boil some oatmeal for at least 15 minutes until it’s soggy. Then scoop out of the pot and put into a muslin cloth (Thailand has a natural fabric they use, which is similar to muslin). Pull up the sides to form a bag and tie at the top with string.
Now put into a bath of lukewarm water and swish around until the water becomes cloudy. Relax for at least half an hour. Because oatmeal has an anti-inflammatory effect, it will stop the itching and also prevent it coming back for at least a few hours.
Keep Cool – One bad thing about having chicken pox in Thailand, as my friend discovered, was the excessive heat. If you have chickenpox, one of the quickest home remedies is to get your room as cool as possible.
Thai doctors often tell chicken pox patients to make sure their rooms are cold as studies have shown that keeping cool actually prevents some of the spots from appearing, stops some of the itching and can make the case of chicken pox less severe.
Remember too, if you don’t have air conditioning, placing a large bowl of ice in front of a fan can cool down a room quite well.
Rub Vitamin E On the Chickenpox – Vitamin E oil is amazing for many skin problems but especially is a wonderful natural home remedy for chickenpox. Vitamin E causes the pox to heal faster and also prevents scarring – really important with chicken pox. Thais, like many other nationalities, uses Vitamin E oil on many skin ailments – chicken pox being just one of them.
Rub Sandalwood Oil on the Chickenpox – Sandalwood oil is another old Thai remedy for relieving chickenpox. It stops the itching, and also decreases the healing time which, in turn, means less scars. Oh, and it smells nice too!
Jasmine Flower Tea – The Jasmine flower is one of Thailand’s most precious commodities. So, it makes sense that another traditional Thai natural remedy for chicken pox is to drink Jasmine Tea. You can buy it at most herbal medicine and tea shops and it’s reputed, in Thailand, to quickly cure a patient of chicken pox.
You can also use Thai jasmine, which smells lovely by the way, in the bath for quicker healing. Grind up the jasmine flower and mix it with some rice water. Add it to a lukewarm bath and baht in it for at least half an hour.
Try any or all of these Thai natural home remedies for chicken pox. None of them are expensive, they are all safe alternatives to over-the-counter medicines, and won’t have any of the side effects more chemical-based products can cause.
