Urticaria (Hives), or Sheet-Pitta as known in Ayurveda, is a skin disease which is characterised by red, itchy, raised areas of the skin that appear in varying shapes and sizes. Symptomatically, this may be sometimes similar to allergy or angioedema. Hives can be round, or they can form rings or large patches. This skin disease can occur anywhere on the body, such as the trunk, arms and legs. They are produced by histamine (the substance that plays a major role in many allergic reactions). Histamine dilates blood vessels and makes the vessel walls abnormally permeable. It also causes fluid to leak from the local blood vessels, leading to swelling in the skin.
Urticaria can also be an allergy. Allergies are an inappropriate response – either an overreaction or an inappropriate reaction – to the environment. These appear due to imbalanced immunity or aggravated body energies that lead to the formation of toxins in the body.
Ayurveda treatment for Hives consists of purification of the body of toxins with natural herbal preparations. Administration of digestive herbs restores the digestive fire and oils may be applied to nourish and tone the skin. Relaxation of the mind is also an important part of the treatment. Panchakarma treatment therapies such as abhyanga (massage), svedana (fomentation), vaman (induced vomiting) and virechen (induced lose motion) are known to be effective in treating Urticaria.
