The treatment of psoriasis in children is still an intractable problem
and demands a long-term therapy with prolonged efficacy that is free
from serious adverse events. Many modes of therapy are currently in use
but the disease is often resistant to treatment owing to the
unacceptable toxicity that leads to poor compliance. Therefore, to
develop an alternative treatment is indispensable. Traditional Chinese
medicine has been documented for over 1000 years to provide various
effective treatments for inflammatory skin diseases. Herein, we report
an 8-year-old boy with recalcitrant pediatric psoriasis who, after
multiple treatment failures with conventional antipsoriatic
medications, showed remarkable clinical improvement with 8 weeks of
topical treatment with Indigo naturalis composite ointment. Remission
has lasted for over 2 years until now. Our patient's response suggests
that topical Indigo naturalis composite ointment may provide a safe and
effective alternative treatment for pediatric psoriasis.

PMID: 17014654 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE