Celery Juice for Psoriasis
If you’ve ever suffered from psoriasis, you would have scoured the internet and interrogated your doctor to find any secret cure out there that could get it under control. Sadly, there is no cure, but diet is definitely an integral part of managing psoriasis flare-ups.
Considering it’s an inflammatory skin condition, it’s a good idea to limit the amount of foods you eat that are known to cause inflammation; for example, sugar, refined carbohydrates, alcohol and processed foods. Try to replace these foods with natural options that are easily digested by your body. This being said, there is one specific elixir that has been brought to light, which some have suggested may hold some healing properties for psoriasis sufferers: celery juice. However, remember, there is no one-size-fits-all fix for everyone who deals with psoriasis — it’s all about trying things to see what options work best for you.
The Health Benefits of Celery Juice
So, why celery juice for psoriasis? It contains vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, magnesium and more. So, from the outset it sounds promising, and there’s a whole lot of good stuff in the juice that could help. It’s been suggested that all this goodness in the celery juice can help fight viruses and infections, which may be responsible for causing a flare-up.
But is there any truth to it? Sadly, not really. According to the National Psoriasis Foundation, although it’s agreed that infections and viruses may trigger the onset of a psoriasis flare-up, there’s no evidence to suggest that celery juice will eradicate a virus and get rid of your psoriasis. Although doctors will tell you there’s absolutely nothing wrong with drinking celery juice, it’s also unlikely to result in any miraculous recovery.
Celery does, however, contain flavonoids, which are found to reduce inflammation and to assist in treating skin conditions like psoriasis. However, there are many different types of flavonoids depending on the plant; unfortunately, there’s more research associated with flavonoids in such plants as licorice, greater burdock, mondell pine and oat. Results from a study published in the book Aromatic and Medicinal Plants: Back to Nature, edited by Hany El-Shemy, suggested that perhaps the flavonoids and the tannins in these plants would be able to help treat psoriasis. Regardless, celery wasn’t listed in this study as a plant that could help psoriasis, and there isn’t much research into the flavonoids present in celery as a psoriasis treatment. You can read more about herbs for psoriasis here.
Essential Vitamins and Nutrients for Psoriasis
Still want to try it? There’s no reason why you shouldn’t try to incorporate celery juice into your diet if you want to. But there are still a couple of things to consider. It is a fantastic source of hydration due to its high water content, but when you juice your food, you do remove some of the essential elements. For example, you’ll miss out on a lot of fiber. As we discussed, there’s still a bunch of goodness in a bunch of celery. It’s got the vitamins and minerals that, on their own, are suggested as good elements to include in your diet if you’re dealing with psoriasis:
Magnesium: including magnesium in your diet can help you sleep better. For psoriasis sufferers, sleep is a very important element. The better-quality sleep we get, the more chance our skin has to recover from a flare-up. It also helps with relieving stress, which is also vital to help your skin recover as well as reduce the impact stress has as a trigger of psoriasis.
Vitamin A: this vitamin can come in handy when dealing with the excess skin cells our bodies produce during a flare-up. Vitamin A is known to help slow down the production of these cells our body has been tricked into producing. You can find vitamin A in spinach and broccoli.
Vitamin K: this vitamin has great anti-inflammatory properties. Vitamin K comes in many varieties, but you can get it naturally from celery and leafy vegetables, as well as other vegetables like cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower.
Folate: many psoriasis sufferers have a lower level of folate in their systems. Folate has been used as a supplement to support those who suffer from arthritis and psoriasis. You can find folate naturally in foods like spinach, nuts, beans and celery.
Vitamin C: this is a biggie for those dealing with skin conditions. Vitamin C is essential for good skin health. You can find it naturally in foods like berries, broccoli and sprouts.
From the sounds of it, it’s much better to place your energy in curating a healthy diet that incorporates all the essential vitamins and minerals celery is known for, rather than just downing a lot of celery juice every morning. Try creating a food routine where you’re eating nourishing fresh food instead of processed food and see how this impacts your flare-ups instead. Do your own research to find foods that contain vital vitamins and minerals for a balanced psoriasis-friendly diet and incorporate them into your daily routine. Perhaps you can still add a few celery sticks in here and there.