Anal fissures: a natural remedy

The treatment of anal fissures draws heavily from phytotherapy and its nourished array of natural, useful and particularly effective remedies when the symptoms are mild.

To promote the healing of these very painful cracks, it is necessary first of all an adequate regularization of the intestinal function, obtainable through a diet rich in liquids and scoriae, possibly accompanied by natural remedies with a laxative - emollient action.

In this sense, herbal preparations such as linseed and psyllium, inulin, mallow, plantain and marshmallow may be very useful; all these natural remedies for internal use make the stools softer and smoother, facilitating their evacuation and decreasing the irritation phenomena of the anal mucosa. Mallow, plantain and marshmallow contain mucilage with an anti-inflammatory and healing effect; they are present in the consolida, which however is not recommended for internal use; on the other hand, it is widely used both as a cream and as a decoction, but always for external use (30 grams of drug - root - in a liter of cold water; bring to boil and leave to infuse for 20 minutes; make warm baths twice a day for a week, then once a day for another seven days, avoid prolonged use). The same goes for aloe vera gel (not the juice, which has a marked laxative action), to be applied several times a day on anal fissures, to benefit from its anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, immunostimulant and anesthetic properties. Another natural remedy, useful as a decoction for external baths, is the yarrow, a drug traditionally used orally as an antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory remedy, with specific action on the digestive system; in the presence of anal fissures the fresh extracted juice can be used locally, or a pomade prepared by mixing it in equal parts with the lard. As a general rule, however, when it comes to phytotherapy it is important to avoid DIY (for a whole series of reasons ranging from the choice of the vegetable source itself - concentration of active ingredients, balsamic time etc. - to possible inappropriate uses and drug interactions). Another important consideration is that in the presence of anal fissures the baths, medicated or not, are to be carried out strictly with warm water, avoiding the icy one in order not to produce anal spasms.

Other drugs very used for topical use, given their healing and disinfectant action, are those with essential oils; among the most used natural sources in the presence of anal fissures we find the essential oil of lavender, as well as that of cypress, sage, hypericum, thyme, centella asiatica and geranium. Since these herbal preparations must be handled with care by expert hands, we avoid proposing specific recipes and refer the reader to his trusted herbalist, for choosing the natural remedy for essential oils most suitable for the treatment of anal fissures.