During the hot summer months and the rainy season when there is profuse sweating and the body is not exposed to air, red pustules of the size of mustard grains appear on the body, especially on the chest, back and abdomen. These are the manifestation of what is known as prickly heat. There is intense itch and if the surface affected by the pustules is scratched, it gives only temporary relief. There is a sensation of being pricked with sharp thorns.

 

Lightweight, cool clothes (preferably white in color) should be worn during the summer and the rainy season. Persons subject to prickly heat should avoid garments of man-made fibres and stick to cotton. The body should be exposed to the air for some hours in the day and a bath taken at least twice with cold water.

 

Natural Prickly Heat Remedies:

 

Bole Armeniac (Multani Mitti) should be dissolved in water and. a thin paste so obtained should be smeared over the affected parts. When the paste has dried one should scrub oneself with cold water. Or, green Henna leaves ground in water should be applied. Another local application recommended for the condition is 10 grams of Poppy Seeds ground in Goat's Milk. Alternatively, White Sandal ground in water (or a piece of it rubbed over a stone) should be applied to get relief. Tender leaves of the Neem tree ground in water also help.

 

People prove to prickly heat should take cooling drinks and increase the intake of liquids. Soup of raw mangoes is also recommended for this condi­tion. A couple of raw mangoes (of medium size) should be boiled in about 500 ml. of water and cooled. They should then be squeezed and the rind thrown out. The pulp will mix with the soup. A little salt or sugar (or both) may be added to it and drunk at least once in the day.