Psoriasis vulgaris is a prevalent auto-inflammatory cutaneous disease affecting around 1%–2% of the world population. Psoriasis is a T-cell-mediated chronic, auto-inflammatory disease that is relapsing in nature. It is multifactorial with factors such as diet, obesity, smoking, alcohol use, genetics, and stress having associations with it. 

The chronic inflammatory state of psoriasis with exacerbations and remissions demands “on-and-off” treatment schedules making its management challenging for the treating physician. The safety profiles of drugs and patient tolerability issues are important factors to be considered during treatment. Due to its chronicity, patients are bound to use biological drugs for long periods which may be associated with high rates of adverse events and subsequent withdrawals. Furthermore, its expensive nature burdens the patients economically.

However, a recent study published in the Journal of Ayurveda Case Reports has opened the gates for considering diet as a potential tool for treating chronic skin illness without the involvement of drugs. It is seen that diet plays a crucial role in the development of skin ailments including psoriasis. Promotion of physical and mental health with the help of a diet, especially rich in antioxidant foods may prove beneficial in combating chronic inflammatory disorders including psoriasis.

Dietary modification and supplementation, or Pathya ahara is highly emphasized in Ayurveda as a remedy for skin diseases. Pathya food includes easily digestible food, vegetables having a bitter taste such as neem leaves, pointed gourd, bitter gourd, ridge gourd, and pulses such as green gram, pigeon pea, and old cereals.

A positive skin response can be obtained by the addition of vegetables, fruits, probiotics, organic foods, and foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids in the diet. The study also mentions that a reduction of alcohol, gluten, refined flour products, tomatoes, dairy, red meat, high-fat food, salt, shellfish, pork, and junk food such as candies, pastries, French fries, potato chips, and sweets in the diet will result in positive skin-response.

An unbalanced diet that is predominantly sour, salty, pungent, and with too much milk, curd, and jaggery is advised to be avoided. Products derived from sugarcane are to be avoided as its heavy nature makes it hard to digest and produces worms which is considered a causative factor for skin diseases. Such an unwholesome diet can trigger the vitiation of Dosha which can lead to the manifestation of psoriasis.

Considering the satisfactory results observed in the study, it can be inferred that diet may act as a novel and cost-effective approach for the management of skin diseases including psoriasis without any side effects.