ABSTRACT
Vitiligo is an important disorder, especially for people who have racially pigmented skin, as it provokes discrimination in certain cultures (Indian), where affected individuals are unable to get jobs, women cannot get married, etc.
Finding its place in the description of the earliest of human ailments, many alternative medicines are available for this condition. These include Ayurvedic medications such as Psoralea corylifolia (photosensitizers), Cassia occidentalis, Curcuma longa, and Picrorhiza kurroa, which act as blood purifiers. The list continues, with many herbal medicines, homeopathic remedies, Siddha, Unani medicine, and the concept of food and “Viruddhahar.” Used both topically and orally, these alternative medicines have been rooted in Indian practice for decades. While some scientific evidence is attributable to them, there are very few scientific studies to justify their rationale. This chapter discusses the therapies beyond allopathy that are ubiquitous in vitiligo therapeutics.
