OK, this story is obviously anecdotal but still very interesting and might benefit others.

Also I have evidence that it's NOT a placebo effect.

Without going into much detail, I've been suffering with itching issues in different parts of my body for a very long time. Some I can attribute to fungus as in athlete's foot and also more generally I've been previously diagnosed with eczema in the past. On top of that I have a lifetime history of issues with many kinds of allergies. I'm 100 percent sure that I don't have scabies (don't ask). So a complicated situation that is fairly specific to me.

So what is working for me might not apply to you at all, but still ...

For a very long time I've been doing a drink in the morning on an empty stomach 30 minutes before eating of chia seeds soaked overnight with added Ceylon cinnamon and apple cider vinegar.

Can't say I noticed effects from that.

So about a month ago I saw a youtube video promoting a combination of two whole cloves plus 1/2 tsp.. Ceylon cinnamon soaked overnight in warm water (then strained) also to drink on an empty stomach 30 minutes before eating breakfast.

I had read of many possible benefits of cloves and did notice one of the benefits might be clearing up skin problems. But nothing connected in my head about that related to ITCHING.

So I tried that for some weeks with the two whole cloves.

Recently I saw another video suggesting similar but with 3 to 5 cloves so I upped it to 4..

Anyway out of the blue it occurred to my very long time itching issue has been relieved by about 80 to 90 percent. That's massive! That with no other change during that time plus as I said I can fairly rule out placebo as I was not expecting any impact on itching.

Since then I did a search and found that yes indeed SOMETIMES cloves are known to be effective with itching.

OK, some of these youtube type things can lead us down dark and even dangerous black holes but this time, totally by accident, I lucked out onto something really good.

Some more details about this if anyone is interested.

I didn't mention that after starting the clove/Ceylon cinnamon water I still did the chia seeds plus apple cider vinegar a bit later.

All on an empty stomach at least half an hour before breakfast.

The video pushing the clove/cinnamon water stated that while BOTH are good there's an extra special powerful synergy when COMBINED.

I think the medically relevant minimum dose for cinnamon is one teaspoon, not half a teaspoon.

I had been doing the full teaspoon but switched to half after starting the clove water as that was the recipe but I will now switch back to the full.

The clove/Ceylon cinnamon water is made in HOT but NOT boiling water, then soaked overnight.

You must use more expensive Ceylon cinnamon (available on Lazada) rather than the regular grocery store stuff as the latter is toxic if taken daily.

If expected any health benefits from the clove/cinnamon water don't expect to notice anything before doing it daily for multiple WEEKS.

Nothing instant. No miracles.

HOWEVER, upon thinking about this I didn't really NOTICE the dramatic relief in ITCHING until I upped the cloves to 4 from 2 as 2 was in the original recipe. I have been doing the upped clove dose for less than a week, which begs the question was this result almost instant or had I laid the foundation for it before with several weeks with fewer cloves?

Mebendazole - your itchy anus use a dewormer pill

7 minutes ago, PhilipHabib said:

Mebendazole - your itchy anus use a dewormer pill

Don't have that condition.

2 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Some more details about this if anyone is interested.

I didn't mention that after starting the clove/Ceylon cinnamon water I still did the chia seeds plus apple cider vinegar a bit later.

All on an empty stomach at least half an hour before breakfast.

The video pushing the clove/cinnamon water stated that while BOTH are good there's an extra special powerful synergy when COMBINED.

I think the medically relevant minimum dose for cinnamon is one teaspoon, not half a teaspoon.

I had been doing the full teaspoon but switched to half after starting the clove water as that was the recipe but I will now switch back to the full.

The clove/Ceylon cinnamon water is made in HOT but NOT boiling water, then soaked overnight.

You must use more expensive Ceylon cinnamon (available on Lazada) rather than the regular grocery store stuff as the latter is toxic if taken daily.

If expected any health benefits from the clove/cinnamon water don't expect to notice anything before doing it daily for multiple WEEKS.

Nothing instant. No miracles.

HOWEVER, upon thinking about this I didn't really NOTICE the dramatic relief in ITCHING until I upped the cloves to 4 from 2 as 2 was in the original recipe. I have been doing the upped clove dose for less than a week, which begs the question was this result almost instant or had I laid the foundation for it before with several weeks with fewer cloves?

4 cloves and a full teaspoon of cinnamon, but how much water?

Deepest sympathies, I've suffer with something similar for about 8 years, saw the head of Dermatologic and was under one of his best doctors list of tests and treatments is like a book.

2 hours ago, Jeff the Chef said:

4 cloves and a full teaspoon of cinnamon, but how much water?

Deepest sympathies, I've suffer with something similar for about 8 years, saw the head of Dermatologic and was under one of his best doctors list of tests and treatments is like a book.

Thank you for at least one serious response.

The original recipe was 2 cloves and half a tsp. .of Ceylon cinnamon in about 6 to 10 ounces of hot water soaked overnight on an empty stomach next day. So I upped the dose of cloves and think a whole tsp.of cinnamon will be better for me. I don’t think the amount of water is critical. Two many cloves can upset the stomach so no more than five. Maybe start with 2 or 3. I've been to a dermatologist here and found it useless.

A full tsp of cinnamon may lower blood pressure and have other medical effects so if you don’t want that go with half a tsp.

Have a look at this post and more from this fella. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1G9597f97r/?mibextid=wwXIfr

He has been telling people how to make clove water for ages now and has many people saying it has helped them with a whole host of ailments.

And as we all know, (those of us that grew up with a grandmother born in the early 1900’s) that clove oil works on a toothache. So it does have medicinal properties.

If you want to get a supercharged I put Chia seeds in warm water at least for 15 to 20 minutes I had turmeric and a pinch of black pepper to activate the Turmac that I add apple cider vinegar and a little bit of raw honey and it works great also what I’m making the clove of water I will also add to it pieces of wheel Turmac and real ginger I keep it covered after about 8 to 10 minutes I turned off I still keep it covered when it calls I pour it into a container and keep it in the refrigerator every morning I drink a little bit of it also you can put the clove water on a cotton ball after you wash your face and just put it on your face you’ll see that it really helps I know you’ve gotten a lot of word comments but it’s nice that every now and then somebody shares their health issues TIT

17 hours ago, Jingthing said:

OK, this story is obviously anecdotal but still very interesting and might benefit others.

Also I have evidence that it's NOT a placebo effect.

Without going into much detail, I've been suffering with itching issues in different parts of my body for a very long time. Some I can attribute to fungus as in athlete's foot and also more generally I've been previously diagnosed with eczema in the past. On top of that I have a lifetime history of issues with many kinds of allergies. I'm 100 percent sure that I don't have scabies (don't ask). So a complicated situation that is fairly specific to me.

So what is working for me might not apply to you at all, but still ...

For a very long time I've been doing a drink in the morning on an empty stomach 30 minutes before eating of chia seeds soaked overnight with added Ceylon cinnamon and apple cider vinegar.

Can't say I noticed effects from that.

So about a month ago I saw a youtube video promoting a combination of two whole cloves plus 1/2 tsp.. Ceylon cinnamon soaked overnight in warm water (then strained) also to drink on an empty stomach 30 minutes before eating breakfast.

I had read of many possible benefits of cloves and did notice one of the benefits might be clearing up skin problems. But nothing connected in my head about that related to ITCHING.

So I tried that for some weeks with the two whole cloves.

Recently I saw another video suggesting similar but with 3 to 5 cloves so I upped it to 4..

Anyway out of the blue it occurred to my very long time itching issue has been relieved by about 80 to 90 percent. That's massive! That with no other change during that time plus as I said I can fairly rule out placebo as I was not expecting any impact on itching.

Since then I did a search and found that yes indeed SOMETIMES cloves are known to be effective with itching.

OK, some of these youtube type things can lead us down dark and even dangerous black holes but this time, totally by accident, I lucked out onto something really good.

I tried the clove water a while back but I suffer from acid reflux and it seemed that the clove water made my reflux worse. So a word of caution to anyone with acid reflux.

I noticed warnings about pruritus lately too which can be serious

Pruritus, or severe itching, is an irritating sensation causing a desire to scratch, often signaling underlying skin issues, systemic diseases, or nerve disorders. Common causes include dry skin (xerosis), eczema, allergies, kidney/liver disease, and medications. Symptoms include itching without a rash, or with red, scaly, or inflamed skin.

3 hours ago, Tedly said:

I tried the clove water a while back but I suffer from acid reflux and it seemed that the clove water made my reflux worse. So a word of caution to anyone with acid reflux.

Yes, as implied in my OP, there is one size fits all answer for such things. Underlying conditions vary and responses to any attempted therapies vary as well.

4 hours ago, TheFishman1 said:

If you want to get a supercharged I put Chia seeds in warm water at least for 15 to 20 minutes I had turmeric and a pinch of black pepper to activate the Turmac that I add apple cider vinegar and a little bit of raw honey and it works great also what I’m making the clove of water I will also add to it pieces of wheel Turmac and real ginger I keep it covered after about 8 to 10 minutes I turned off I still keep it covered when it calls I pour it into a container and keep it in the refrigerator every morning I drink a little bit of it also you can put the clove water on a cotton ball after you wash your face and just put it on your face you’ll see that it really helps I know you’ve gotten a lot of word comments but it’s nice that every now and then somebody shares their health issues TIT

I'm ahead of you there.

I am concerned that I've gone a bit overboard with supplements and food as medicine things though.

I take turmeric with pepper pills 3x daily I skip it meals that have turmeric and black pepper though.

I also do soaked chia seeds and ACV in the morning a bit after the clove/cinnamon water. I think it's better to soak the seeds longer than you do though. People trying the seeds should ease into them, dose-wise.

I an also dosing on dried ginger diluted in hot water daily after lunch.

Dried and fresh ginger have different benefits. Frankly, I do the dried as its much more convenient.

8 minutes ago, 3NUMBAS said:

Pruritus, or severe itching, is an irritating sensation causing a desire to scratch, often signaling underlying skin issues, systemic diseases, or nerve disorders. Common causes include dry skin (xerosis), eczema, allergies, kidney/liver disease, and medications. Symptoms include itching without a rash, or with red, scaly, or inflamed skin.

Yes.

I didn't mention before that I have been taklng a newer generation (no drowsiness) antihistamine for a very long time both for seasonal allergic symptoms (runny nose, sneezing, etc,) but ALSO because it has helped just a little with the itching. Really just a little. So when my current supply runs out I will try out not taking that as the clove/cinnamon water has been dramatically more effective. It will be interesting to see if there's any difference.

Is this another ChatGPT story...

3 minutes ago, Aussie999 said:

Is this another ChatGPT story...

AI itches now?

18 hours ago, PhilipHabib said:

Mebendazole - your itchy anus use a dewormer pill

I recommend staying away from the ladyboys.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/health/itching-could-symptom-4-cancers-36516413.amp

Itching could be a symptom of these 4 cancers according to oncologist

Mirror

a day ago

Having itchy skin can be a sign of anything from irritating clothing to eczema, but an oncologist has warned that your frequent scratching could be a sign of some types of cancer

On 4/9/2026 at 8:56 AM, thecyclist said:

I recommend staying away from the ladyboys.

Just steroid cream for an. Itchy anus is needed

I'm the original nature-boy, so natural remedies before drugs definitely work. A lot of powders aso, I'm usually just too lazy, turmeric for instance.

But I'm pretty itchy, too. Clove water w/o cinnamon to start. (Because it's a powder.) Ah, can I buy Ceylon stick cinnamon???

Good luck w/this, Jing.

Just found both Ceylon cinnamon sticks and cloves on Shopee!

I am using the powder.

No idea about sticks vs. powder as to the dose and effectiveness.

Yes, itching is one of those symptoms that can have many different kinds of underlying causes.

I'm not here to give medical advice as each case is different.

I am sharing my anecdotal experience with clove/cinnamon water as a person with a very long history of allergy related and eczema related issues.

I'm reserving judgement on all of this until stiddilemump and redphoenix give us the real low down.

If I’m not bitching, I’m itching! Good to see you outside the Wholly Land, Jing.

It’s only in old age (76) that I’ve developed skin problems, many including itching.

I had Basal Cell Carcinoma—in my groin!—TMI—for more than two years. It was red but didn’t itch or hurt or grow. Biopsy, then day surgery, cut me twice.

During this time, my scalp got flaky and itchy and I developed some dry patches in my face’s (what the girls call) “T-zone”.

Dermatologists are pretty clueless. They pass out steroid and antibiotic ointments and prescribe expensive shampoos that they must know don’t work.

Okay, flaky scalp was cured by using Head & Shoulders Tea Tree Oil Shampoo (Shopee, Lazada). Then I started to get random, small scabby lesions on my scalp. I applied straight Tea Tree Oil (iHerb) spot-by-spot and, presto, gone.

I’m scrubbing in instant coffee solution onto my scalp once a day. Has relieved all itching. And obliterated any grey hair, too!

Doc found an overgrowth of Demodex face mites: hairline, eyelids, eyelashes, eyebrows. Had infested my eyes’ meibomian glands. This was/is itchy as hell and caused blepharitis which was/is crusting my eyelids every day.

I made a DIY Tea Tree face wash and lid scrub which helps some.

Itchy feet and shins. Haven’t found any treatment for that yet.

So I started with 5 Ceylon cloves and a few fingernails of Ceylon stick cinnamon. My strategy is to keep adding more cloves & cinnamon every day in hopes the old ones still have some power in them.

I think there must be some vitamin, mineral and/or amino deficiency running the itching. I just haven’t found it yet.

What soap you use is also important. Do you have dry skin or oily skin? I’m running out of the 10kg of olive oil bar soap from Syria. Neutrogena is expensive. Those round Thai soaps with scent of different Thai herbs work fine.

We don’t have hot water so my shower is whatever the air temp is. Daily, I only wash pits, groin, ass & feet. Once every week or ten days I do a full body scrub. I have oily skin so I’m not too worried about drying it out.

You mentioned it took some months before you noticed your itchy had gone away. I’ll keep at it. Thanks for the info, Jing.

That lying liar!

CJ

P.S. I’ve often wondered what physiological purpose itching serves. Scratching is, of course, counterproductive. A wound, a burn, a dermatological condition, none are improved by scratching. Mosquito, ant bites?

Is itching to direct our attention to the source of inflammation? Why, if we can’t do anything about it anyway?

Puzzling!