Published 22:19 03 Oct 2017 GMT

Scientists think they've found a 'cure' for Psoriasis

lot

Which is why a new scientific discovery may bring some great news for people living with psoriasis. A study was conducted by Emory University of Medicine in Atlanta and Case Western Reserve University scientists, where they studied psoriasis-carrying mice who might be cured by... fire ants.

No, the fire ants were not using tiny surgical utensils or rubbing balms on the mice. The scientists used the venom from the fire ants to see if it would subdue some of the painful symptoms of the disease.

"Venom... on red and itchy skin?!", I hear you cry. Yes, it sounds like an absurd remedy prescribed by some kind of swamp witch. But hear me out.

The particular component the scientists found to be of value was something called "solenopsins", the main toxic component of fire ant venom. The venom was made into a one per cent cream and then applied to the psoriasis-affected mice, and scientists saw that both inflammation and skin thickening was reduced. These two things are the most common symptoms of the condition.

In plain English: the ant venom chemical helps fix irritated and broken skin, where creams were only able to soothe it before. This is because – amazingly – the solenopsin-treated mice had around 50 per cent less immune cells making up the skin. This caused the skin cells to have a significantly reduced inflammatory reaction, meaning skin won't be as itchy or red as before.

Psoriasis is a chronic disease, meaning it's long-lasting. People may have periods with hardly a trace of the skin condition, and other times patches can flare up quite severely. It can be very irritating and uncomfortable to live with, and it can really affect someone's self-esteem.

As unusual as the findings are, the discovery about fire ant venom may come as a welcome new remedy to relieve some of the discomfort that comes with living with the disease. For the huge amount of people psoriasis affects, fire ants may be an unlikely new ally.