Garra Rufa
How the Garra Rufa Work
The treatment itself even has a name – “ichthyotherapy” – which is defined as “ the use of fish to treat illness, e.g. certain members of the family Cyprinidae such as Garra rufa and Cyprinion macrostomum living in hot springs near Sivas, Turkey nibble at skin lesions and are said to cure psoriasis. Probably exposure to UV light and to selenium in the water is aided by removal of dead skin”.
When kept in the correct conditions, Garra Rufa home in on areas of dry skin, especially around heels and soles of the feet and finger nails. For a psoriasis or eczema sufferer, the fish target the plaques — areas of sore, red and thickened skin.
They hide in and adhere by suction to stones and vegetation with their ventral crescent-shaped mouths and are bottom dwellers. They feed on algae, phytoplantons and zooplanktons but these are at times scarce because of the high temperatures of the water they live in. Garra Rufas are harmless and toothless fishes. These hardy fishes can live in warm waters of temperatures around 35 C to 43C.
The fish are like combfishes in that they only consume the affected and dead areas of the skin, leaving the healthy skin to grow, with the outdoor location of the treatment bringing beneficial effects. The spas are not meant as a curative treatment option, only as a temporary alleviation of symptoms, and patients usually revisit the spas every few months. Some patients have experienced complete cure of psoriasis after repeated treatments,There are claims that Garra Rufa exude a unique enzyme called dithranol (anthralin) which prevents fast development of cells from the skin, there
by alleviating Psoriasis.
Garra Rufa Origins
Originally from southern Turkey and northern Syria, for centuries Garra Rufa, have been known for softening and cleansing the skin of people who bathed in hot springs where the fish thrived. As the legend goes, the healing powers of the fish were discovered in modern times by a shepherd and his flock in Turkey 1917. Apparently he stumbled into marshy ground with an injured foot and found the open wound besieged by these Doctor Fish. The wound healed and eventually word got out to the outside world about these incredible little “man-eaters”.
Worldwide, Garra Rufa have made a name for themselves as “bio-therapists”, “dermatologists” and “pedicurists”. Members of the carp and tilapia family, the Garra Rufa thrive in hot water (they can withstand up to up to 43 degrees centigrade!), which make them ideal “hot plunge pool companions”.
