A eczema sufferer who developed a flesh-eating infection which left him 'looking like a burns victim' has finally found relief after taking Chinese medicine.

Owen Richards developed the severe skin condition as a baby which developed into a potentially deadly infection from the herpes virus.

It left the seven-year-old's body covered in bloody, weeping sores, leaving him in agony.

His parents Cath and Andrew Richards, from Hale, Cumbria, tried steroid and emollient creams but watched on helplessly as his condition worsened.

It was only when he was hospitalised with a rare and sometimes-deadly infection, called eczema herpeticum, that they found something to alleviate his agonising symptoms.

Owen Richards developed a flesh-eating infection as a result of his eczema which his mother said left him looking like a burns' victim

The seven-year-old, pictured on holiday at the Isle of Mull earlier this year, has seen his symptoms reduce after taking a herbal remedy

Now, after drinking the herbal mixture twice-a-day, his parents say his life has been 'transformed'.

Owen first developed eczema when he was just six weeks old, with his sore, flaky skin plaguing him through his early hears.

His skin was so sore and itchy he suffered 'extreme fits' of screaming and scratching and he could not go to the toilet, get dressed or lie in bed without crying from the pain.

RARE BUT SEVERE INFECTION Eczema herpeticum is a rare but severe infection that generally occurs at sites of skin damage. It is most commonly caused by Herpes simplex, the virus that causes cold sores, and can be life-threatening in babies. It normally affects people with atopic eczema - the most common form of eczema - who instead of getting cold sores, develop it for unknown reasons. Advertisement

Mrs Richards, 40, said it was so distressing for her family to watch, every day became 'torture'.

'It started as just a bit of redness on Owen's cheek when he was six weeks old but it quickly spread to the back of his legs and his tummy.

'By the time he was four, he was meant to be starting school but he couldn't walk or stand without being in excruciating pain.

'Owen would have these extreme fits of screaming and scratching and everywhere he sat he would leave a deposit of dead skin and blood.

'He couldn't get dressed or go to the toilet without screaming from the pain and he never slept through the night.

'It was so distressing for him and for us. As a parent you just feel completely helpless.

'We would try to comfort him but sometimes even a hug was too much because his skin was so sore. It was a living hell.

'Every day was like torture and he would plead with me for it to stop. I used to promise him it would even though we had tried all the treatments.'

Years of sleepless nights and watching their son's torment put a huge strain on the family, including their other son Oliver, eight, and tested the couple's 24-year relationship.

Owen developed the agonising skin condition as a baby, which was so painful, he couldn't even have a hug with crying

He was hospitalised with a rare and sometimes-deadly infection, called eczema herpeticum, leaving his body covered in bloody, weeping sores

Owen first developed eczema when he was just six weeks old, with his sore, flaky skin plaguing him through his early hears

The condition caused him to develop painful cysts under his finger nails before starting the herbal remedy, his family say cured him

In January 2013, he suffered at attack of eczema herpeticum - a flesh-eating bacterial infection.

He was taken to hospital with what looked like a bout of chicken pox but by the next morning Mrs Richards, a pyhsiotherapist, said it looking like half of his face had been burnt off.

The infection - triggered by the cold sore virus - can cause blindness or even be fatal if it gets to the brain.

'People would stare at his wounds where he'd torn his skin off scratching and I was worried that people who heard his screams in the night would think we were doing something awful,' she said.

'When Owen got eczema herpeticum it looked like chicken pox when we took him into hospital, but by the next morning the infection had eaten away at the flesh on his face.

'He looked like he had been burnt in a fire. It was horrifying.

'I had never heard of the infection before but now we know it spreads so rapidly and if you don't catch it, it can be blinding and even lead to death.'

His family say Owen would plead for the itching and pain to stop and described it as like a 'living hell'. He has since found relief from the symptoms with Chinese medicine

The herbal mixture, created and regularly changed according to Owen's needs, included herbs such as bloodwort root, white mulberry leaf, Chinese anemone root and Imperata grass

Owen was put on intravenous antiviral drugs to combat the infection but worried about the impact strong medication would have on her son, Mrs Richards looked into herbal alternatives.

The mum took a year off work to look after her son and after extensive research made contact with Shulan Tang, a professor of Chinese medicine based in Manchester, to start Owen on herbal treatments in May 2014.

Within just four months of drinking a herbal mixture twice a day, she said his improvement was so remarkable he was able to run, play and even started school.

The herbal mixture, created and regularly changed according to Owen's needs, included herbs such as bloodwort root, white mulberry leaf, Chinese anemone root and Imperata grass.

The concoction was designed to release the heat from Owen's body, soothe his itching, fight toxins, promote skin growth and clear his airways.

And Mrs Richards said his miraculous turnaround has been life changing not just for her little boy but for the whole family.

She was so impressed, she is now doing courses with the Shulan medical centre on herbal remedies and acupuncture to help her own patients.

'Owen's transformation has been absolutely unbelievable. He has so much more energy and his happiness is palpable.

'Every morning he wakes up singing and shouting silly things and laughing.

'He never used to be like that, he was just so consumed by his eczema - we all were.