Home remedies for warts. These overgrowth on the skin that are disliked by people. There are many advanced treatments for warts , like lasers, surgery etc, however, one can try some home remedies for it. Warts are caused by a viral infection, so taking things which boost the immune system will help the body in acting against the infection. In most of the home remedies, one requires duct tape to tie the remedy to the wart location.
What are warts ?
They look unsightly. Warts are actually a viral infection, mainly caused the HPV virus ( Human Papillomavirus ). But, isn't HPV a deadly virus which can cause cancers, specially of the reporductive organs. That is true, but HPV is of many types. The one that causes warts is different from the ones that causes cancer. So, there is no reason to believe that warts increase your risk of getting HPV caused cancer.
However, it is very stubborn infection. It takes long time to get rid of a wart completely. It is contagious and spreads from person to person. It also spread from your items back to you, so make sure you follow better hygiene and wash clothes in hot water to denature the virus.
Warts can be reduced with numerous home remedies. But you have to regular and persistent at those overgrowths.
( Photo Courtesy: ungard )
Home remedies for warts anywhere on the body, like plantar warts on the base of feet, except for the warts in groin region. That is a more sensitive region, and needs to be treated with care.
1. Banana peel ( easiest home remedy for warts )
Take out the peel of a banana. Apply the underside of the peel over the wart and tie it with duct tape. Banana peel has some activity against the warts. Every few hours, take out the tape and the banana peel. If the skin over the wart is crusting, then peel it or file it. Do this every night while you sleep. Keep the wart open for a few hours during the day because fresh air keeps the
skin healthy. A regular application of this remedy can get one rid of warts in a few days. In some cases, it may even take months, but stay persistent.
Banana peel is gentle on skin. It can be applied on warts, all types and on all skin area, even in the outer reproductive organs.
Why it works ?
Banana contains a proteolytic enzyme. This enzyme digests the wart and harms the virus, allowing the wart to slough out.
2. File Away The Wart
Take a sterile file or better still, use a pumice stone. Warm the wart by keeping it in hot water for 5 minutes. Dry it and then start filing. Go as deep as you can. This curbs the wart. However, it may not be able to stop from wart from growing back.
3. Duct Tape
Get a strongly adhesive duct tape and apply it firmly on the wart. It can be a bit painful. But it can diminsh a wart, as observed by many people. Duct tape possibly works by cutting off air supply to the virus, which might be essential for their growth.
Whatever be the reason, it works against the warts.
4. Apple Cider Vinegar
I have to admit that Apple Cider Vinegar is a miraculous natural ingredient. It has the capability to turn around a person's life by taking out most of the health conditions. It is a complete healer compressed into a bottle. It is quite surprising how it helps in almost all health conditions.
- Ingredients
Apple Cider Vinegar ( raw, organic and unfiltered )
Cotton ball
Duct tape
- Directions / How to use
Soak a cotton ball in ACV. Squeeze it gently. Then place it on the wart and tape it tightly.Let it stay there for 4 hours. Then take off the tape, give your finger or feet some rest and look at the improvement. Scrape the wart using a clean ( sterilized ) file and scrape off whatever comes out. Apply the remedy again. The scraping accelerates healing of the wart.
- Why it works ?
It just works for most people with warts.
5. Tropical Fruits
Except for bananas, other tropical fruits can get at a wart and digest it away. These are -
- Pineapple : Rub some freshly sliced pineapple on the wart. Let it stay that way for some time and then wash it off.
- Papaya : Another remedy that may work against warts is using papaya for warts. Papaya is soothing for the skin. Get a cool papaya slice and gently rub over the surface of the wart. Get a smaller slice so that one can apply on the wart nicely.
6. Salicylic Acid ( presently the best remedy for warts )
This acid is the most well established treatment for warts. You can easily get a salicylic acid cream. It is used all over the world for acne, warts and many other skin conditions.
You can get salicylic acid over the counter. It comes as ointments and creams. Apply this ointment on a wart and do not tape it. Note the difference after a night. Salicylic acid is known to work against warts through extensive research. This is what a dermatologist will prescribe too.
7. Wintergreen essential oil
The oil of wintergreen is very rich in salicylates, which eventually turn into salicylic acid. It can be used as a natural way to apply salicylic acid to the warts.
Dilute wintergreen essential oil by putting olive oil into it in the ratio of 1 : 5. That is 1 teaspoon of wintergreen oil to 5 teaspoons of olive oil. Even this mixture is pretty strong. Shake it well. Now apply this oil on the wart using cotton ball.
Other sources of salicylic acid are willow bark and birch bark. These are available as herbal tea which can be applied on wart using cotton ball.
( Photo credit : Wikipedia )
8. Organic Honey
Get organic and possibly raw, unfiltered honey. Apply it over the wart and cover it with a bandage. Keep it that way for 1 day. Honey is a natural antiviral too. The raw, organic honey has more antiviral activity than filtered honey ( one which looks clear and thin )
One can also authentic Manuka honey. This comes from New Zealand.
9. Potato
This is a traditional Irish remedy for warts. It is simple and quick to do.
- Ingredients
Raw potato
- Directions / How to use
Wash the potato. Cut it into slices with the skin on it. Then apply the slice on the wart. Hold it strongly against the wart. Keep it that way for 15 minutes and then dispose off the slice. Do this 4 times a day. You can do this while watching a video or something.
- Why it works ?
Well, this is not known. But it is worth a try as it is relatively simple and works for many people.
10. Holy Basil
The herb, holy basil has been used for numerous skin problems. You can use it for your warts. It is simple and quick to apply.
Pluck a fistful of holy basil leaves. Wash them in cold running water and then crush them in a small bowl. Apply the crushed leaves as a salve on the wart. Make sure to splash well, so that area of wart is visible through the basil. Keep it that way for 1 hour and then wash it off.
Look at the results. If the wart starts to wear off, then you can accelerate healing by tying basil in there with a bandage.
You can also use any other basil variety, like sweet basil or the regular basil, in place of Holy basil ( Ocimum sanctum )
( Photo credit : snapr )
11. Crushed garlic
Crush a few garlic cloves. Use a small amount of this paste on each wart. Keep them in a cotton swab and tie the swab over the wart using bandage.
If the garlic seems to stingy and irritating, there is a different way to use it.
Ingredients
1 garlic clove
Olive Oil
Directions / How to use
Lightly suatee the garlic clove in olive oil. Filter the oil and use this oil on the wart. There is no need to duct tape it. The oil acquires the beneficial compounds from garlic and delivers them to your skin.
Garlic is effective against warts. Within a few days, you can find the outer layer of wart eroding off and you can see black spots called roots of the wart. When the remedy percolates down to this depth, warts are guests of only a matter of time. Keep going with the momentum and you can find one day, you wart detaching itself from the skin and healthy skin underneath.
12. Castor Oil ( for flat warts )
The flat warts commonly form on the face. They can be reduced by using pure and extra virgin castor oil. Just take a small amount of oil and apply it over the wart. Wash off after 30 minutes. Make sure to wash thoroughly, as castor oil has an awful smell. It sends me nauseating.
13. Bentonite Clay and Turmeric
Well, people haven't used these two things together, but I assume they would work fantastic. Both bentonite clay and turmeric have skin healing properties.
Mix equal amounts of turmeric and bentonite clay. Add some water and form a paste. Slap a thick paste on each wart. Have a cluster of warts ? Slather this paste all over the region. Let it dry on your skin and keep it that way for a day. Turmeric is going to color your skin yellow, but never mind. Look at the results after a day.
Apply this regularly if you see improvement.
14. Lemon juice
Apply lemon juice on the wart by soaking cotton in it. Lemon is antiviral too, so one should drink lemonade during the time one has warts.
This may not work as effectively as others, but we all are different. What doesn't work for most may work for some.
( Photo credit : thomasrousing )
15. Drink green tea
Regular consumption of green tea can help the body in clearing the wart away. To have any effect on the wart, drink 4 cups of strong green tea, no less.
( Photo credit : koreanet )
Herbal remedies for warts removal
- Thuja occidentalis : This is a tree which grows in USA and Canada. It looks wonderful with its green coniferous canopy. This tree is used to make a remedy for warts. One should however consult a doctor before applying any remedy which contains thuja occidentalis.
- Frankincense : This resin is fragrant and can be applied on the skin. It has been used as a herbal remedy for warts since many centuries.
- Dandelion sap : The flowering herb dandelion emits a sap when one breaks its stem. This oozing liquid can be applied to the wart. Do not cover it up with anything, let it be open. The wart can heal quickly and depress down.
- Milk from the fig leaf : Get a fig leaf and break it . It will release a milky substance which can be applied on the warts.
- Greater Celandine - the yellow colored sap from this herb is a very old herbal remedy for warts. It is also well known by its biological name Chelidonium majus.
- Sandalwood oil, from the sandalwood tree has shown the ability to reduce warts naturally.
According to Ayurveda, a system of healing developed in Ancient India, onion juice helps in warts, applied topically.
