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10 Natural Home Remedies for the Removal of Warts
Photo credit: bigstock
Got warts? Yuck! No one like them and but almost everyone gets them at one time or another. Warts are non-cancerous growths on the skin that afflict young children and teenagers more than adults, because kids usually get cuts and scrapes that allow the human papillomavirus to enter the body.
Since this is a virus, warts are contagious and can spread from person to person, or spread from one part of the body to another. Most doctors take a “wait and see” kind of attitude before they finally burn them off, which, besides being painful, results in scarring.
With so many natural alternatives, why go the chemical burn route? Take a look at the top 10 natural remedies you can do at home and get rid of that wart without scarring.
1. Poke It
Warts are nasty little devils, but smart ones. They have a protective barrier that keeps them nice and safe, completely undetected by your immune system, and this is why they last forever and are able to grow. If you can alert your body to their presence, it can kill it off naturally. Now you might want to think twice about doing this to a young child, but for adults and teenagers, it’s probably OK.
This process is called immunotherapy. Ice the area until the wart is super numb. Hold a needle over an open flame to sterilize then poke the wart. Don’t just hold it there; poke holes in several places in the wart. This will tell your body that something is amiss and it should attack the virus. Be sure to discard the needle and wash your hands when you are done.
Photo credit: bigstock
2. Milkweed
Milkweed grows wild all over the world and can be found growing just about anywhere. You know the plant, it looks similar to a dandelion but when you break the stem, there is a sticky, milky white substance that leaks out of the stem. You might have heard that this substance is poison, and it is if you take it internally, but the poisonous substance inside, called cardiac glycoside, and is great for killing off warts. It has a proteolytic enzyme that actually dissolves and “digests” the wart.
File off the top of the wart so it’s slightly exposed. You can use a pumice stone or a nail file. You don’t have to go nuts, just rough up the top of the wart. Break off a piece of the milkweed stem and squeeze just enough of the sap out to cover the wart. Cover it with a bandage then wash your hands well. This should be all you need to do but if the wart doesn’t completely die off, repeat one more time.
Photo credit: bigstock
3. Apple Cider Vinegar
This is a simple and popular procedure that works for most people. It doesn’t kill the virus, per se, but the acid content actually eats away at the flesh that makes up the wart so it peels off naturally, taking the virus with it. This method might cause some soreness or even a bit of swelling in the beginning, but that is normal. After two or three days you should see the wart turning black, which is a good thing, so don’t be alarmed. Two or three days later it should just fall off on its own.
Soak a cotton ball in some apple cider vinegar. Let it completely saturate the cotton ball, and then squeeze it just a bit so it isn’t dripping wet. Place it on top of the wart and secure it with some gauze or tape. Do this every night and remove it each morning so it can dry. This isn’t an instant cure but the wart should disappear within 7 to 10 days.
Photo credit: bigstock
4. Banana Peel
Banana peels have an enzyme that eats away at warts, much like milkweed.
Twice per day, use a spoon to scrape the white part of a banana peel and apply it to the wart.
Cover with a bandage to keep it from coming off. Wash your hands afterwards. Repeat until the wart is completely gone.
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5. Pineapple Juice
This is another one with a special enzyme that eats away at the wart. It stings when you first apply it but only for a few minutes.
Two or three times each day, soak the wart in some pure organic pineapple juice for about 3 to 5 minutes. If the wart is in an awkward place, soak a cotton ball and place it directly on the wart. Don’t rinse afterwards but pat the area dry.
You can file off the top of the wart before you apply the juice and that might make the process faster but it also might sting like the devil!
Photo credit: bigstock
6. Think Potatoes
Although there is not a lot of scientific evidence to back up this home remedy, but if you ever asked your grandma, she probably told you to rub a potato on it. This remedy has been used for several hundred years so there must be some reason for it! An interesting part of this old fashioned home remedy is that if you bury the potato in the ground, then dig it up two weeks later and you will find that your wart is gone and the potato has the wart instead.
Peel a potato and cut a round slice off one end. Rub this slice over your wart 3 times per day. You can also put one of the peels (with the potato side facing down) directly on your wart each night and secure it there with a bandage. Repeat this process with a fresh slice of potato every day and a new peel each night until the wart is gone.
Photo credit: bigstock
7. Vitamin C
It’s said that applying vitamin C directly to the wart will destroy the virus. Other people say you can kill the wart from the inside out by drinking lots of juices that contain vitamin C. It’s unknown if the vitamin C itself will kill the virus, but the acid from the lemon juice should. Find out vitamin C wonders.
Crush up a vitamin C tablet and then add a bit of lemon juice to make a paste. Cover your wart with this mixture and put a bandage over the area. Reapply daily until the wart is gone.
Photo credit: bigstock
8. Bunch of Basil
Basil has a multitude of anti-viral properties that will kill that virus and make that wart disappear pretty fast.
Crush about ¼ cup of fresh basil leaves until they are mushy. (Your blender will do the trick nicely) Apply this mixture to your wart and cover with a clean cloth. Reapply every day until the wart is gone, usually within 7 to 10 days.
Photo credit: bigstock
9. Dandelions
Dandelions make a good tea and a great remedy for warts!
You should be able to find a dandelion in your yard or a neighbor’s yard somewhere! Pull one out of the ground and pull the head off a flower. Rub that milky substance over your wart, and then cover with a bandage.
Reapply this twice daily until the wart disappears.
Photo credit: bigstock
10. Keep It Sweet
Organic Manuka honey is the most potent honey you can buy. It’s simply loaded with anti-viral, antibacterial properties that can kill off the virus that is causing that wart (Find out more beauty benefits of honey). Buy some Manuka honey from your local health food store.
File off the top part of the wart and then cover it with a fairly thick layer of honey and cover it well. Repeat this process daily until the wart is gone.
Now almost all of these remedies will take 7 to 10 days but that’s actually a short time to remove a wart which, if left untreated, can stay on your body for years! You won’t have to see a doctor or use an extreme method of removal. These remedies do work so have a bit of patience. Always remember to wash your hands anytime you have contact with a wart to keep it from spreading.
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