How do you get rid of warts? There are dozens if not scores of home remedies. Which ones might work for a huge wart?
What to Do about a Huge Wart?
Q. I had a huge wart on my index finger and other small ones on my hand. I also had plantar warts on the ball of my foot and on many toes.
Freezing them off was very painful and they came back. Compound W, duct tape and banana peel didn’t work.
I started soaking in Dead Sea salts from Israel. The warts started slowly getting smaller and eventually died.
I soaked every morning and sometimes twice a day after I realized they were shrinking. It has been over a year and I’m still wart free!
Dead Sea Salts for Skin Problems:
A. We have read that Dead Sea salts improve the barrier function of the skin and can ease eczema symptoms (International Journal of Dermatology, Feb. 2005) and psoriasis (Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism, Oct. 2012). Yours is the first report we have received that such a solution might work against warts.
Other Wart Remedies:
Many readers have suggested other wart remedies that worked for them. Some have had success with duct tape. Others found banana peel quite helpful. Still others swear by turmeric.
You will find these and many other wart remedies in our book, The Peoples Pharmacy Quick & Handy Home Remedies, from National Geographic.
Here are a few stories from readers who have had success with home remedies.
FB used olive oil and turmeric:
“I’m in the middle of getting rid of a very stubborn and painful 6-year-old plantar wart using a thick turmeric/olive oil mix. The pain has gone away and that the wart is shrinking (I sand it down with a nail board every day) and on its way out. Just for the relief of pain this is worth it!”
JES found apple cider vinegar helpful:
“Apple cider vinegar is working for me. I soaked a cotton ball in vinegar and put it on the wart, then covered it with duct tape every night. Then I removed it in the morning. It took a couple of weeks, but it solved the problem.”
Mary L. used castor oil by accident!
“There’s a wart on my thumb that I’ve had since childhood. I tried everything I read about and it always came back. Then I read on People’s Pharmacy about using castor oil on knees and joints and started applying it. My joints were feeling so much better.
“While telling a friend about using the castor oil, she said her grandmother had put it on the warts on her hand as a child. In a week they were gone. I then looked at my thumb and low and behold the wart on it was gone. The skin is smooth with not a trace of roughness:-) Thanks to the castor oil I think it is gone forever. I don’t know if it will work for plantar warts but castor oil is cheap and worth a try.”
A review of research in dermatology found evidence that compounds in green tea can help eradicate warts (Tuong, Walker & Sivamani, Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2015). We’ll be interested in hearing from readers who try this approach.
photo credit: Happy Krissy cc cropped
