Plantar warts can be extremely tenacious, as anyone who has ever had a wart appear on the sole of the foot knows. (“Plantar” refers to the soles of the feet and the palms of the hands.)
Getting Rid of Plantar Warts:
To get rid of plantar warts, people have tried applying salicylic acid (Advanced Biomedical Research, May 29, 2015); freezing them off with liquid nitrogen (BMJ, June 7, 2011); injecting vitamin D3 into the warts (Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery, March, 2016) and covering them with the acne treatment adapalene (Indian Journal of Dermatology, Jan-Feb, 2015).
Home Remedies:
Others have tried home remedies such as banana peel, pineapple or turmeric. Soaking the affected foot in hot water is another favorite home remedy that is often successful. One home remedy we have never encountered is beet juice, though that was the subject of some confusion recently.
Beet Juice or Beetle Juice?
Q. I read on your web site that someone used beetle juice to get rid of plantar warts. Was that an error? Perchance the person meant beet juice?
A. We suspect you may have read this comment:
“I suffered from plantar warts on my big toe and on the ball of the same foot for many years. I finally saw a podiatrist who applied a topical solution made of beetle juice to my warts. Half a dozen such treatments made the warts disappear within a few months.”
The ‘beetle juice’ referred to above is cantharidin, a substance secreted by blister beetles. When it is applied to skin, it can cause blisters.
Cantharidin Against Plantar Warts:
It has been used to treat warts (Dermatology Online Journal, June 15, 2014), but it must be applied by a health professional. It is not a do-it-yourself remedy and can be quite painful. As far as we know, beet juice would be totally ineffective against warts.
photo credit: happyfeet34 cc cropped
