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novice_2009

herbal remedies for plantar warts?

novice_2009
13 years ago

My nephew, who is 10, has plantar warts. He's been to the doctor twice, and still has them. They are spreading, I guess, as he now has ten on his feet.

I did a quick search online, found out it's caused by a strain of HPV virus, and that some can be resistant to the freezing method.

I don't know what kind of drugs the doctor might try to give him, but my sister is a working single mom, and would probably go that route.

Anyway, short of the apple cider vinegar tx, which I think would be tough since there are ten of them, what herbal remedies would be helpful?

Keeping in mind that he's only ten- what herbs would be helpful in building up his immune system?

What herbs would be good for the warts themselves? Would goldenseal powder ( I have some) be helpful in any way I wonder? Tea tree oil?

Any experience with these warts or any knowledge of an at home tx that doesn't involve freezing or drugs?

Comments (21)

  • rusty_blackhaw
    13 years ago

    Here are some previous discussions on the subject of wart removal.

    A herbal-related remedy* that might work is salicylic acid plasters, which stick to the wart and gradually erode it away. This method would take time, caution and patience since there are so many lesions.

    Duct tape has worked for some people, though not all evidence suggests it's effective.

    The good news is that warts tend to go away on their own (this probably explains the number of do-it-yourself remedies people swear by; they may seem to work but it's actually the body's immune system eventually clearing the wart virus).

    *Salicylic acid is found in some members of the Salix family, such as willow trees.

  • novice_2009
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks for the response! Since it is a virus, I think building up his immune system is key.
    I had some when I was a kid at summer camp...but my experience was much different. There were only a few, and once frozen, that was the end of that.

  • reyna1
    13 years ago

    Here is something that will be cheap and should work.
    This is not an herbal remedy, but it does work for warts.
    Get any type of lotion that has both vitamin e and vitamin c on it, and have him rub it on the location every day any chance he gets. The warts should be gone in about a month.

    My nephew had warts and she mentioned this to me. I told her what to do - she actually didn't believe me but did it anyway. In about a month his warts were gone.

    Try it, I'm certain it will work and will not leave the scars.

  • rusty_blackhaw
    13 years ago

    I don't think the acetic acid in vinegar would be strong enough to get through the thick keratin layer on the surface of warts (if it was, it'd probably eat through your esophagus and stomach lining when you drink it).

    If you look at this photo of a wart under the microscope, the thick wavy pink layer on the top is the keratin (a.k.a. hyperkeratosis). Whatever's used on the wart has to be able to penetrate that non-living keratin layer.

  • orch-dork18_hotmail_com
    13 years ago

    I have had one plantar wart since Decemeber, and had it cut out three times since then. Everytime I get it cut out, a new one grows right above it. Now I have about 3. My doctor cuts big holes to insure it won't come back, yet it always does! I'm so tired of this and it's ruining my track season. Any suggestions?

  • emily_aust
    12 years ago

    I know for sure, one thing a homeopath can cure - and that is Warts

  • rusty_blackhaw
    12 years ago

    Water (which is what the typical tremendously diluted homeopathic "drug" is) will not cure warts.

  • soleil_blume_hooke
    10 years ago

    Many herbs can build immunity. Echinacea, ginseng, mushrooms, goldenseal, yellowrrot, rosemary, licorice, astragalus, burdock, milk thistle seed, white willow, elderflowers, catnip, yarrow, boneset, hawthorn, garlic, and dandelion work to improve the immune system.

    In cases of depressed immunity, take high potency green superfoods daily. The active ingredients in âÂÂgreen drinksâ can detoxify the blood. Whole grains, fresh fruits, and vegetables should be consumed at every meal.

    Aromatherapy and laughter are great medicines to try.

    Some herbs improve immunity by strengthening the lymphatic system. Red clover, mullein, cleavers, barberry, and baptisia (wild indigo) are the most useful.

    The sap from a pencil cactus has always worked for warts. (Gotta make sure you cover it after you put it on because, the sap can make you go temporarily blind if you get it in your eyes) Drugstore methods never worked for me. Neither did ACV (apple cider vinegar) or duct tape ... Pencil cactus was a miracle cure. The only hang up is finding a pencil cactus.
    For some, the sap can irritate skin.ÃÂ This chemical burning mechanism is the primary reason the sap has been promoted as a remedy for skin ailments and tumors. It is believed Amazon Indians first began applying the sap to remove warts and treat leprosy. ÃÂ I've heard fig leaf can be used in the same manner.
    Ref:ÃÂ http://www.mesotheliomasymptoms.com/food/aveloz

    A testimony fromÃÂ http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=7100

    It has a very benefcial characteristic that I can vouch for, though, and that is that it is dynamite on warts. As a kid my hands were covered in big unsightly warts and I used to dab the sap on each of them from time to time and within a few months my warts disappeared never to return (on my hands). By middle age (late 40s) I was again pestered by planters warts on the underside of both feet which resisted every caustic cure available on the market for more than two years. I was lucky enough to secure a rubber hedge plant (banned her in Australia) and I dabbed drops of the sap on these warts and covered them with band aids to prevent the sap being rubbed off too readily. I did this about once a week for a few weeks and, being very busy at the time, forgot about about them until showering one morning, when I realised there was not a trace of a wart left...and 10 years later still none!
    Trevor Payne, sign-up@tpg.com.au

    -Sol

  • sunwyn
    10 years ago

    While not herbal, the dermatologist had my son soak his foot in a mild bleach water preparation. He has been wart free ever since.

  • Sumatra
    10 years ago

    "Water (which is what the typical tremendously diluted homeopathic "drug" is) will not cure warts."

    You're right, but the next simplest cure is lye made from stump water daubed on with a chicken leg-bone by the full of the moon.

  • Ina Plassa_travis
    10 years ago

    Oh, Eric ;) adrenals and steroids ? Calling them 'addictive' is close enough for most of us, it's one of the reasons I try and stay away from them, even in OTC concentrations.
    and I get using the willow poultice to eat away the keratin (though I might use papain instead)

    but how about actually treating the fungus with an anti-fungal? Thyme is my go-to, but I've heard good things about both tea tree, and neem.

    the most important thing about treating plantar warts, though - is getting rid of the shoes, because the chances of getting the fungus out of them is slim.

  • HerbDoctor
    10 years ago

    Ahhhh, yes! The shoes! I look forward to the day when we can run naked! Well, at my age the aging process would have to be reversed CONSIDERABLY before we go there.

    (Eric, before you quote some irrelevant "scientific" data of why we shouldn't run naked, please realize that the above statement was meant to be a joke.)

    HerbDoctor

  • Ina Plassa_travis
    10 years ago

    herb - you misunderstand me...I would never dare to imply a correlation between my distinct lack of foot fungi and my barefoot status...

    plantar warts and 'jungle rot' are just the only way that women ever seem to talk the men in their lives into buying new shoes.

    : D

  • cwren58
    10 years ago

    when I was a child, my best friend had warts. her dad got a hold of some milk weed and used the white latex-y sap from inside it to apply on the warts. I remember only that she had some big warts and it cured it. Cannot say how many apps, or if they bandaged, etc.. but I can say I saw it, it worked.

  • ittap
    10 years ago

    Hello, I have had a plantar wart for 5 years and have tried everything including the apple cider vinegar and duct tape. I thought it was going to work but within a few weeks the wart on my knuckle came back. I was having joint pain and decided to try golden milk and introduced turmeric into my body. Two weeks of drinking golden milk and I have no more joint pain and my wart is disappearing! Amazing.

  • trish1976
    10 years ago

    These threads have been a good source of information. Its good to see there are so many options for natural and homemade recipes. Thanks. I tried the essential oils mentioned on this site and a few others, and they worked very well. I discovered premixed oils, wart-thwart.com, so you don't have to buy all the oils individually and mix yourself, which was a bit expensive. My daughter is 8 and her hand warts completely went away in about 10 days. Hope this helps.

  • kaliaman
    10 years ago

    sumatra! you are hilarious. i could just see the resident party pooper turning an apoplectic purple reading your last comment.
    he'll have a good insult comeback for that one, he always does.

    hehe

    this forum is a LOT more fun since you came.

  • rusty_blackhaw
    10 years ago

    That 'last comment" of Sumatra's was made over two months ago, in response to a post I made two and a half years ago.

    Bored and hoping to stir up a fight, Kali? Sorry to disappoint you.

  • Sumatra
    10 years ago

    Kaliaman, I'm glad you think so. This forum certainly has several interesting people, and threads. So I'll probably be around for a while. lol


    Eric, for someone who's been here 15 years, talking about a 2.5 year old post sure seems to bother you a lot. What? Are you wishing you could edit it to add some other, more evidence-based cure that has better reputed clinical trials behind it?

  • rusty_blackhaw
    10 years ago

    I find it tiresome when people dredge up ancient posts in an attempt to provoke a squabble.

    It's much for useful for other forum participants if postings add to our store of knowledge or raise interesting questions, don't you think?

    For instance, some may be wondering if current anti-HPV vaccines (like Gardasil) have any effect on plantar warts. While evidence is limited so far, it looks like such vaccines do have a beneficial effect.

    Here is a link that might be useful: anti-cancer vaccine development

  • Sumatra
    10 years ago

    Mhm... and bringing back the whole vaccine debate isn't tiresome to you?

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