Plant Enzyme Treatment for Warts

Though unsightly and highly contagious, warts take time to heal. Several over-the-counter remedies exist; however, natural plant enzymes may also be effective in treating warts. Knowing which plants have beneficial enzymes, as well as when to contact your doctor, can help you determine if plant enzyme treatment is right for you.

Identification

• Tough, flesh-colored bumps on the skin, warts are caused by the human papillomavirus. Most warts are harmless and usually appear on one's hands and feet, but they can appear anywhere. Warts can also vary in appearance. Some may be raised and smooth, while others might even be reddish or black in appearance.

Causes

• According to the "Doctors' Book of Home Remedies for Women," warts are contagious. For instance, if you pick a wart on your leg, chances are you might also get one on your hand. Though not as common, warts can also be passed from hand to hand contact.

  Caused by a different strain of the human papillomavirus, genital warts are usually passed through genital contact.

Plant Enzymes for Warts

• Plant enzymes may be particularly helpful in treating warts. Apply dandelion latex ---the substance that oozes out of dandelions---to affected area(s) once a day for five to seven days. Figs contain ficin, an enzyme used for the treatment of warts. Other cultures that use figs medicinally use the white milk that oozes from the fig to treat their warts.

  Chinese medicine uses soybeans to treat warts. In one study, patients were cured of all of their warts after being fed water-boiled, plain yellow soybean sprouts for three days. These sprouts contained no seasonings or salt.

  Also, According to Mother Nature, an online natural remedies site, willow contains salicylic acid, which has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the removal of warts. Salicylic acid can be found in many over-the-counter treatments for warts, or you could tape a wet piece of the inner bark of the willow tree to the affected area.

Other Ways to Treat Warts

• In addition to plant enzymes, Vitamin A may also help fight warts. Evidence shows that Vitamin A helps build the immune system and fights warts. Find Vitamin A in supplements or naturally in sweet peas, carrots, leafy green vegetables and squash.

  Keep warts dry to reduce their chances of spreading to other parts of your body. The wart virus thrives in a moist environment.

Considerations

• Though plant enzymes and other home remedies may be helpful in fighting warts, contact your dermatologist if you have a wart on your face, as the tissue may be too delicate for common enzyme remedies. In addition, women should see a doctor for warts on their legs, as shaving increases the likelihood that the wart will spread.