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Alternative Ways to Remove Warts

Warts have plagued mankind probably almost as long as mankind has existed. And long before there were modern pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter-products, people were figuring out natural treatments for warts that were unattractive or that caused discomfort. If you want to avoid harsh chemicals or if you just want to start with a gentler treatment and see what happens, there are alternative and natural therapies. Here are a few. Just remember, they're for common warts and plantar warts, not for genital warts, which must be treated by a doctor.

  1. Lemon Oil

    • Lemon oil is believed by many alternative medicine practitioners to have antiviral properties. Sometimes it's combined with thuja. The recommendation is usually to put lemon essential oil onto the wart, avoiding getting it on nearby skin. The thuja can then be applied. The procedure is repeated from one to three times per day. During treatment, keep the wart covered to starve the human papillomavirus, which causes warts, of oxygen.

    Aloe Vera

    • Aloe has been promoted as being beneficial for a range of ailments from cuts and burns to gastrointestinal disorders. It may also be useful in treating warts. You break off a piece of the plant and rub it on the wart at least once a day. Some people soak a piece of cotton with aloe and tape it over the wart, adding aloe every few hours and changing the cotton once each day. Proponents of this method say acids in the plant will dissolve the wart.

    Dandelion Sap

    • Some herbal medicine practitioners suggest putting dandelion sap directly on warts. The milky white liquid spills out when you tear the stem or leaves of the flower. Rub the fluid into the wart three times per day until the wart is gone.

    Milkweed

    • Herbalists suggest putting milkwood juice onto the wart several times daily. It's been noted that many home remedies for warts consist of milky plant resins. Many contain active enzymes that may soften wart-affected tissue.

    Others

    • The list of other alternative therapies for warts is long. Among the common ones are castor oil, papaya, figs, garlic and vinegar. If you can think of it, someone has probably tried it for warts.

      Medical science hasn't proven that any of the treatments work. Nonetheless, many swear by them. Some of the remedies may indeed work, especially if they have irritant properties than can kill the affected skin or stimulate an immune response. But then, many doctors believe the power of suggestion--in essence, the placebo effect--plays a role. Furthermore, success of a alternative treatment may be a coincidence. Warts often disappear on their own and sometimes the disappearance coincides with use of a particular treatment.

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