Warts appear as bumps on your skin and are products of the human papillomavirus (HPV). The medical community still has not figured out how to eradicate a virus of any kind. They can contain viruses, prevent them and treat them, but their virility has plagued human beings for thousands of years. Here we will explore the 4 best home remedies to remove warts.
Shakespeare mentions warts in some of his plays, and they have even been found on mummies that are over 3,000 years old! While not a serious health condition, warts can be frustrating and embarrassing. They are certainly visually unappealing, and they can be contagious.
In some cases warts may be mildly painful and itch like crazy. They can appear anywhere on the body. There are as many as 100 or more types of HPV which cause warts, the most serious of which leads to genital warts. Found in, on and around the sex glands, genital warts can lead to cervical cancer in women. The following 5 most common types of warts appear on different parts of the body.
Common – Like periungual warts, common warts appear on your fingers and toes. They may also crop up anywhere else on your body. This is the most common type of wart, thus the name. They are usually grayer than surrounding skin, rough, grainy and rounded at the top.
Plantar – If you have a wart on the sole of your foot, you have a plantar wart. They grow into the skin instead of out of it, and make walking painful.
Flat – Pink, slightly yellow or brown, flat warts appear on the arms, thighs and face.
Filiform – These warts are found around the neck, under the chin, and on or near the mouth and nose. They are the same color as the skin in that area, and appear as a tag or small flap of skin.
Periungual – Warts that grow around and even under your toenails and fingernails which are extremely painful are periungual warts.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, the HPV virus, human papillomavirus virus, causes warts. While they are non-cancerous, they are incredibly unappealing, and contagious. Warts can appear as growths on any area of the body.
They are easily spread when coming into contact with the wart itself, or even something that touched the wart. The good news is that there is a variety of natural remedies to deal with these unattractive, contagious growths.
We’ve broken down the 4 best natural remedies for warts:
4 Home Remedies to Remove Warts
1. Tea Tree Oil
This is an essential oil that has long been known for its powerful healing properties. It’s many beneficial properties include: antimicrobial, antifungal, and antibacterial.
Once upon a time, during World War II, the medical staff used tea tree oil in a bid to treat and fight soldiers and sailor’s wounds.
The Northern Ireland Public Health Laboratory completed a clinical trial on wart treatment. Tea tree oil was topically applied to a wart for 12 days, and the treatment was successful.
Please note, if you are planning to use tea tree oil to heal your wart, you will need to blend it with a carrier oil. You can use olive oil, coconut oil, or even jojoba and avocado oil. You should never apply concentrated essential oils to your skin without diluting it first.
What you need:
- 1 teaspoon of carrier oil
- 5 drops of tea tree oil
How to treat:
- Mix your oils together well
- Apply the oil mixture, using a cotton ball, to the areas affected
- Cover with a clean bandage and leave for an hour
- Re-apply the mixture three times in total
- Repeat this every day for 2 weeks
2. Green Tea
Green tea is helpful in keeping the mind alert, it helps in weight loss, and known for its ability to treat warts, according to Nutrition Facts.
You can apply it directly to the wart, or drink it. There is another option when it comes to green tea. Veregen, is an FDA approved cream, made from green tea extract.
What you need:
- A cup of water
- 1 green tea bag
- 1 tsp of green tea leaves
How to treat:
- First boil your water
- Once the water is boiling add the leaves and simmer for 20 minutes
- Remove the pot from heat and steep for a further 5 minutes
- Drink the tea twice every day, for up to 2 weeks
- Alternatively, apply the green tea bag to the wart(s) multiple times a day
3. Banana Peels
According to the University Of Maryland Medical Center, banana peels can effectively remove warts. Bananas peels contain strong antioxidants, and unripened bananas are the most effective. This seems to be because the healing agents are less effective as bananas ripen. The oils and chemicals from the peel dissolve the wart, as well as aiding your immune system in fighting the virus.
What you need:
- The peel of an unripened banana (ideally a green one)
How to treat:
- Cut a piece of the peel off and apply it to the wart and tape it in place
- Do this as often as possible
- Ideally, place the peel before you head to bed and leave it overnight
- Dependent on the wart, you may need to repeat the remedy for several weeks
4. Vitamin A
Vitamin A is effective in treating warts when it is applied topically, according to the University of Western Ontario. Their study applied vitamin A and saw warts heal in just over 2 months, and when taken with zinc the results maybe achieved faster.
What you need:
- Vitamin A capsule (or fish oil capsule)
How to treat:
- Slice the capsule open and release the oil
- Apply the oil to the warts
- Cover for an hour and then rinse
- Repeat every day for 70 days
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