When I was a little girl, I played with toads. I loved them. I have clear memories of playing outside, barefoot, holding, petting… and yes, kissing frogs. I also clearly remember several times when they peed on my feet.
Scientists debunk the belief that toads or frogs give you warts, but I have to say I was the only child in the family enamored with the critters and I am the one who ended up with a bunch of warts on the top of my toes—right where they peed on me.
I don’t remember what medication was used to rid me of the warts, but I do remember needles poked into my skin, the pain, and the goopy burning medication. I also remember my father’s frustration when the first treatment did not work and had to be repeated.
Fast forward to my teen years and I had three warts on my hands, two on fingers, one on my palm. After trying several over-the-counter cures, I had them surgically removed, leaving deep, deep craters in the skin. They grew right back.
By the time I was twenty, the wart problem worsened. Plantar warts invaded the bottom of my feet. These were large patches of warts that spread from the balls of my feet to my toes. The edges of the skin were peeling and it hurt every time I took a step.
An acquaintance of mine suggested I try vitamin E to get rid of the warts. I didn’t believe it would make any difference at all, but I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. I patiently waited while she poked holes in vitamin E capsules, then I spread the liquid on my feet and those old warts on my hand. Imagine my surprise when they all disappeared after that one application. It’s been forty years, and they never came back.
Years later a new wart appeared on another finger. One application of vitamin E took care of it as well. But when my brother told me he had a wart on his thumb, and I suggested he try vitamin E, it didn’t work for him. I don’t know if this was due to personal chemistry or if it was due to the fact that there are more than 100 strains of the wart virus. Perhaps the large number of different strains explains the reason why there are so many natural cures. What works for one person may not work for others. More likely, it was the quality of the vitamin capsule.
If the substance is a liquid you want to stay in contact with the wart or a messy mixture, use a cotton ball and then bandage the area to secure. Directions vary from leaving the treatment on around the clock, to treating only at night, to applying several times a day. Use your best judgment based on your reaction to the substance.
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin A
- Witch hazel
- Essential Oils: tea tree, clove, lavender, Frankincense
- Lemon juice
- Aloe vera
- Crushed vitamin C tablets
- Apple cider vinegar
- Milkweed (the liquid inside of the stem)
- Crushed basil leaves
- Banana (scrapings from the inside of the peel)
- Dandelion milk (the liquid inside of the stem)
- Pineapple juice
- Papaya
- Onion
- Garlic
- Castor oil
- Carrot and olive oil paste
- Baking powder and castor oil paste
- Baking soda mixed with vinegar
- Urine (yep, an old cure)
- One final treatment to consider, especially with children, is faith. My friend Helen told me her father rubbed a coin on her warts and told her they would disappear. It worked. Stories abound on the internet of children being told any number of cures that worked, such as coloring the warts. Belief in the cure caused the result. Children are highly suggestible. It’s worth a try.
Some of these cures may be painful. The enzymes in pineapple and papaya may irritate surrounding skin. I have read testimonials about apple cider vinegar working painlessly within 5 days, but I have also read about painful burns to surrounding tissue. Personally, if I had to choose any of the above methods, I’d start with the vitamins. Vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin D, as well as vitamin E, have long been known to fight viral infections. I also believe the efficacy of any vitamin treatment may be dependent on the quality of the supplement itself. The following vitamins are all of the highest quality.
If these did not work, I’d move on to a natural cure in a bottle. Though I’m all for natural remedies from items in the pantry, I don’t like the mess and the fuss, especially when I am told the treatment requires an application once a day, or several times a day, for weeks. I was lucky. Vitamin E, for me, was a onetime application.
We offer vitamin E and a couple of other formulas that knock out warts pretty quickly. Combine a few of the remedies (including the garlic, but be careful) and most warts can disappear within a week. Remember that a wart is a virus, which is a sign that our body is in a condition that makes it a decent host for an infectious organism. A wart is a good indicator that it’s time to get the diet on track and take better care of one’s health. We recommend a detox and more produce, see further reading for more on that.
Recommended Supplements:
Further Reading:
- Inexpensive, Easy Detox – The One Gallon Challenge
- How to Kill Candida and Balance Your Inner Ecosystem