8 Natural Home Remedies for Warts
A wart is a harmless, non-cancerous skin growth caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). There are more than 100 known types of HPV.
HPV infects the top layer of skin, usually entering the body in an area of broken skin. The virus causes the top layer of skin to grow rapidly, resulting in a wart. Warts generally go away on their own within months or years.
Warts can occur anywhere on the body. They are most common among children and young adults.
Table of Contents
There are six main kinds of warts. They can differ in location and in appearance.
- Common warts appear most often on the hands, but they may appear anywhere on the body. They are rough, gray-brown, dome-shaped growths.
- Plantar warts occur on the soles of the feet. They look like hard, thick patches of skin with dark specks. Plantar warts may cause pain when you walk, and you may feel like you are stepping on a pebble.
- Flat warts are usually found on your face, arms, or legs. They are small (usually smaller than the eraser on the end of a pencil), have flat tops, and can be pink, light brown, or light yellow.
- Filiform warts are usually found around the mouth, nose, or beard area. They are flesh-colored with fingerlike projections.
- Periungual warts are found under and around the toenails and fingernails. They appear as rough, irregular bumps. They can affect nail growth.
- Genital warts are found on the genitals, around the anus, within the rectum or vagina, or on the cervix. They range in color from flesh to gray and often grow together to form cauliflower-like masses and in some cases are too small to see. Genital warts may increase a woman’s risk of cervical cancer.
Symptoms
- Common warts usually appear singly or in groups on the hands, although they may grow on any part of the body. They usually are rough, gray-brown, dome-shaped growths.
- Plantar warts can develop on any part of the foot. Sometimes dark specks are visible beneath the surface of the wart. When pressure from standing or walking pushes a plantar wart beneath the skin’s surface, a layer of thick, tough skin similar to a callus develops over it. As the callus and wart get larger, walking can become painful, much like walking with a pebble in your shoe. Multiple plantar warts can form in a large, flat cluster known as a “mosaic wart.”
- Flat warts are usually found on the face, arms, or legs. They are small (usually smaller than the eraser on the end of a pencil), and there are usually several in one area. They have flat tops and can be pink, light brown or light yellow. Flat warts are often spread by shaving.
- Filiform warts, a kind of flat wart, can grow around the mouth, nose, and beard area. The surface of this type of wart has many flesh-colored, fingerlike projections.
- Periungual warts are found under and around the toenails and fingernails. They appear as rough, irregular bumps. They can affect nail growth.
- Genital warts can be extremely small and difficult to detect. For more information, see the topic Genital Warts.
Causes
- A wart develops when human papillomavirus infects the outermost layer of skin and causes the skin cells to grow rapidly. The virus can then spread from an existing wart to other areas of the body, causing more warts. Various types of this virus thrive in warm, moist environments such as showers, locker room floors, and swimming pool areas.
- You are most likely to develop a wart where you have broken skin, such as a cut, hangnail, closely bitten nail, or scrape. Plantar warts are common to swimmers whose feet are not only moist and softened but are also scratched and broken by rough pool surfaces. Common warts are often seen among those who handle meat, chicken, and fish.
Natural Remedies for Warts
Castor Oil
The use of castor oil is one of the most important home remedies for warts. This oil should be applied generously over the affected parts every night. The treatment should be continued for several months.
Figs
The milky juice of fresh figs is another valuable remedy. This juice should be extracted from the fresh, barely-ripe fruits and applied on the warts several times a day. The treatment should be continued for two weeks.
Potato
Raw potatoes are beneficial in the treatment of warts. They should be cut and rubbed on the affected area several times daily, for at least two weeks. This wi1l bring about good results.
Onion
Onions are also valuable in warts. They are irritating to the skin and stimulate the circulation of the blood. Warts sometimes disappear when rubbed with cut onions.
Indian Squill
The herb Indian squill is useful in removing warts. A powder of the bulb of this herb should be applied locally over the affected area for beneficial results.
Dandelion
The herb dandelion is another valuable remedy for warts. The milk from the cut end of dandelion should be applied over the affected area two or three times daily.
Marigold
Marigold is another herb found beneficial in the treatment of warts. The juice of the leaves of this plant can be applied beneficially over warts. The sap from the stem has also been found beneficial in the removal of warts.
Cashew Nut Oil
The oil extracted from the shell of the cashew nut is useful in warts as it is a strong irritant to the skin. It should be applied externally over the affected area in treating this condition.
Certain external applications over the affected parts have also proved beneficial in the treatment of warts. These include juices of papaya and pineapple and chalk powder mixed with water.
