16 Natural Remedies for Warts–Including a Crazy One That REALLY Works!
This post may contain affiliate links from which I will earn a commission. Learn more in our disclosure.
Are you burdened by a stubborn wart? Here’s an assortment of natural remedies for warts, including one unbelievable one that really worked!
Would YOU try it?
I’m always on the hunt for natural remedies to treat ear infections, sinus infections, headaches, and more.
I’m just not a fan of prescription meds, or even OTC medications, mainly since one of the things that contributed to my health issues (including candida) is the overuse of meds and antibiotics in general.
So when warts surfaced in our home, I was not about to just run to the store to get an OTC wart remover – and I for sure wasn’t ready to pay $30 (how did it get that high?!) for a physician copay to have it removed from my son’s foot.
Warts are not a pleasant topic.
If you’ve ever had a wart, you know how hard it can be to get rid of it.
And it’s worse if you’ve got more than one wart. Once they start spreading they can really be tough to get rid of.
About 1 month ago I was helping my youngest get changed for bed. I don’t remember now what happened or why I noticed it, but I saw two small “somethings” on the sole of his foot, near the heel.
I wouldn’t have thought much of them, except for the fact that I remembered having a plantar’s wart when I was a young girl.
It was painful and it took a long time to get rid of it.
I think we went to the store and got an over-the-counter wart remover and I applied it over and over again.
And they’re gross.
Back to my son.
I took a closer look at his foot and scraped a little of the surface off of the skin.
It felt hard underneath, and I could see the tell-tale little brownish-black dots in the center of a pattern.
The dots are called wart seeds sometimes, but they really are little blood clots.
Blech.
Anyway, he clearly had two of them.
Then, my son showed me a “callus” on his toe.
Hmmmm…..
It was a big one. But was it really a callus?
I went to the internet and found a site with great diagnostic information to find out if he had a callus or wart on his foot.
Enter your email and I'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll get healthy living updates too.
How to Know If You Have a Wart or a Callus
To tell know if you have a wart or callus, you will need to press down on the thing (whatever it is) and find out when you have pain.
- If it hurts pushing straight down on it–it’s a callus.
- If it hurts putting pressure on the sides (by squeezing it)–it’s a wart.
Sure enough, we had a wart. No pain pressing down, but when I squeezed it, my son wasn’t happy.
Now it was time to try to get rid of warts.
Time to Get Rid of the Wart
A long time ago, we had tried using oregano oil before on a wart on my husband’s finger.
One day we were on a road trip. I put the oregano oil on it and within 3 hours it went from being a raised wart to being level with the rest of his skin.
It really worked great for a natural wart remedy, but we weren’t consistent enough to get rid of it, so it’s still there.
So I tried the oregano oil on my son’s foot for several days.
Again, I wasn’t consistent enough and no surprise–nothing happened.
I really wanted to be consistent with the oregano oil, but life was getting in the way.
So I hopped back on the internet and even asked my fans on my Facebook page for their ideas. (hop on over there if you haven’t already, K?)
Well, let me tell you, there were loads of ideas….
Natural Remedies for Warts
Following are some remedies that others suggested, plus some others that we didn’t get to try.
OTC Topical Treatments
(not going there again)
Super Glue
Doesn’t sounds very healthy to me.
Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
I did this once for a wart on my hand. It ended up burning the surrounding skin and was super painful.
Banana Peel
The inside of the peel. It turns out that the inside of the banana peel has some kind of enzyme that can help address warts.
Cutting
Some people try to just cut their own warts off (Not an option. No way.)
Removal By a Physician
Sounds like a good option, but I’ve read over and over that the wart often comes back. This was the case for one of my son’s friends.
Thuja
Thuja Oil, Thuja Extract, or Thuja Homeopathic pellets. A reader mentioned that this worked well, but I haven’t tried it yet.
Vapor Rub
It’s true. Some people report that using Vicks® or a Homemade Vapor Rub works great for addressing warts.
Tea Tree Oil
I didn’t try this one, but a friend told me that she tried it and it worked great!
Echaveria
One reader wrote in to say that this plant, also known as the common garden ‘hens and chickens’ and often grown in succulent gardens and rock gardens. Simply break off a leaf and squeeze the juice onto the wart morning and night!
Garlic
One reader mentioned that a slice of garlic on the wart worked well. That makes sense since warts are caused by a virus and garlic is antiviral.
Milkweed
Milkweed juice applied daily has been reported to help with warts.
Milk Thistle Extract
Since milk thistle is also antiviral this has been successful for some as well.
Basil
This is another antiviral plant that works for some to get rid of warts. You can crush a few leaves of fresh basil and rub the paste on the warts, or apply the crushed leaves over the warts and cover that with medical or duct tape.
Aspirin
The main ingredient in aspirin is salicylic acid, the main ingredient in wart remover. One reader told me that putting a paste of aspirin on the wart for 2-3 days with tape over it caused the wart to come off and never return!
and other concoctions of all sorts. However one option really caught my eye.
Urine.
Yeppers. You all remember my post on natural ear infection remedies, right?
Well, at the time I tried that in my son’s ear (of course, after reading all over the internet that urine therapy has been used by many cultures for many years and there was even an international convention on it–so don’t think I’m just so crazy that I’ll try anything that I read on the internet–’cause I’m not), I was already trying this on my son’s warts.
But I wasn’t sure if it was going to take care of the more stubborn ones so I didn’t want to share it yet.
Well, now you can see how well this natural wart remedy worked and judge for yourself.
How to Use Urine on a Wart
Basically you just urinate in a cup, put the urine on a small piece of cotton ball or pad.
Squeeze to remove the excess.
Put the soaked pad or cotton ball on the wart.
Cut medical tape in the appropriate size to cover the wart and the cotton. At least you need the cotton to stay put.
Repeat daily.
We did this for a few weeks. It would have gone faster if I’d remembered to change the cotton daily, but sometimes I forgot.
But every day we noticed an obvious change in the big wart.
This is what his toe looked like after the “pee pee treatment” was done!
All gone except for some peeling skin.
And the other warts are gone as well.
Even while we were treating the first 3, one more showed up on the other foot (lovely) and that one is gone as well.
Now, I am thinking the oregano oil would have worked if I had been more diligent, but I would forget sometimes and frankly, urine is a lot cheaper.
But if you’re squeemish about the urine therapy, then hop over to Rocky Mountain Oils and get some oregano oil. It’s great stuff and is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. I’ve even heard of folks treating MRSA successfully with it. Now that’s something to have on hand, you know?
If you’re curious about what essential oils company I recommend, you can read my series on Which Essential Oils Company is Best.
One Amazing Testimonial About Urine on a Wart
But I tried the urine also because the testimonials were so emphatic.
One was even pretty hilarious.
A man said his whole family had been plagued by plantar warts–except for him.
He thought it was because he had the habit of urinating in the shower, so he thought his feet were getting a natural anti-wart treatment every day.
I don’t know, but interesting, huh?
Urine Therapy for Warts–Is It Crazy?
Likely you think this is just gross and NUTS, right?
Well, check out this book – it’s got some very nice reviews.
I say – if you can get things done naturally and inexpensively then it’s worth looking at :).
Another Great Option
A lot of people get great results with Rowe Casa’s Feet and Nail Salve. It’s full of antiviral ingredients. Check out the reviews. You’ll see a lot of positive results on warts and fungus too!
Which of these Natural Remedies for Warts will you try?
Few years back I had warts in my hands and my son had planter warts. I took my son to dr. he recomended surgery for him said it will cost me $500 dollars. I had spend so much money already on patches they come in stores for warts. one day I was reading Ann Landers artical in the paper and It talked about warts it cought my attention I was at the point that I would try anything. In the artical said, try to rub banana peal and I tried and they were gone within a week,. my son had a size of quarter but mine were small. I tell every one when ever I hear who has a warts it is 100% true and first hands on cheapest remedy..
Great!! Thanks for sharing!
childrens feet look like that?
Not sure what you mean? That is a photo of my son’s foot.
File warts down on the first day. Mix equal parts white vinegar and water, set timer to 20 minutes, soak affected area. Repeat 3-4 times per week for 2 weeks. My teenaged son started out with one or two, which multiplied to about 15 on his hands. He was getting self conscious about them. It was over whelming to try to treat, and the freezing treatments (in Dr. Office) didn’t work. We were desperate. Found this online somewhere and it worked perfectly! No warts since… This was 2 years ago.
No, I took the gel caps internally. I haven’t had any for years. I do have the oil though and I put the coconut oil on as a moisturizer and fungus repellant. Next time I get a wart, I’ll be trying to apply it (the evening primrose oil) topically.
I’ve always used evening primrose oil for my warts. I’ve removed at least 4 of them simply by taking evening primrose every day for a week. Works every time. Now I have a bottle of the oil, ‘Ill try dabbing it on the next wart I get. Mind you, it’s been years since I’ve had one now that I’m putting coconut oil mixed with tea tree, eucalyptus, lemon and clove oils.
So you have been putting those oils on warts daily when you start to get one?
When I was a little girl I had warts on my hands. My mom took me to see someone that claimed to be able to get rid of the warts. I had to go with her alone to her kitchen where she applied “the magic wart remover”. I couldn’t tell anyone what she did or the warts would return. I haven’t told anyone else until now. I think it’s safe to say some 50 years later they won’t come back. She rubbed onion on them!!! I’ve never had another wart in my life! If I get one now, I’ll know I shouldn’t have told!
Ha!!!! Love this!
I have a wart just inside on the inner wall of my nose. I had it frozen a year and a half ago with the nitrogen treatment. It came back recently. I am experimenting with Tea Tree Oil and Theives oil intermittently. I’m not sure if the urine method is appropriate for that kind of membrane. What do you think?
I don’t know why that would be a problem, but I am not a doctor. I would think it’s much less caustic than tea tree and Thieves.
I’ll put in my 2 cents, literally. My dad told me a story of a friend of his when they were kids that had warts on his hand and every time he put his hand in his pocket, the wart would bleed. So an old native American saw it happen and told my dad’s friend to put an old penny on it and it would go away. They all laughed at the native American, but when the wart kept hurting he gave it a try and it went away. I didn’t need to use this nugget of wisdom until I was about 36 and my 6 year old daughter got a wart on her hand. She had it for a year or so until I remembered my dad’s story. So I told her the story about my dad’s friend and suggested she use a penny that was pure copper (pre-1983) as they all were when my dad was a kid in case that made a difference, and sure enough her wart went away within a couple of weeks of putting the penny on it every day for a few minutes. I just noticed that I have what looks like a plantar wart and I will give this penny trick a try. If it doesn’t work, I will surely pee on it. As a scientist, I can’t try both at the same time or I won’t know which one got rid of it.
Can’t wait to hear!! Please do come back and share!
I’m trying the urine on my wart but I’m curious should I be scraping off the soft dead skin or letting it fall off on its on. Thanks for sharing your story!
I don’t think it matters. Hope it helps and you are welcome!
I once had an old Mexican woman tell me to put urine on my face for my acne. I thought she was crazy, but now I’m thinking maybe not! Our bodies can do amazing things.
Yep – maybe not crazy. Some interesting testimonials here, huh?
Our daughter got some planters warts on the bottom of one of her feet a few years back. We investigated treatments and decided to cover the warts with pieces of duct tape to “suffocate” them (we later decided that they probably don’t “breathe”). After a couple days, we saw that they had multiplied! The covered, trapped environment must have allowed them to reproduce. We decided that they needed to be “suffocated” individually instead of as a group. Therefore, we tried covering each of them with some thick nail polish — something that would stick well to the skin. Amazingly, within a few days, they had “died” and fell off like scabs. We aren’t sure of how the process worked (or what the physiology of warts is), but it cleaned up her foot. Do you know if there are different types (species?) of warts because the warts on her foot seemed different than some other warts we have. Weird stuff. We will have to try the oregano oil and the urine in the future.
I don’t know. Sorry. I hope you can figure out what is going on with her.
I do have some information regarding warts in general. I treated my kids warts many years ago with salicylic acid, but wasn’t having much success. My sister-in-law was a nurse for a dermatologist for many years and when I showed her she told me exactly what to do. When there are multiple warts they are offspring of the main Mother Wart! If you kill the Mother Wart the others die off too, usually faster because they’re smaller. I tested this on my daughter, who had a big one on her knee and other small ones on her hand that didn’t respond to treatment. Treated the Mother Wart, softened, filed down, and (not sure if you want to do this but I’m a nurse and did it reluctantly) cut around the base only with a sterile razor blade. I swear next day was at least half the size! And with no more cutting in 2-3 days the ones on the hand completely gone and the mother soon after! My other didn’t have a distinct Mother but three in a row and without needing to cut just filed and softened and salicylic acid and in a few days significantly reduced and gone in about a week. Whether you use urine or whatever else, make sure you get the Mother.
Great tip -thanks!
I came across your blog while searching for a DIY method for removing plantar warts. I have been dealing with these things off and on for most of my life and I am 68 years old. First encounter was when I was 12 went to a chiropodist who treated them with acids and many trips to see him. So long along ago I can’t remember what the results were or how long it took, but it seems that I was plantar warts free for awhile. Fast forward to my most recent encounter in my war with the plantar warts which started in 1999 I had great insurances off to see a podiatrist who was treating me with the ineffective acid method. After many many trips to see this guy I questioned the validity of the treatment to which his bearing response was, he wasn’t sure that these were plantar wart!! Unbelievable, I asked him what was the best method to determine what they were and his response was to cut one out and send it for a biopsy. Well now we were getting someplace, this was what I wanted this charlatan to do from the beginning. So, lidocaine applied (that really hurt) I think he hit a nerve or bone, but he asked me which of the 4 warts spread all over the bottom of my foot I wanted removed, of course I responded that I wanted the one which was on the weight bearing section of my heel which was disabling. Wart removed never came back biopsy proved it was indeed a plantar wart, DUH! Now just looking to remove the rest for cosmetic reasons. Thanks for your information.
Hope it works for you!!!
Adrienne, yes when applied numerous times a day I did see a significant improvement in one of the worse spots on my mother-in-law’s ankle. I had started to see clear skin peek through the middle where the psoriasis started to clear but then she started to say that it was getting to be a little painful when the aloe dried. She said the aloe made it feel like her skin was pulling together (that’s because that’s exactly what aloe does when applied to a cut or scrape, it dries and helps hold your wound closed, also acting as a protective barrier to keep out dirt/bacteria, as I’m sure you might know). I’m wondering if maybe there is an oil that I could mix the aloe with so it’s not painful when it dries. Either way, I know the aloe works, there’s just probably a better way I could treat the psoriasis by mixing the aloe with something so that it would dry a little better on her skin.
I have used Tea Tree oil successfully for warts.
Aloe vera! I had a wart on the side of my toe and duck taped a tiny piece of aloe on it, changed it a couple times a day and it was almost gone in a week. It had been noticeably better just on the third day. I’m just starting to get into the oils and don’t have many available in my home yet but I’ve used aloe for warts, psoriasis, and even on a rash on my dog because he’s got some major allergies. Thanks for the tip though!
Nice! Did it work really well for the psoriasis?
This is just sick!
I don’t care if it’s a cheap easy way to remove warts or not!
You are putting someone’s pee onto your wart and hoping it will come off!
Hi Sage. Thanks for commenting. You can and probably should use your own urine. There are loads of people writing about urine therapy. I personally consider it to be much less gross than putting chemicals on my body — and this has been much more successful as you can see by reading the comments. Thanks and hope to see you around again.
Hey Sage,
People have been using urine and other natural remedies for years.Stung by jellyfish on foot once and guess what?..lol..yup it worked….In fact if you ever got stung by a jellyfish, you would pee on it too….It’s quite painful.
Wow. Thanks for sharing!
When I was growing up, 80 years ago, we children went bare foot in the wet grass, and would have what was called, I believe, toe itch. Which was sores between our toes. Guess you already know what our parents had us to do to get rid of the sores. Yes! Pee on it. It did the work, and we never had any more problems with itching toes. Thank God for Old Fashion remedies that works better than modern medicine.
Today is the first time I have seen your web site. I’ve been collecting easy recipes for Sourdough Stater to send to a Great Nephew of mine, across the states. I have found some nice things on this site. Learning more about this computer in doing so. Thank you “Whole New Mom”
How fascinating! I’m glad to have you here!!! :).
I have struggled a good part of my life with plantars warts on the bottom of my feet, but I believe going to a physician if the warts are terribly stubborn is the way to go. Not just a GP, but a dermatologist why warts are not easily removable is because until your body recognizes that they are present they immune system doesn’t fight them off. I found that worked best for me was blister beetle serum my dermatologist placed on my warts. Plantars warts I had for 3 to 5 years. Though painful and pretty disgusting I got a large grape sized blood blister on the bottom of my foot and after I removed the top layer of the blister my wart was gone and bright new pink skin that was wart free was under the blister.
Now that’s something I have never heard about!!!
Though I am a bit of a germphob. I would be very willing to try the urine method to try to remove my warts if I ever get them again. I went through many treatments some non FDA approved creams and treatments. Plus the blister beetle serum though effective a bit painful. Currently my dad has a wart on his hand let’s see if I can convince him to try it. Thanks for the new trick it’s worth a shot and it’s free.
Free is very good!!! You could always do the sani wipe thing I suppose.
This is one of the best methods ever! I had a big wart and tried everything to get rid of that. I tried freezing, then applied liquid freezer, didn’t work. Then tried to cut off and it started to spread. So I end up having two big warts and couple smaller ones. Eventually I found this amazing post and started this therapy as described. After 2-3 weeks I’ve got rid of the main big wart along with smaller ones. It took me about 2 more weeks for the other big one (I treated that one a little bit late). All my stubborn warts disappeared within 4-5 weeks.
I really appreciate your time and sharing all of your experience.
Yea!!!! I’m so glad to hear it!! Hope to see you around again in the future.
Hi, Adrienne, that’s for the great info! Just a wee note to say I got rid of any warts that appeared on my children with garlic. Just slice off a bit, put it on the wart holding it there with a band aid. I used the band aid strip that you cut off to size, I feel it sticks better. The garlic always always worked! And like any busy mum I forgot to be consistent with the applying…but whatever transferred from the garlic to the warts in the first few applications stayed active and killed them anyway. Hope this helps! 🙂
Great to hear. Didn’t it burn?
Hi Adrienne, thanks for replying busy busy lady! I don’t remember the garlic burning them. (that was years ago, one of my sons is in his 30’s now) I’d probably remember if the boys resisted the application but I can’t recall them doing that. Once again thanks a million for sharing all this brilliant health information with us. I have learned so much from bloggers such as yourself who are so generous with their time. Just to say, I didn’t see a home-made washing up liquid on your site, maybe it’s there and apologies if it is, if you would like a recipe that works let me know. (Washing up liquid is one of those things I’m always looking for, one that actually works and I finally found a recipe that does! ) Cheers, Catherine. 🙂
Hi there. Thanks for the kind words!!
I would be interested in your recipe for sure – but not sure what washing up liquid is. Thanks!
Hi Adrienne, here in Ireland we call liquid for washing dishes ‘washing-up’ liquid. The recipe is for hand washing the dishes not for dishwashers. The recipe is not mine, but it’s just amazingly good, it looks and feels just like real washing up liquid without all the chemical and I’m telling everyone about it. I I found it on one of your fellow bloggers sites. Am I allowed link you to it? Will I ask her permission – I’m sorry I’m clueless when it comes to things like that. 🙂
I missed that you are in Ireland. Did you catch that my father is from Dublin? So many of his relatives are still there. I’ve been there a few times. Lovely country! I would love to see it and yes, you can link to it here or email me at wholenewmom at gmail {dot} com. Thanks!
Hey there fellow Irish lass!….lol. Glad you like Ireland. I hope you were able to have some Guinness while you were here with your relatives! Well, If you say it’s ok to cut and paste from someone else’s site – I’m good to do that. Here’s her recipe for ‘dish soap’ is what she calls it. In a separate photo she has posted the product is creamy and cloudy looking, but in this recipe here the liquid comes out totally clear. I added a tad of food grade colouring to mine to make it a lovely lime green..- Slainte! (That’s ”Cheers to good health” in the Irish traditional language/Gaeilge.) https://www.thehippyhomemaker.com/diy-dish-soap-that-actually-works-its-simple-no-melting-and-no-waiting/
I love Ireland! It’s changed a lot but I have such fond memories from that time long ago (when I was last there). I studied at Trinity for a stint and traveled to the West Coast and ended up in a pub where everyone was speaking Gaelic.
Links are typically fine to other blogs, but not copying and pasting a bunch of info like a recipe.
Wish I had learned some Gaelic. It’s a lovely language. Take care!!!