16 Natural Remedies for Warts–Including a Crazy One That REALLY Works!
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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.
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?
well since duct tape is also a wart remedy, we’ll need to do an experiment to see if the urine is making a difference or it’s just the duct tape.
does it smell?
I agree, however, there is so much anecdotal evidence on the internet about urine working, even without the duct tape, plus the cotton is between the duct tape and the wart so the “duct tape not letting the wart breathe” theory doesn’t apply when the cotton is there b/c it wouldn’t be an air tight seal. Do you follow?
I didn’t notice a smell at all :).
Was the oil or oregano diluted or put on straight? I tend to think that the urine is a lot safer than any essential oil put on without dilution. The frugality cracks me up too. Here I have been throwing away my urine!!
I have had a wart on the back of my left hand on the first knuckle of the index finger. It’s a very hard spot to keep a bandage on. I have had it since the mid-80’s. Seriously, a long time. I have tried all the over the counter things, frozen off by a dermatologist, and it has come off by knocking into the pocket of tight jeans too many times. It always grew back.
This blog post is very helpful. The pictures of your cute little boy toes are helpful and also hopeful. I will bookmark this idea and try it when I get a chance. Thanks!
Thanks so much! I think the oregano was straight but on the wart it didn’t hurt – the acv was horrible when it started to work :(. Hope it works for you!
Well, my partner says his ex used to drink urine, so this is not that hard to take ????
Ha. I’d say that this is a little easier.
My daughter has had warts on her hands for the past 2 years. We tried treatments at first but the warts came back. For about the past 2 months she has had a wart between her fingers. It is really starting to bug her. Have you ever had to treat warts on your hand? Do they work the same way as warts on your feet?
I think it would. If you do try, let us know. Thanks!
I’ve never tried urine on a wart. But I did use a remedy mentioned at the top of your post with great success! When my daughter was very young (probably less than 24 months because she was still putting her fingers in her mouth all the time) she had a wart on her finger. I was afraid to use anything on it; even a band-aid, because I was afraid she’d put the band-aid in her mouth and choke on it.
One day I mentioned the wart to the nurse at the ped’s office. She told me the “inside of the banana peel” trick. I did it only 3 times on non-sequential days, and the whole wart pulled out of her finger and fell off. Her finger healed up quickly and now you can’t even tell it was there and it never came back.
That one seems like a pretty inexpensive, non-toxic cure to me as well! So if urine isn’t your “thing” try rubbing the inside of a banana peel on the wart a few times! And good luck!
Thanks for sharing!! I so far can’t figure out why it would work but it’s interesting to say the least.
I want to try this on my son’s warts. What exactly did you use for the cotton, and how often did you change the urine?
I used “DIY” cotton balls or store bought ones. I typically get the cotton out of supplement bottles and save that. You could do either. My goal was changing it daily, but I didn’t always get that done.
I’m going to try this! I have had warts for years and years. I have these planters in clusters and on top of each other. I’ve been beginning to see some form on the side of my foot and even close to the top. It’s so excruciating and I can’t sleep. It’s 1 am and I’m so glad I came across this. Hopefully it works for me
I sure hope so too. Let me know! That is so terrible!
i wish we can skip all the chat and just say what the cure is and be done with it
reading all is is alnost as bad as the wart on my foot
Sorry to have bothered you. A blog is also a way to connect w/ your readers so that is what I try to do. Thanks :).
@rj Maybe you are rude and not thankful. You had the alternative to stop reading and try crazy glue. Maybe not commenting would be better than having a negative comment on such interesting blog.
Thank you @Adrienne for your post. I need to get rid of the nasty warts.
You are so welcome. Thanks for the encouragement :). I sure hope it works for you!
Just had a few small plantars show up on my left heal. I’d been showering in a communal area for a few months and neglected to wear thongs (stupid). I’m trying Lugol’s iodine, standard strength. One or two applications per day directly onto the lesion with a cotton bud. Too early to know if it will work but after 24 hours the pain has gone. Lugol’s is one of the most under-rated remedies and very safe. I’m pretty confident that it will do the job.
That’s great to hear – thanks for the tip!!!
Lemon Peel removes warts. Tried and true. I removed 5 from my own hands when I was younger and just recently I removed one from my 3 yr olds toe. A small piece of peel to cover the spot each night while sleeping and it is gone within 2 or 3 weeks. You can speed it along by removing ‘seeds’ as they surface, but my 3yr old was not fond of this, so l had to skip this step with him. The acid in the peel opens the wart and the ‘seeds’ rise to the surface.
Nice tip – thanks!
I had warts on all my fingers and had tried everything, for months, to no avail! But a friend told me to try dandelions- so every day when I got home i picked one out of my front yard and dabbed some milk on each wart as i was walking into the house. Within a week ALL of them were gone and I haven’t had another- that was 5 years ago! Have you heard of or tried it? Just as cheap as urine. 🙂
Good tip – Dandelions are good for many things!
We used dandelion for my son, after going through the freezing and otc treatments. I read about it somewhere, and we did it twice a day, during the dewy periods morning and night. The wart was huge. The freezing process at the doctor’s office (2 times) got rid of some, but then it would double in size. Plus, it was damaging the surrounding skin, as did the otc. Dabbed on the dandelion milk and covered with a bandaid. The wart turned black and fell off within the week, with no damage to the surrounding skin. And no pain.
Your own urine is good for a number of things, from bad bug bites to cleaning superficial wounds. Not my first choice, but if you get a nasty cut and have nothing handy to clean it with, this will help prevent infection.