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?
Experienced my very first wart last month. I managed to get it off yesterday, I don’t necessarily know what killed it but I must say that I’ve tried a combination of things. First I decided to try molasses, it dried up my skin but I didn’t necessarily see any results from it. Through my impatience I decided that I would cut it, which I did. And it cut very easily and without pain because of the molasses drying my skin. After I’ve read about a study done on children who had warts, and that using garlic was very effective. I mashed fresh garlic into a paste and applied it to my wart. It stung so much! I wasn’t necessarily consistent with it, and I took it of at night because of how much it stung. But I was definitely seeing positive results. The wart was getting darker. I would then again cut part of my skin, and apply the paste.. again with an intense burn. (expect that it might burn after an hour or more). And within in a week of scraping off a layer of wart skin and applying the paste it turned completely black, eventually I could just scrape all of it off. Not a wart expert but I think applying molasses and cutting of a big part of the wart really sped up my process.
I had multiple warts on one of my fingers for years, I tried everything had a Dr. cut off, it grew back, had it burned off every 2 weeks for 2 years, so so painful and it always came back. I tried the duct tape, tea tree oil, apple cider vinegar and various other internet-inspired concoctions and nothing ever worked. I was desperate as I was pregnant and terrified that I would give warts to my new baby. My doctor said it was not possible, as newborns have better immune systems than that, that their bodies resists things like warts. Still, I was embarrassed about it and wore a bandaid around my one finger for absolute years and years, ugh!
My mother went to England to visit relatives and an Aunt mentioned to her that her grandson had warts on his foot and she was buying him a homeopathic remedy. My mother knew of my struggle so she asked about it immediately and was informed it was called Thuja Occidentalis. The Aunt said she had given it to her kids and grandkids whenever one of them got a wart and it always worked and was safe for kids.
I immediately went out and bought some, I think I took 3 little pills two times a day or 2 pills three times a day, something like that. I saw some little difference within a week or so, but it took around 3 months for them all to disappear completely. Occasionally I’ll feel something coming back in that spot and I’ll take the Thuja again for a week or two and it will go away. So far, they have never come back fully, I’m just super paranoid and alert to the possibility.
I just wanted to share this with everyone, although I am not sure what everyone’s opinion of Homeopathy is vs. Natural Remedies. But this was the only thing that ever, ever worked for me. I have given this advise to 2 other people and they have also had success in getting rid of warts with this homeopathic remedy.
FOR YOUR REFERENCE: Thuja occidentalis is an evergreen tree, native to North American and Canadian wetlands. … It is almost as though the tree itself is trying to conceal its ugly side. The homeopathic remedy is prepared from the fresh twigs and leaves. The tree contains an essential oil which is used for the treatment of wart infections.
I had warts on my hands for years when I was young. At one point, having 11 on my combined two hands. MDs tried all the tactics and some worked: had a few burned off with freezing, some removed with an acid and others with electric needles. Most of remedies worked but I’m left with the scars. Amazingly as I grew to an adult, all the remaining warts just faded away on their own, with no action needed. Weird. I’ve had no warts now for over 40 years…..
I had a couple of plantar warts and used hot water with a cap full of bleach in it and soaked my foot each night for about 10/15 minutes and in about a week they were going away. Have told a few people of it and it worked for them also.
Yup. I had a huge one on the ball of one foot as a teenager. After one treatment at the doctor’s that involved cutting and acid I got faithful about soaking my foot once a day in a dilute solution of Clorox and water. It took a while but eventually the large wart and multiple smaller warts surrounding it all cleared up. I always feel bad when I hear about folks undergoing painful surgeries for this.
Thanks for the post! It made me laugh, which a mum of 4 (aged 6 and under) can always do with! I’ll definitely try this.
My (now 5) 4 year old son had one wart just like yhe one bulky one in your picture. The doctor recommended an ointment and I accidentally spread it further than the necessary area. It was so painful for him, and of course I felt so bad. I’m never using that stuff again!
Glad it made you laugh!
I’m so sorry you had to deal with that. Some of that stuff can be painful!
I have read the comments and have to share my own experience. I have had plantars warts on my foot for years. Here is what didn’t work:
– The kits that freeze warts. Did not produce any results.
– Surgical removal. Costly and took care of the issue for a time, but the wart still returned.
– Duct tape. It wouldn’t stay on with any ointments.
I finally decided to try Oregano Oil. I have to say it worked though It took a long time for the area to clear – maybe 3 and a half months. Patience is key. I also had to apply the oil continuously, almost 3 times a day. The area is callous as a result, but it is better than the wart. The area is also very dry and the sole of my foot is flakey. But the area where the wart was is pink and much like a healed scar. I still inspect my foot regularly to make sure the wart hasn’t returned, but after years this is the most effective and economical solution there was.
Thanks for sharing. I would just add that I don’t recommend using essential oils topically without diluting for many reasons – some are outlined in this post. Thanks! https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/essential-oil-emulsifier/
I had a very large, painful planters wort on the bottom of my big toe many years ago. I was able to actually pop it once, but it came back.
Thankfully, my brother-in-law had the solution. He brought me a pussy willow plant and showed me how to get the milk out of it. We out the milk on the wort, no covering or bandage, one or two times only and the wort simply disappeared.
Simple, easy and it never came back.
Great!!
Just wondering how to get the milk from the pussy willow? What’s the process? Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks. ?
no need for milk Willow leafs are alse veri useful and enough to stop .
I tend to opt for duct tape when I get plantar warts. Thanks for these suggestions. I’m gonna give some of them a try to see if they clear up faster.
Hope they help!
I haf a huge one on my thumb, and was trying EVERYTHING to get rid of it…..nothing was working…the only this I fid not try was “cutting it off” …..and I was like NO WAY….but I said ya know I can tolerate a little cut but not the whole thing…..I took a knife closed my eyes looked away and… SLICE! Right down the middle! Not too deep but just enough to get to the bottom of the wart, a tiny bit of blood was there but not enough to freak out about…..the next two days it was GONE! My body recognized I had a “cut” and went to heal it and BAM I guess it took care of the wart too!!!! I had NO IDEA that would work, but IT WAS LIKE MAGIC…Especially after having it for years!!!
So glad it’s gone!!! Yuck!
Wow cutting a wart yourself is totally dangerous for several reasons.Mostly the knife was definitely not sterile nor skin around area.Also you could have caused sepsis which is blood infection.U could have missed and cut artery or vein.I am shocked when people say they have for years.Please seek medical assistance.Foot care NURSE or Medical Doctor
My girl got a wart on her thumb in the pencil holding area. We put Tea Tree Oil on a band-aid and stuck it on the spot. The wart died soon after. A matter of days. No cutting required. Painless. Smells better than Urine, especially in a school setting. Can’t understand why, in all these posts, Tea Tree Oil was never mentioned for wart removal. Now you know!
I saw a doctor for a plantar wart on a small toe. She scraped and did three expensive and painful laser treatments. Not only did they not work,but soon I had three other smaller warts on that same little toe. I tried so many things for two years but what finally worked was wrapping it in duct tape after placing baking soda on the warts . I read that a virus cannot survive in an alkaline and I was duct tape cuts off the oxygen.
I Swear I have the answer!! We tried everything- I have spent hours on forums, doctors, naturopaths. We did the apple cider vinegar and garlic every night for over a month and they just got worse- upwards 40 warts on my sons hands. And toes. Enter Natures Fare Market- 3 thuya tablets on an empty stomach twice a day and 50,000 IU beta carotene daily. We saw improvement after a week -and in 2 months ALL GONE. I want to scream this from the rooftops- I’m ecstatic. No pain, no black burned mess…
That’s great! I wonder if the supplement helped his system be stronger? 40 warts? Yikes!
Probably. we fought them for almost 3 years.
Ugh!! Terrible! So glad you are over that!