Q&A: Natural Remedies for Warts

Do you know of any natural remedies for warts?

There are probably more folk remedies for warts than just about anything. Unlike conventional therapies (such as applying acid or burning or freezing them), they’re nontoxic and won’t leave scars. But do they work?

Although nothing works for everybody every time, the following natural remedies have a proven track record. You do have to be patient, however. None of them are overnight cures. However, they work far faster than the months or years it takes a wart to disappear on its own (if it disappears at all). Nearly a quarter of warts go away on their own within six months, but about a third still linger around two years after they first appear. Warts can be especially stubborn in children, whose immune systems are still developing.

A Sticky Situation

Duct tape for warts? Believe it or not, this treatment is actually backed by science. In one study, 61 patients with common warts received either cryotherapy or duct tape treatment. After two months, 85 percent of those using duct tape were rid of their warts, while only 60 percent who received cryotherapy were wart-free.

Here’s how to use it: Place a small piece of duct tape completely over the wart continually for 6 days, replacing the tape as needed. After 6 days, soak the wart in water and then rub it with an emery board. The next morning, apply fresh duct tape for another 6 days. Continue for two months or until the wart disappears. Scientists hypothesize the treatment works by stimulating the immune system, thus eliminating the warts.

Go Bananas

Another tried-and-true method that has also been published in medical journals is applying the inside of a banana peel to the wart. Even though this sounds odd, some of my patients have had success with simply rubbing the inner surface of the banana peel over the wart a few times a day.

An even more effective technique is to press the inside of the peel over the wart and tape it in place at night before bed. Remove it in the morning, and wash the area. Repeat this procedure nightly until the wart begins to soften (typically about a week). The wart should be gone within a few weeks to a month.

Guided Imagery 

The power of suggestion plays a role in many home remedies for warts, and it’s especially effective for children, who are more open-minded than adults.

The more elaborate and outrageous the cure, the more likely it is to work. For example, you might want to brush the wart with brightly colored paint, press the paint onto a piece of absorbent paper, and burn the paper. Tell your kids the wart will fall off in two weeks and chances are, it will.

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