Warts are skin growths that are caused by a virus and can be very small or very large. The human papillomavirus (HPV) is responsible for the formation of warts, which can be spread to other parts of your body. Warts are not cancerous and do not cause health problems, the Mayo Clinic notes, but if you are embarrassed or uncomfortable about them, there are ways to safely remove them. Several different foods can be used as topical agents to eliminate warts from your skin.
Cider Vinegar
Cider vinegar has many healing and health properties, including the potential to remove warts. Vinegar is a natural antibacterial agent and may help to kill the virus causing the wart so it disappears. Soaking your wart in cider vinegar is one way to use its potential germ-killing power, Joe Graedon and Teresa Graedon suggest in their book "The People's Pharmacy Guide to Home and Herbal Remedies." Soak your wart in cider vinegar for a half an hour twice a day. You can also apply a cotton ball that has been soaked in cider vinegar to your wart and bandage as an alternate way to use vinegar to remove your wart.
Potato
The juice of a potato can be an effective wart remover if it is applied often enough. Rubbing a slice of raw potato on the wart several times a day may improve your odds of getting rid of your wart for good, the Graedons note. Slice a thin piece of white potato and rub the white, juicy part over the entire surface of your wart for several minutes. Repeat the procedure two or three times each day until your wart disappears. Allow your wart to air-dry so the compounds in the potato that may eliminate your wart are not rinsed away before they can be effective.
Garlic
Garlic is a healthy addition to your diet and may have an added bonus of getting rid of your warts. Garlic should be applied directly to the wart, Bill Gottlieb recommends in his book, "Alternative Cures: More Than 1,000 of the Most Effective Natural Home Remedies." Mash one fresh clove of garlic until it is thick and pulpy. Apply the pulp directly on your wart and cover with a clean bandage. Leave the bandage on for several hours or overnight. Remove the garlic pulp and clean the area. Repeat the procedure each day until your wart shrivels up and disappears.
References
- Mayo Clinic: Common Warts
- "The People's Pharmacy Guide to Home and Herbal Remedies"; Joe Graedon and Teresa Graedon; 2002
- "Alternative Cures: More Than 1,000 of the Most Effective Natural Home Remedies"; Bill Gottlieb; 2000
