Molluscum contagiosum is a benign, viral disease of the skin that causes small eruptions to form in clusters, mostly on the torso. The bumps are like tiny pearls with a center that can be expressed and is filled with a white, gooey material. An outbreak generally lasts six to 12 months, and is self-limiting, disappearing of its own accord. There are a few natural treatments you can use that can encourage molluscum to disappear faster.

Molluscum is viral and caused by a pox virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Eating raw garlic might help the body’s immune system fight off the underlying virus, helping the eruptions to disappear more rapidly than ordinarily. Garlic has anti-viral and anti-fungal properties in its active ingredient allicin, which work to destroy viruses both internally and on the skin.

Turmeric, with its potent active ingredient curcumin, has properties that are reported to be anti-viral, anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory, making it an excellent natural remedy to boost the immune system, and one that might have potent effects on the mollusucm virus, hastening its demise in the body. Because turmeric has strong anti-inflammatory properties, it can not only be taken orally but the powered turmeric applied to the skin as a poltice, according to MotherNature.com.

EarthClinic.com suggests using apple cider vinegar to treat cases of molluscum contagiosum. ACV is an acid that usually promotes alkaline in the body, according to Dr. Theodore A. Baroody. He explains in his book, “Alkalize or Die,” that the body prefers to be slightly alkaline and that diseases, bacterium and viruses can't survive in an alkaline state. Drinking 2 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar mixed with 8 oz. of water twice will help to bring the body into a more alkaline state and could help reduce the molluscum outbreak. Applying ACV to the eruptions has also shown some positive after-effects on the eruptions.

The homeopathic remedy, thuja occidentalis, is used to treat warts of all kinds and other skin eruptions of a viral nature and is reported to be an effective treatment for molluscum by William Boericke in his homeopathic book, “Materia Medica and Repertory.” A qualified homeopath should be consulted for treatment for molluscum.