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Turmeric Overcame Plantar Warts

Q. My daughter had three stubborn warts on the bottom of her foot that hurt her terribly. We tried salicylic acid tape from the pharmacy. It always burned off all the good skin and left the wart intact.

Duct tape didn't work, and neither did freezing them off at the doctor's office. They kept coming back.

I made a paste of fresh-scraped turmeric root and taped it on the warts. The warts were completely gone in three applications.

Bright pink fresh smooth skin grew in the black-specked holes left behind after the bandage was removed. After they fell off following the turmeric treatment, the warts never came back.

I bought the turmeric from the health food store and scraped off some. I taped a little lump the size of a pea on each wart and changed it each night. (I had her wear a sock to bed. Turmeric is neon yellow and stains bedding.) I have no idea why it works, but someone at work said it worked for him.

A. No one knows much about why any wart remedy works. Warts are caused by a virus, though. Curcumin, a compound found in turmeric, has antiviral activity (Virology, online Jan. 14, 2008), so perhaps that explains your success.

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About the Author
Joe Graedon is a pharmacologist who has dedicated his career to making drug information understandable to consumers. His best-selling book, The People’s Pharmacy, was published in 1976 and led to a syndicated newspaper column, syndicated public radio show and web site. In 2006, Long Island University awarded him an honorary doctorate as “one of the country's leading drug experts for the consumer.”.
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