Most warts are painless, but plantar warts, those on the soles of the feet, can become painful and interfere with walking. Unfortunately, people may have a difficult time treating them. They can be extremely persistent. As a result, many readers have been searching for ways to banish plantar warts.
How Can You Banish Plantar Warts?
Q. You have written that soaking a foot in hot water may help banish plantar warts. I have a different approach.
For several years, I cared for my elderly mother who had stubborn plantar warts. Her doctors tried freezing them to no avail. OTC remedies and applications of banana peel were no more successful.
During this time, I too developed plantar warts which became large and painful. As the weather turned cold, I read that dandelion “milk” sap could eliminate warts. By that time, there were no dandelions blooming. I found a dietary supplement containing dandelion root extract, milk thistle, turmeric and acerola cherry extract.
Within three days of starting to take this supplement, the painful warts began to blacken and loosen. In less than ten days, they peeled off painlessly. The new skin underneath shows no sign of scarring. This was indeed a happy surprise to me.
Ways to Banish Plantar Warts:
A. Plantar warts (warts on the soles of the feet) are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). Doctors can choose from several techniques for treating them, but none is perfect.
We could find no studies of dandelion root extract for eradicating warts. Dermatologists have written about using medicinal leeches (Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, online Oct. 6, 2019). They have also applied traditional Chinese medicine called Zijinding to patients’ warts (Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, online Sep. 3, 2019).
Consequently, we don’t think your supplement-based approach is far-fetched. Silymarin, the active ingredient in milk thistle, and curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, both boost the immune system (Viruses, Nov. 30, 2015). That seems like a reasonable approach to try.
