How do I know when the core is out of the boil? What does the core look like?
Also, doctors can puncture a boil to get the pain, pressure and liquid out, All they do is pierce it with a sterilized instrument, and clean the area with alcohol right away afterwards. No need to pay out hundreds of dollars for a medical visit for that. Now if you have more than one, or have boils in multiple places, you may have a systemic infection and need oral treatment. In that case, you would want to get a prescription/medical advice.
Nic's Turmeric Recipe
★★★★★
Boils: recipe Turmeric + Sesame Oil + black pepper
Hi everybody.
Another post, this time it's about what helped me with the latest boil, which appeared right after the first rain of summer just like it happened a year ago with another boil and two years before and so on. First of all, there is certainly a connection with seasonal rain and pollution, I was ready for the first rain trouble, but unfortunately I had to be outside on that particular day. Within an hour the boil started and became quite big, the next days it got huge. I started with turmeric in warm water, and applied some topically too, it helped a bit, but then it got very nasty, the next few days I continued with onions (compresses), eating raw garlic and ACV+honey. Nothing changed. I thought that turmeric and all the other remedies worked temporarily for me and took antibiotics and aspirin. Again, nothing AT ALL changed my condition for the better, so I stopped taking any medication. A day and a half passed and I started reading the testimonies and info here again and again thinking that perhaps the answer to my problem was hiding somewhere. Indeed, I read about combining turmeric powder with oil or fat, I'm allergic to lactose, but coconut oil was mentioned, so this reminded me of oil pulling and I use top quality sesame oil for that. Yesterday, on the verge of arranging an appointment with a doctor to have it lanced after having lost my faith and courage, I did the following:
Two tablespoons of sesame oil
Five tablespoons of water
I warmed them a lot, without boiling them I then added one teaspoon of turmeric powder and a bit of black pepper. I stirred well and drank it.
In half an hour the boil that was the size of a golf ball by then, burst, and kept draining for half an hour! The size of it was reduced to minimum! I could feel comfortable again, relieved! Amazing I said to myself. But hey, there's more: All night more fluid came out and in the morning when I thought that was it, it's over, it burst one more time.. and in the end, a white little thing popped out as well, I guess it was the root!
I hope this recipe will help someone out there. If turmeric has worked temporarily for you, maybe in really ugly situations you need to combine it with something, such as oil (sesame oil or coconut oil) or milk/creme.
Best wishes to all of you and thanks Earth Clinic!
Your fan.
I also started getting boils a few months ago. it also started after eating quite a bit of almonds -toasted almond slivers for salad, they were quite old.... Overdated (but didn't taste bad).... have been taking turmeric every 1 or 2 days, and haven't had anymore come on, but still have a red lump on my forehead where one started, doesn't hurt anymore, but won't go away....
Boil Triggers: Almonds
OK. Now I am officially spooked out. I got a ping pong size boil on my pubic mons 4 days ago, after having my IUD out and a weekend of *heavy* bleeding (sorry). But.. Also last weekend I snacked on raw almonds a couple of times. I love almonds, and well I thought they were supposed to be healthy, but wow?? I donno, I'm convinced it was from the top part of a "sanitary" pad that umm... Wasn't, but I'll experiment with the almonds again a few weeks after this boil goes away.
Cell Salt Silica
★★★★★
My family has been using the homeopathic cell salt silica to stop boils in their tracks. It is #12 of Dr. Schuessler's tissue remedies and should be available at most natural grocers which sell homeopathics. It is indicated in abcesses,boils,and any other skin conditions with thick,yellow discharges. It also helps to deacidify the body. As with any homeopathic you should increase the frequency of the dosage to about every 15 minutes in an acute situation and take it less frequently in maintenance doses. There is no way to overdose on homeopathics and taking silica should not interfere with any remedy you are currently using. Silica usually comes in lactose tablet form and about 4 tablets under the tongue or in some water is the dosage. If this remedy works for you, you can keep it going forever by following these simple steps (by the way this works for all homeopathics and Bach flower remedies). Take 4 of the lactose tablets and put them into a new glass bottle with a dropper. Add any liquor or hard alcohol to the bottle, filling it 3/4 of the way to the top. Allow the tablets to dissolve for a few minutes. Succuss the bottle 100 times, by tapping the bottle on the palm of your hand. Since homeopathics are vibrationally based you have simply transferred the vibration to the liquid. This process can be repeated again when your bottle gets low. 4 to 6 drops can be taken as a dose.
★★★★★
I was just browsing through this site, I spend a lot of time doing that, and read the remedy posted about boils. As a child I frequently had boils. While at a family gathering an uncle took me into the kitchen to "fix me up" with a home remedy. He got a raw potato and a potato scraper. (as if to make hashbrowns) He then washed and scraped the entire potato into a clean, sterile bandage and taped it to my arm. I wore it all that day and through the night. Bt the next morning the boil had come to a head, and my mother drained and cleaned it. I had been plagued with boils many times prior to that and they were always painful and lasted several days before coming to a head. This one was over quickly and what a blessing! After that we used a raw potato any time one came up. I no longer have this problem. I seem to have grown out of it. I have given this remedy to friends and family members since then and it has been a success with them also. Hope it helps!
★★★★★
POTATO!!! After getting a tattoo on my chest, I developed a rather painful pimple about 3 inches above my left nipple (probably from razor burn from shaving, ingrown hair, etc). I attempted to 'pop' it which was a bad idea. Over a few days...this horrid wretch grew into a furious monster of an infection...
I used antibiotic ointment and bandaids for a few days which did nothing, and the pimple seemed to grow in size and pain. I then tried toothpaste and a bandaid, which got solid and hurt bad taking off...revealing some gnarly green pasty pus. I squeezed some pus out of it and again that evening and also drenched it with peroxide every chance I got. I then read about the baking soda/peroxide mix paste...in which I applied several times over the next day and drained it every now and then (painful stuff). I also took baking soda baths.
After seeming to get nowhere, I read about the potato method. I purchased a single potato, cut off a slice, cleaned the infected area with peroxide and taped the potato slice to it for the night. Upon removing the potato in the morning, I noticed a big chunk of pus on it and the wound (almost the size of a dime) kept draining itself. Having to work, I cleaned it and put a bandaid on for the day.
Upon getting home and removing the bandaid, the 'head' of this abomination was right at the top and came out with some effort and Qtips and peroxide....what relief! Instead of a white hole, it is now a bloody red hole and its draining itself! Will update in a few days on healing.... THANK YOU!
Coconut Oil
★★★★★
I get boils in the inner thigh and on my bum regularly, especially during my period. I discovered that by application of coconut oil, once every 1/2 hour or one hour, the boils subsided or broke and disappeared within two days. However, this seems to work only for boils below the navel. I have boils on my chest which don't respond to this. Hope this works for all of you.
Turmeric, Black Salve, Tea Tree Oil
★★★★★
Boils, possibly MRSA, and tumeric:
My son was hospitalized for serious, rapidly spreading cellulitis, which started with a boil. He responded well enough to antibiotics to come home, but although the culture indicated the boil was not MRSA, the boils did not respond to the various antibiotics the Drd tried. He developed multiple boils on and around his privates which wouldn't go away. By the way he's been hospitalized, had many surgeries and on intravenous and antibiotics many times for a digestive disease he was born with. The celulitis came back three times, while following the infectuous disease Dr's advice to control it, which was exhausting, frustrating for both of us and ineffective. Of course the Drs think you're not following their directions if their strategy doesn't work. Then I found this site! I gave my son one turmeric capsule three times daily for three days. A nutritionist suggested I watch the acid alkaline balance of his diet. Topically I applied black salve to any full blown boils. If I noticed any small emerging boils which have not yet formed pus at the tip, I apply straight tea tree oil to the tip only, being careful not to get it on the surrounding skin. I discovered the effectiveness of these particular topicals by observation after using so many topical remedies.The advantage of the black salve is that it stays on without a dressing. I couldn't use bandages/poultices because of the location of his boils. Nothing has worked like the turmeric, supported by the topical application of black salve and tea tree oil for healing the boils, as well as watching the diet. He now takes one turmeric a day for prevention. The origin i think is candida, but we're working on that.
My son has Down Syndrome, Hirschsprung's disease (never could spell it.), and an ileostomy, so you can imagine the difficulties with nutrition. It was an ordeal I thought would never end. I worried constantly that the celulitis would return. It's been almost a year without boils or cellulitis. Thank you for this site! If it wasn't for this site we probably would have continued with the endless cycle of antibiotics and hospitalization.
EC: So glad to hear the remedies have helped. We have just created a new cellulitis remedies page with your post -- thank you so much for the wonderful feedback!
Boil Prevention Tips
Are you sure you should wash your face last? i always try to do it first bc i thought last was like rubbing your genitals, feet and armpits all over your face.
Bread and Milk
★★★★★
Boil Sores: Any Yeast Bread and Milk
To save paying a doctor and pain of have a boil lanced, use any type bread made with yeast, dip in milk and bandage over boil that has come to a head. Within 4 to 5 hours it will have drained completely. My grandmother used this cure on me and I have used it on one of my daughters. IT WORKS!
My mother told me about the bread and milk poultice many years ago. (she is 84 now) I had great success removing inflammation of an infected cut on my hand, after wearing the poultice overnight.
Dietary Recommendations
★★★★★
I cured my boils by avoiding all foods with high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup! That was practically my whole condiment section of my refrigerator, and my cereals (read all labels it's practically in everything!) but you can replace them with organic products=) Also I stopped eating peanuts and chocolate together as one reader suggested! So that's practically all the good candy! However these food changes should keep you boil free! In the meantime Tumeric capsules work great to heal existing boils I bought them in Walmart and took 2 a day and applied tea tree oil on them all day before I discovered the cause of the boils . However since changing my eating I have been boil free! Good luck!
Colloidal Silver
★★★★★
I started having boil in November of 2007. I was going to the emergence room and having them lace them. Then in January of this year I was took I had MRSA and then a month later my 20 year old daughter found out she had it.She had a boil in the front between her legs and and on the sids of her finger nails. We both have trouble with bandaid. They leave marks on the skin, but not on the bottom. In March I went to a Health Food Store to buy something I read about and a clerk told me about his staph he had and what he used. I bought hight potent Colloidal Silver (500ppm) and MSM lotion. He told me to take a MSM lotion in my hand and a drop of Colloidal Silver, mix it together and rub it on my boil. It worked on my side boil, but not on my bottom because anything I put on my bottom will be saoked up and the boil gets bigger. I put a drop of the Colloidal silver on my finger and rub it in and it works. I only use it when the boil is small. I even take 3 drops by mouth 2-3 times a day all the time and my boils are geting smaller.
I was told by a doctor not to soak in a hot bath because you can reinfect the boil and that is true. I stoped going that and my boils don't get as big. I even found out by using a hot compress it does the same thing(boil gets bigger) Now I jut use Colloidal Silver, cover it and forget about it and it goes away faster.
Patricia: Tune once in a while the program at Animal Planet "monsters inside me" or TLC's "Mystery Diagnosis", you'll be surprised how many parasites are out there. Doctors are aware of these little monsters. It takes them a while to diagnose but they (doctors) do. Parasites are not mumbo jumbo, they are a reality.
Epsom Salts
★★★★★
Epsom salts help to pull toxins out of the sore ... It saved my dad's hand back in 1960 when he got bit by a crab ... He nearly lost his arm but this "old fashioned" West Va mountain MD told him to soak it in Epsom salts ... and it healed .. nicely ... We don't have dr like that today .... PS- My first comment on this great site.
Cream of Tartar
★★★★★
I had my first boil (CA-MRSA) in February of this year. Took doxycycline for 6 weeks. In May I developed another boil, this time in my nose... An undesirable location thanks to its close proximity to the brain. For another 6 weeks I used Bactroban (Mupirocin) cream 3x per day as per doctor's orders. No change in the boil. Finally in desparation I tried hot compresses in my nose combined with this cream of tartar remedy. I started with 1/2 tsp in a glass of warm water but that gave me a wicked headache for 24 hours on the second dose... So I backed off to 1/4 tsp 2x per day. Within 24 hours the boil suddenly came to a head and now, three days later, has opened on its own and is slowly draining away.
I am a true convert to the cream of tartar. I do believe it is at least in part responsible for the sudden and rapid healing from a boil that has plagued me for 6 weeks. Very impressed - plan to use cream of tartar in small doses from now on for maintenance and healing. Thank you!
Honey
★★★★★
Manuka honey is an amazing remedy for M.R.S.A. wounds, as well as for diabetic skin ulcerations. It comes in several strengths, so contact customer service on websites to see which is best for you. It is a little pricey, but I think it is worth it. It's delicious and healthful when taken internally and is wonderful when applied externally to the face. I am taking one teaspoon of Manuka honey and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon each morning and evening. It has lowered my blood pressure from 156 to 125 in a very short period of time. It also improves my sleep! I love this website and it makes me happy to give back for all the help I've received. Good luck to all.
Dietary Recommendations
★★★★★
I have a problem with recurring boils also. Believe it or not, white vinegar, applied topically, helps them to go away. I read about it and tried it. I have noticed that my diet may affect getting boils. When I eat a clean diet, adding fruits and vegetables, not too much fat, a little olive oil OK. a LITTLE ... cut out the junk foods, high sugar treats, eat whole grains in moderation, flesh foods in a diminished capacity, and I am also drinking alkaline water, the ph issue is correct. It makes a world of difference. Since I have been trying to eat more high alkaline foods my boils, have disappeared without any topical treatment. Drink lots of water with ph drops to heal your body from the inside out. All fruits and veggies, some fish, especially fatty fish is good for you. Find online information about ph drops and you will open a world of information that will help you find out how to improve your alkaline levels. Most of the foods we enjoy cause us to overdo acids in our bodies causing acidosis, which causes disease. Fish need a proper ph to survive, we won't go into a pool before it is a proper ph because we know we could get sick. Our bodies also need to stay in a healthy ph range in order to stay health. Check it out. Be very blessed. Oh, and of course what you think and how you live causes health or disease. Exercise, of course, stimulates the blood, which is also necessary for health... and I also believe prayer helps everything! Joan
★★★★★
Some of you that are suffering from boils may want to take L-lysine 500mg daily. I had a boil appear on my buttock back in October of 2003. I didn't know what it was, but I worked in a clinic at the time and told one of the nurses my symptoms. The first thing she asked me was "have you ever had herpes"? I was somewhat taken aback and told her no. I was told to soak in a epsom salt bath. The second time the boil appeared I aksed the doctor in my clinic about it. He too asked me about herpes, I gave him the same answer that I gave the nurse, a resounding No! He gave me Cipro (which did NOT work) and sent me on my way.
Ok to make a long story longer, my cat has allergy/upper respiratory isssues. The vet gave him some antibiotics, but he told me my cat's condition is chronic and he would eventually become immune to the medicine. He told me to build up my cat's immune system by sprinkling L-lysine on his food. I read up on L-lysine and it does help your immune system and it helps with herpetic symptoms. I decided to try it the next time the boil appeared. I can always tell when it's coming because it tingles in the area just below where the boil appears. I started taking 500mg (one table daily in the morning on a empty stomach) at the first tingle. Low and behold, the boil never really appeared. I had a little itching in the area of the boil and the skin became a tiny bit raised, but after 2 days I had NO symptoms. This is amazing because this boil was so painful, it was hard for me to sit and it itched like crazy!!! I now take L-lysine daily to keep the boil way.
Well boils do itch. I've had them since I was a little girl, and was told that by me being diabetic, while it's healing, it itches. I don't have herpes, aids, or nothing but diabetes, and a boil sufferer, or how us African Americans call it, Risen's. So yes, believe me, when it's healing, it does itch. Thanks for letting me share. Lifetime risen sufferer. Painful.
Garlic
★★★★★
It seems that ever since hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast we have been battling more and more cases of boils. I have found that GARLIC helps get rid of boils. At any stage in the cycle of the boils if you get the 1000 mg GARLIC capsules and squeeze the gel onto the boil it will get it to come to a head and drain or the boil will disappear completely.It generally takes a few days but it does work to eleviate the swelling and pain and its effective in healing the boils. Its safe for children.At the first signs of even a bump take one gel capsule and sqeeze the gel onto the bump then rub it in aftewards throw away the used capsule and wash your hands. Repeat this at least three times daily until the boil is gone.
Drawing Salve
Hi Ted- I've been reading on earth clinic about the boils and I took the survey. Here's the deal- about three weeks ago I took my board exam for nursing- i was really stressed and it rained the same day. About a week later I got 2 bumps on my forehead that took turns going up and down, but remained there. Then last week i got 3 more, 2 about an inch below my eyes on each side of my nose, one on my chin. I avoid sugar and anything white, I immediately started turmeric,mag and zinc. I went to my acupuncturist. She gave me herbs for my liver. The boils started growing and got soo painful and hideous. So i put the black drawing salve on them on the 31st. I kept them covered until last night. My head was pounding and i began to have flu-like symptoms-fever,bodyaches, extreme headache. I could feel it drawing up all the toxins. But now it looks like i have thes big craters on my face. Did it eat away alll of my skin. The skin doesnt feel raw, its covered with a brownish grayish crust. The instructions say to put rubbing alcohol on the spots till the crust comes out.. but then i got worried about scarring so i just applied some rosehip seed oil. but i notice the edges around the crater are a little pink so now im concerned with infection. should i cont with alcohol or tea tree or what? i am scared now. Thank you soo much Ted. sincerely L."
The big problem about black salve is it causes scars, while it removes the toxins. There a mixture of aloe vera oil and some tea tree helps with the healing or regeneration of skin cells.
The other issue is the body was not properly alkalized enough to stop the boils so the boils will recur even if all the other supplements were taken. Hence 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, in 1/2 glass of water, taken twice a day should prevent recurring boils. Also proper alkalization helps the healing.
Ted