The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Oregano Oil
Posted by Jesuslover (Minneapolis, Minnesota Usa) on 01/26/2012
★★★★★
Hi, I just wanted to say thank you for the individual testimonials and great information on this site! I contracted a staph infection shortly after surgery and also a bad cut on my finger, not sure exactly which was the cause. The infection resulted in a boil which my doctor prescribed antibiotics to treat. I was on the antibiotics for almost the full course of treatment, and while there was some improvement, it did not quickly cure or alleviate the uncomfortable condition. I started taking two capsules of oil of oregano a day, which I just happened to have in the cupboard since a friend gave them to me. The same day I began taking these my condition began to improve much more rapidly! I know it was because of the oil of oregano and I thank God for this "miracle herb". I have never really been one who put much stock in herbal remedies but I will definitely do more research in the future before only depending on presciption medications for every affliction. Thanks again for sharing this valuable information! God bless :)
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Debbie (Melbourne, Australia ) on 09/05/2011
Ann, boils and any skin condition are a result of sluggish digestion and the toxins are merely getting out of the skin via a boil (or a rash or ezcema etc. etc.).
Once you clean up your digestion you won't have any more boils.
The tumeric should help... Maybe you didn't use enough. I add it in all my curries. Even sprinkle it on roast chicken. Garlic is also good for digestion, digestive engzymes will also help along with the probiotics. If your liver is an issue, chlorella and spirulina are natural liver detoxers. Stay away from processed foods, they are NOT food. You may as well eat cardboard for the nutritional value they have.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Sally (Melbourne) on 08/04/2016
Hair is actually helpful, it helps keep pores open and helps sebum leave the pore... pores with hair in them depend on the hair to help the pore function. This is why shaving leads to clogged pores, and folicilitis. I would encourage you to research issues that have resulted from permanent hair removal before you take this step, to make sure it is right for you.
Garlic
Posted by Ginkobiloba (New York, Usa) on 06/30/2011
★★★☆☆BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS
After reading about garlic as a strong antibiotic I put crushed garlic on a staph boil (I think that's what it was. I had one many years ago in the same place and went to the doctor and that's what he called it- he gave me antibiotics)
I would hold the garlic in place with a sterile pad and an ace bandage, leaving it on for hours at a time. WELL, the boil opened but it also spread! It got worse! I switched to drinking vinegar and tumeric and also rubbbing Caledula oil on it. Immediate improvement. I even did the baking soda a couple times which was cooling. I made a Shea butter salve with Calendula, Usnea, Wormwood and Comfrey. Large red inflamed area almost gone, but it has been almost 10 days (since the garlic). Thanks everyone...
Flaxseed Poultice
Posted by Trawhe (Glenwood, Md) on 10/22/2012
★★★★★
The flaxseed option worked within hours. I mixed flaxseed powder with very warm water and put mixture onto a clean cloth then put against the boil, then placed a heating pad underneath and the boil started to go away and took the pain away. This was after I tried the bacon for eight hours that did not work for me. Thanks a bunch for this method. I can get some sleep tonight.
Drawing Salve
Posted by Marie (Conr9e) on 08/21/2015
★★★★★
I am amazed how many people get these horrific boils! I'm diabetic and 4 months ago I had actual an surgery because the antibiotics were not working. They put me in the hospital and gave me antibiotics through it, was the size 6 center meters. After 4 days they decided to perform surgery in the operating room. It was horrible. It was 4 inches wide and long.
Well, I just got another one @its been 4 months. Now I have a huge boil in the panty line horrible unrelenting pain. i started using ichtoma,l bad smell, but it's been three day and it's forming a head. I also have been putting warm compresses on it.
i wish they found a cure but ichtomal does work
Boil Treatment Warnings
Posted by Debby (Carrollton, Texas, Usa) on 10/15/2012
I have boils for the past 3 1/2 years... Took antibiotics but they still come back. I have took Turmeric pills also for over a year still having boils, so sick of having them. Now I trying ACV with honey twice a day that someone on here suggested. Just wanted to let anyone know that Turmeric did work a little when I first started taking it but now it don't seem to work still getting boils..... Hope this helps anyone I really know how ya'll feel.....
Draining a Boil
Posted by Ebby (Toronto, Ontario) on 07/01/2010
★★★★★
Just a quick note. This may sound strange but after not having much success draining a boil with wet heated cloth I decided to try a heavy duty paper towel and presto, the boil began to drain for over an hour. Change towel regularly and rest. hope this helps. Also, i too have found the turmeric cure helpful and use oregano oil as an antibactial.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Sandy (Mebane, Nc) on 06/30/2010
★★★★★
Apple Cider Vinegar has definitely helped my boils. I drink it at least 2 times a day with water.
Activated Charcoal
Posted by Helen (Stillwater, Ok) on 11/08/2012
My husband was bit my a spider and developed red streaks and the center of the bite was nasty looking. I mixed water and charcoal together and put on the bite with a bandade. The bite starting healing. After the site healed there was a small dark spot, like a stain or tatoo.
Activated Charcoal
Posted by Janet (In) on 10/27/2017
Lena Here is an answer from Ted here on earth clinic. As he says most of the things are available at the drug store. Or Amazon.
I soak almost everything in magnesium and borax saturated water. Milk of magnesia or magnesium oil.
Applying iodine is prudent. Colloidal Silver too. Ted mentions hydrogen peroxide.
I noticed that with an infection under my nail, the iodine color disappears pretty quick. Must be applied frequently. It is being used up pretty quickly, it seems.
Janet
Here is Teds post
https://ted.earthclinic.com/cures/impetigo2.html
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Ally (Atlanta, Ga) on 01/20/2010
★★★★★
I am glad I found this page and others. About Me: I am a 25-year old, African American female. I have never been sexually active. I am 5'6" and 135 pounds. I eat too many sweets/carbs & shave weekly. I recently got over a cold
Today, relief came to me after barely 24 hours of INTENSE treatment. Yesterday, after I got off work I picked up Turmeric and Acidophilus, Antibacterial bodywash, and Tea Tree Oil. I took a hot shower (5:45) using the antibacterial bodywash and applied a hot compress (drained, wet cloth microwaved for 1 minutes) dipped in a paste mixture (of 1 miced clove of garlic, 3 tbsp baking soda, 1 tbspp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp lemon juice, and 1 capsule of Turmeric). I placed gauze on top of the boil so the mixture would stay in place. I ate a meal and took 1 capsule of Acidophilus and 1 capsule of Turmeric. I drank an additional glass of water. Later, I soaked in a tub of hot water (as hot as you can take) and sprinkled epsolm salt, baking soda, and peroxide. I washed with the antibacterial bodywash. After about 20 minutes of soaking I applied tea tree oil to the boil and everything within an inch or two of it as well. I got a q-tip and dipped it in the tea tree and cleaned out my nose. It felt tingly like how vapor rub opens your nasal passages up. Then, I went to bed.
When I woke up this morning I applied a hot compress with the mixture again and sat in a hot tub for a quick soak. When I got out of the tub (8am) I was about to apply the tea tree oil when I saw liquid oozing out of the boil. Hallelujah! I squeezed it and immediately cleaned it with peroxide and followed with tea tree oil (a natural antiseptic) and triple antibiotic ointment (get from any grocery store or pharmacy). BEWARE! If you do not disinfect and treat the area after the boil bursts, it will become infected again and may spread. I will continue to shower with antibacterial bodywash (for the rest of my life), have hot soaks for the next week, take Acidophilus & Turmeric for the next week, and drink more water forever :-).
WHAT HAVE I LEARNED:
1.) I will no longer shave except for my legs and underarms.
2.)After shaving I will immediately wash with antibacterial bodywash or antibacterial soap (which is different from regular fragranced soaps because if it doesn't say antibacterial, then it won't kill any bacteria).
3.) I will look for and begin using deodorant (not anti-perspirant) with tea trea oil in it because it's healthier and will fight infection before anything happens. There are lotions and oils with tea tree oil and I will be sure to look for those as well.
4.)I have always done this, but thought I'd share... I change my washcloth and bath towel daily for good hygiene. I never wash my face with the same washcloth I bathe with.
5.) When you do laundry, I suggest adding a capfull of pine sol into your wash to disinfect your undergarments that had close contact with the infected regions.
6.) Carry anti-bacterial wipes around with you because the bacteria that causes boils can be spread.
ATTENTION LADIES: If the boil is in your private area, I suggest wearing pantyliners and cleaning the boil with tea tree everytime you use the restroom during the day and changing your liner as well.
Vitamin A
Posted by Frances A (Jacksonville, Florida) on 11/29/2009
★★★★★
Recurring boils and similar large, painful pimples
After age 21 I had terrible huge pimples. When my pharmacist told me that some derms prescribed Vitamin A, I started on it immediately.. It was like a miracle, a moderate miracle. The huge deep pimples stopped and my skin improved in other ways.
I used to take 50,000 units a day but now I would limit myself to 25,000 units per day. Just be patient and don't stop the treatment.
Boil Treatment Warnings
Posted by Vadagirl (Denver, Colorado) on 11/18/2009
Wish I'd checked this page 4 days ago.... I squeezed and it did not help! I remembered using heat and that was painful, but it did bring it to a head. Also used a bandaid w/ drops of Tea Tree Oil. Will try these other suggestions in the future. Glad I found this site! Could have saved myself a lot of pain!
Boil Treatment Warnings
Posted by Blanche (Iberia Parish, Louisiana) on 07/07/2010
Can anyone tell me if boracic acid is the same as boric acid or borax?
Boil Treatment Warnings
Posted by Gpk17042 (Cleona, Usa) on 12/12/2010
Does turmeric cause diarrhea(sp. )?
Boil Treatment Warnings
Posted by Elizabeth (Nashville, Tn) on 12/13/2010
Quite the contrary, turmeric helps to relieve my IBS symptoms, which include loose stools. I notice a difference if I don't take it for a week or so. I've also taken it when I had a stomach bug and it helped with the diarreah.
Boil Treatment Warnings
Posted by Beth0210 (Trumbull, Connecticut, USA) on 12/22/2014
Raw turmeric really does stain! My grandma's hands were yellow-orange for days after handling the root. Do you know any reliable brand for turmeric powder? Or any ideas on how to properly turn turmeric root into powder so I can tell my grandma? Thanks!
Ice Cubes
Posted by Erin (Naperville, IL) on 06/15/2009
★★★★★
Ice cubes got rid of my boils! For three weeks, I suffered with boils around my waist. I think the waistbands of my pants actually caused them to spread. They weren't very large, but boy, were they painful! Being a veteran Earth Clinic user, I tried everything recommended ... H202, coconut oil, ACV, baking soda, hot moist heat, antibiotic ointment, turmeric and garlic. NOTHING worked. The other night, as I was going through my familiar routine of applying hot moist heat and draining them, it suddenly occurred to me taht maybe the heat was making them worse. I remembered that years ago, when I suffered with cystic acne, the only thing that would get rid of the painful bumps was in ice cube applied directly to them. Somewhere, I had read that bacteria thrives on hot moist heat and is killed by freezing cold temps and that's what made me try the ice on my cystic acne. I could often get rid of a cystic acne bump before it even became noticeable just by applying ice. So I decided to try it with the boils. I got an ice cube and held it directly to the biggest boil and then after a minute or so began rubbing the ice cube over the whole area that was infected with boils. I did this before bed and when I awoke the next morning, the smaller boils were completely gone and the bigger boils were less than half the size they had been. After I ate breakfast, I got another ice cube and applied it to the bigger boils first and then rubbed it over the whole area. By evening, the bigger boils were super tiny. I continued the ice cube treatment another day and then they were all gone. I cannot tell you how happy I was after suffering with these things for nearly three weeks and watching them grow worse and worse!
Ice Cubes
Posted by Judith (California, USA) on 07/13/2015
★★★★★
Erin, thank you for your post.
I believe you are on to something with your ice cube remedy. I recently had a terrible bout with boils/staph for about 3 months in a very delicate area which was not easy to contain or treat. One turned into 14 quickly. Very painful. I tried everything (turmeric, manuka honey, acv, tea tree oil, golden seal, garlic and numerous others) to get rid of them. Nothing was working for me. I had read your post, but didn't actually try it because of how sensitive the area is with the infection. Then the weather warmed I started swimming in a very cold river for about 1 hour several times a week. After the 1st week, I noticed that some of the boils had come to a head and erupted without any prompting from me and others shrank to nothing. After a few weeks of swimming in that very cold river 4x's/week, I'm happy to say that the infection has almost completely cleared. The only thing that I have been doing in addition to swimming is applying colloidal silver in the morning and evening to keep the infection from spreading. I think bringing your body (or body part with the infection) temperature way down for a period of time is the key to killing it. I remembered your post and thought I would corroborate your findings as well. Should this ever happen to me again, I will put my body in an ice bath if I'm not near a river (or it's winter). I think you may have uncovered the cure. Thanks again for your post.
Nic's Turmeric Recipe
Posted by Nic (Athens, Greece) on 06/10/2009
★★★★★
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.
Boil Triggers: Almonds
Posted by Pinkanemone (Indianapolis, In) on 11/26/2011
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
Posted by Citygirl27 (Richardson, Tx, Usa) on 10/19/2012
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
Posted by Kirsten (Santa Fe, NM) on 05/22/2009
★★★★★
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.
Coconut Oil
Posted by Sudha (Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India) on 03/11/2009
★★★★★
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
Posted by Lon (Stanhope, NJ) on 02/18/2009
★★★★★
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!
Breakfast Cereal
Posted by Peter (Nelson, New Zealand) on 08/01/2008
★★★★★
My ten year old son over a period of about three months was suffering from boils around his rectum and after taking antibiotics which cured the problem for a week they returned. He returned to the doctor and was scheduled to have the boils lanced and kept like that for a couple of weeks to remove the staff infection. I asked a friend who had been a surgeons assistant during WWII if he had any answers. His reply was that during the war the soldiers suffered from boils and that the doctors of the day did not know whether it was due to hygiene or diet. I knew that it was not my son's hygiene and earlier that same friend had given me a breakfast recipe that he had found beneficial to his health through the years. I had to remove some of the ingredients to get my child to eat it but to my astonishment within the week his boils had disappeared never to reappear.
This worked for my son. I hope that it will work for you.
Recipe:
2 cups Rolled oats
2 cups museli
1 level desertspoon brewers yeast
2 level desertspoons wheat germ
3 cups of milk
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and leave overnight in the refrigerator. Serve the following morning.(Serves 3 to 4)
All ingredients were purchased from Binn Inn in Nelson, New Zealand as they appeared to have the best quality available.
I fed my child this everyday for a week and a couple of weeks after that then he lost interest in the breakfast. He hasn't had any boils since. You should expect results within the week.
Colloidal Silver
Posted by Susan (Carmichael, California) on 06/11/2008
★★★★★
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.
Boil Outbreak Theories
Posted by Timh (Louisville, Ky) on 05/07/2012 2041 posts
Gavin, so I suppose that we (humans) are personal only as a secondary trait from our evolutionary predecessors, as your post may suggest??? Which begs the question of how can one properly get personal over boils (which are impersonal)???
Zinc
Posted by Sharon (Valdosta, Georgia) on 06/03/2008
★★★★★
Boil remedy: A powder that contains Zinc (Ammens) applied several times a day seems to work best for me.
L-Lysine
Posted by Juanita (Little Rock, AR) on 04/02/2008
★★★★★
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.
L-Lysine
Posted by Labrina (Florida) on 02/13/2017
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.
