Cellulitis is a dangerous, bacterial skin infection that can be treated with home remedies, but must be treated as quickly as possible. Some of the best home cures for cellulitis are natural antibacterials, such as garlic, colloidal silver and tea tree oil. Look in the Table of Contents on the right hand side of this page to discover many other natural remedies for cellulitis that have been recommended by Earth Clinic readers. One mother describes how she successfully treated her son with a home remedy treatment regimen, including turmeric, black salve and tea tree oil, avoiding antibiotics and hospitalization.
Cellulitis is an aggressive condition that can cause additional complications if left untreated. If the infection appears to be spreading, consult a medical practitioner before it gets into the lymph nodes or bloodstream. Although this rarely happens, this could result in blood or bone infections or even gangrene. Fortunately, natural treatments are often effective, especially if the treatment regimen combines both internal and external treatment.
Garlic is the favorite home remedy of many because it attacks bacteria, fungi and viruses without killing beneficial gut flora. Raw garlic is most effective.
Colloidal silver is relied upon by Earth Clinic readers to treat a wide variety of ailments. Colloidal silver can be inhaled, taken internally or used topically. For topical use, mix with 20% DMSO as a solvent and carrier. An interesting article on colloidal silver by Dave Thomas is found here.
One reader reported that she completely healed her leg ulcer, for the first time ever, with colloidal silver and serrapeptase. Here is what she said:
"Have discovered and used both colloidal silver, internally, 2 teaspoons, plus cleaned wounds externally for leg ulcers with colloidal silver spray for no infection successfully. Plus, then I take Serrapeptase around minimum of 80,000 per day. After one month the ulcers were closed, clean, and gone."
Tea Tree Oil is a powerful antimicrobial that has been used by native Australians for a very long time. (It has no relationship to the tea we drink.) Use sparingly as it is potent.
A mother whose 9 year old son developed cellulitis for the second time in a year could not fill an antibiotic prescription until morning, so treated him with tea tree oil instead. She described her treatment regimen as follows:
"My 9 year old son experienced cellulitis for the second time in less than a year as the result of a bug bite (spiders we think). At any rate, unable to get the prescription for an antibiotic filled until the morning, I went to this website. I placed a few drops of tea tree oil onto a cotton swab. I applied it to his very swollen and inflamed leg, along with a water soaked cotton ball (so the tea tree would not burn). I then applied an ice pack and gave him an over the counter anti-inflammatory. By morning, the inflammation was gone, he was able to move his leg with less diffulty and the redness also subsided. The Tea Tree worked awesome. Because of the severity of his cellulitis I still gave him the antibiotic, but cut the treatment time in half. Going forward, on any bites I will immediately treat with tea tree oil."
Cellulitis usually appears on the legs as a painful, red, swollen area that may feel hot to the touch, but can appear elsewhere on the body. The infection can spread to the lymph nodes and into the blood, becoming life-threatening if left untreated. In this case, pain can be considered a good warning signal of danger as it forces most people to seek treatment options.
The bacteria that usually cause cellulitis are Streptococcus pyogenes and Staphyloccus aureus. Typically, surgical sites, cuts, puncture wounds, ulcers, athlete’s foot and dermatitis are the prime locations of bacterial entrance; however, certain types of spider and insect bites can also transfer the bacteria that triggers an infection.
Normally, the skin acts as a barrier, preventing infectious agents from entering our bodies. When the skin is broken, bacteria are able to enter into the body. This is one reason why it is always a good idea to keep any wound clean and covered if it breaks the skin. People with diabetes, a suppressed immune system or at risk of forming blood clots are more prone to cellulitis.
Treating cellulitis as soon as possible is critical to success. Cellulitis can be very stubborn and it seems that the longer the infection has been in the body, the more difficult it is to heal.
Please visit our Q & A section on cellulitis where you may find the answer to a question about cellulitis treatment. If not, please feel free to ask a question of your own!
Continue reading below for more natural remedies from Earth Clinic readers! Please let us know what remedies you have used to treat cellulitis and the dosage and any other details that might prove helpful to someone else. Thank you!
