Jazz A (Chicago, IL, USA) on 07/18/2023
Exactly 1 week later, they started to itch again, and swelled back up like the day I got them. I had no fever, so I did what my grandmother would have done: I rubbed a little oil on my skin (cold-pressed sunflower) and strapped a yellow onion slice to it.
I've had it on for at least 12 hours and the heat is entirely gone. The swelling is still there, but the redness has been cut in half. It also doesn't itch! Although I do smell like an onion...
I have been changing out the onion slices every time they wilt up too much and look like the juices are used up.
I'm also applying an ice pack because it's 80 degrees and I work at a desk. I'm elevating the ankle too. I need to keep the areas cool and irritation free.
My family is prone to getting mild cases of cellulitis with bug bites. Normally, there is a wound that pusses and that's easily treated with powdered turmeric right on top (then slap a bandaid on top to trap it). If it's really nasty, I'll add some cayenne powder and garlic powder to the mix. But since this cellulitis is under the skin, I knew I needed a poultice to draw it out and onions are specifically killers of staph bacteria (scientifically proven).
I came here to see if there were any tips and tricks I can do on the side to speed the healing, and I'm definitely going to tackle this internally to boost my immune system too.
Thank you Earth Clinic and all you lovelies who share your amazing remedies. I hope I helped someone else out! And I hope you were lucky enough not to be stung on the bum like me.
ROSINA (LONDON UNITED KINGDOM) on 05/28/2023
On 4/23/22 KG from Charlotte, NC wrote: "Just diagnosed with cellulitis yesterday. It's spreading. Washing clothes in hot water, no detergent. Prescribed antibiotic. 500 mg 4/d, 10 days. Is it safe to take colloidal silver orally as well? Spraying CS all over the areas...worried that it is spreading and don't want to go to er."
Although you are probably cured by now? But this might help in the future. I rarely find any alternative stuff never does anything for me, Manuka Honey doesn't do a thing, etc.etc. But 3 weeks ago I woke up to the most painful very inflamed burning and swollen left foot.
I went online and I believed it was Cellulitis. Although these symptoms can fit many foot problems? My son took one look when he came down and said "For God's sake mum, call 111", which is our London Hospitals for emergencies. I was given a very dangerous antibiotic which I then found out other countries are refusing to give it to anyone FLUCLOXACILLIN which I couldnt or wouldnt use anyway, and a penicillin cream which I am seriously allergic to. My son rushed all the way over to an all night chemist and brought it down for me. He knew in his heart I wouldn't touch it and he was right!
I decided to try activated charcoal to which I had in powdered form. It was the best thing I could ever have bought!
I mixed the powdered charcoal just a teaspoon with a teaspoon of organic golden flaxseed powder granules. I added a little water, and i applied it to my very hot swollen and painful foot. I soaked a little cloth (the pack of ten cleaning cloths you can buy for the kitchen) and after soaking the cloth, I wrang it out and laid it over the very thick charcoal and flaxseed. I placed a little white wound pad over it and used a plastic bag with little handles that you can buy from lidls store in a blue box. They fitted my foot perfectly. I added an extra one and I just about did them up which was perfect. I went to bed, woke up the next morning. My foot was absolutely normal!!! I phoned my son and he couldn't believe it! I have had no trouble since, but do seem to have a bit of a limp and when going out have worn slippers, but my foot is completely normal.
So please anyone, do try this!! it simply cured my foot overnight!! Of course, doctors won't tell you that, they don't want to know about alternative medicine. So I wrote this for anyone who is using alternative medicines and taking maybe four days to a week to work.
I slept with the above remedy in bed. During the day I used a little ice cold pack for 30 minutes a few times a day, and rubbed coconut oil or olive oil or aloe vera gel to keep foot nice. It would be my number one recipe for cellulitis, something the medical profession cannot do! heal a very serious infection that could take your life, cured it in a matter of 12 hours!! Simply unbelievable.
Rosina from London UK
Bread and Milk Poultice for Cellulitis baddiver (Wisconsin) on 05/16/2023
I got an infection in my left foot. Didn't realize it was cellulitis at first. Treated with hot compresses, betadine, garlic and honey. It continued to get worse. I then got it in my right foot and found out it was cellulitis. I can't take antibiotics so started searching for ideas. I remembered a poultice that helped with a spider bite that was potato based and searched for poultices. I ran across the bread and milk poultice and it just seemed worth a try. I packed both feet overnight with the bread and milk poultice and saw 80% improvement overnight. The right foot which had just became infected resolved in 2 days. The left foot took about 4 days of the poultice every night but has resolved completely. My wife who is an RN who has treated many patients with cellulitis was amazed at the results. You warm milk up to below scalding then add white bread to make the poultice.
Rob (Kentucky) on 01/18/2023
Anyway, back to mom. I made a salve using this formula:
Mixed it up and told her to apply this to her knee and any area that was red and radiating heat. She applied it 4x daily or more. The cellulitis was gone in two days. Smoke that home health nurse!
Debbie (IL) on 06/04/2022
Hospitalized for 7 days. Put on an antibiotic (Levaquin) that was very detrimental to my overall health. Came home...Manuka Honey and activated charcoal, mixed together. Spread on area and cover. IT IS MESSY, but within 24 hours the redness had subsided and I was on my way to recovery.
Sarahocean27 (Utah, USA) on 10/24/2021
Sharon (Florida) on 07/25/2021
Sammie (London, UK) on 08/25/2019
Something bit me on my forearm, and 2 days later some 30% of my entire forearm was red and swollen. This is something you'd normally go to A&E for to get IV antibiotics. But I wanted antibiotics to be a last resort, something I would use if I had fever indicating sepsis and/or compartment syndrome. I read somewhere that someone tried avocado for something similar and it worked almost miraculously overnight, and they tried it on a relative and it worked again. I had an avocado in my fridge so I thought I'd give it ago. Like the guy recommended, I simply squashed up some avocado flesh and applied it, not just on the bite mark, but all over the forearm where it was red and swollen. At first there was a stinging sensation, as though the avocado was reacting with the venom or bacteria in and around the bite mark. Then my arm felt calm, the pain and throbbing had stopped.
I applied the avocado before bed, and when I woke up, the arm felt and looked a LOT better. But as soon as I washed the avocado off, it felt like the redness and swelling was quickly coming back. So I quickly put more avocado on and the arm calmed down again.
Then on that day I learned about another person's experience with GARLIC for a similar problem. So that night I decided to apply grated garlic over the avocado. Garlic being alkaline, made my arm sting all over at first.
When I woke up the next morning, almost ALL the swelling and redness was gone! In fact, the only redness that remained was the occasional small blister caused by alkaline burns from the garlic, so you need to be careful with this one. I don't know which was the greater help, but I know both avocado and garlic helped me to cure some seriously severe cellulitis on my arm, and did so within just 2 days, something even IV antibiotics would have taken at LEAST 3-4 days to get rid of.
And all without any systemic side-effects. No gut trouble, no building up antibiotic resistance. I think it's important to also combine this topical approach with a systemic approach.
I was sure to avoid all grain-based carbs and sugars, I drank ACV diluted with water (I really think this helped), and I took a high dose of turmeric capsules.
Garlic Cured Cellulitis Valerie (Oklahoma City, Ok) on 03/19/2018
At home, it took a month still on antibiotics, skin was literally rotting. Each day new rot would form under & around a 1/4 inch humongous scab. Smelled like green rotten meat. Cellulitus/staph arm 3 times swollen.
I minced a couple of cloves of garlic placed it on wound AND OVERNIGHT IT KILLED THE INFECTION NEXT DAY I KEPT PLACING FRESH MINCED GARLIC. KNOCKED IT ALL OUT!!!!!!!
U can place minced FRESH garlic any place on your body, open wound or not. It will absorb thru skin.
Almccardle (Pittsburgh, Pa) on 03/07/2017
Angie (Los Angeles) on 10/08/2016
Multiple Remedies Helped Heal Cellulitis Jerome (New York, Ny) on 08/29/2016
This last time I developed the same problem again 15 years later after rubbing a dog with my bare feet. My ankles again swelled up and I realized it was cellulitis exactly as I had years ago. This time, however, I didn't want to go through with the antibiotics again since the first time they messed up my digestion bad and it never fully recovered. So I tried to go the natural route with oral colloidal silver (1100ppm), GSE, olive leaf, etc. This seemed to keep it from spreading for a few days but it wouldn't heal. Then I got a colloidal silver topical first aid gel which you can buy in any Vitamin Shoppe or major vitamin webseller. I applied it, let it dry for a few hours, rinsed my feet off then applied it again, for a total of about 4x/day. The silver gel combined with the oral stuff reversed the infection on the tops of my feet and shins dramatically, but though it was receding it was very slow and stubborn in my ankles and heels.
So I began researching online again and found a medical paper from a hospital that showed that giving cellulitis patients 400mg of ibuprofen every 6 hours for 10 days together with antibiotics resulted in much faster healing than with antibiotics alone. I had my wife pick up a bottle of ibuprofen at the drug store and began taking it. By that night with the silver gel, oral silver, GSE, olive leaf, myrrh and a few other basic things (vit C, echinacea, etc.), the cellulitis was 80-90% gone. I also took proteolytic enzymes which may have helped too.
After the second full day of the above regimen, including the ibuprofen, the cellulitis was basically healed. Oh and one more crucial thing if you're dealing with cellulitis of the legs or feet: ELEVATE THEM!!! They will not heal if you don't keep them elevated, HIGH! I sat on a lounge chair with my feet high on the wall for almost three days straight. Take breaks and walk around every hour or so but try to keep them elevated for the whole day. Sounds crazy but I was not going to get those IV antibiotics which destroyed my gut again if I could help it.
In sum what I did was this:
Jerome
*UPDATE*
July 04, 2018: I had a recurrence of the cellulitis and hit upon something that worked brilliantly: BETADINE. I applied straight Betadine to my feet and ankles with a cotton ball every few hours for a couple days and kept my feet elevated. Worked like a charm. I recommend trying Betadine as soon as the signs of cellulitis rear their head.
Vicki (South Australia) on 05/09/2016
Thank you to everyone who has tried & had results, this site is a great help. I regularly fast, sometimes for days at a time, this has not helped, I have had this severe condition for 13 weeks and was getting worse to the point I couldn't walk on the foot at all, currently on cleocin antibiotics, from 1 every 4 hrs 2 wks ago upped to 2 tablets 3x a day, tea tree oil has halved the stinging burning pain that is worse than child birth. the only way to describe the pain is like being burnt badly while cooking 1st degree burn, that is the closest pain that comes close, followed by contractions in the area ( mine is in the little toe I cut nail too short)
I have changed my diet: Apple Cider Vinegar 2 tbl spoons in a glass of water I sip all day, & drink 2 ltrs or more of water room temp, Echinacea & berry tea & green tea. dandelion tea. Turmeric, Curcumin & black pepper about 2 tbl spoons of each & fresh garlic cloves I put all over my salad & I eat for lunch: tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber & carrots, capsicum, green apples for lunch with salad oil dressing to help spread the turmeric into every cell of my body and the bone marrow, I found having tomato on buttered (has oil in it) toast with pepper & turmeric helps the stinging/swelling calm down first thing in morning. I have tried sucking a raw young lemon or add to water also.
I'm on day 2 of this, and pain has halved, I can finally sleep with out being woken by crippling pain, and I can walk with out a cane. the toe is not dark purple now its going pink, red & skin colour, I wipe tea tree oil around the area not on the sore itself, as they removed the nail & sliced into area to squeeze out infection twice, it's covered all the time, dressing changed every 2 days. The antibiotic not working so I had to try everything I can find on the net & combine it into 1, I'm about to get the manuka honey to add this too. It's very slow healing but its progress considering what pain I'm in & keeping the toe.
Researching it has shown me, smoking, eating sugary stuff, fasting too much (malnutrition) & little exercise is stopping it from getting better.
1) It's important to get 10+ min exercise in so the oxygen & blood flow gets to the area.
2) Turmeric & black pepper & the Tea tree oil halve the pain & swelling,
3) Water fluids flushes toxins out. So go pee pee pee.
4) Warmth helps the pain, the cold make it hurt more.
5) Keep foot raised at all times possible. even when sleeping rest it on a pillow.
I hope this helps someone.
Soap, Iodine, Fasting, and Hot/Cold Therapy for Cellulitis Raychil (Chiang Mai) on 12/31/2015
Anyway it got so much worse during the day and I was getting really worried. I applied iodine to the area maybe 3 times in the day but it kept getting worse. Then the next day I woke up and it looked awful and probably worse, so I decided to get really serious and water fast all day, applied hot then cold then hot then cold etc. water for few mins with shower head, washed the area well with soap and then apply iodine when dry. I went out to shops to buy bandages etc. and when I got back about 2 hrs later it was so much better I didn't need them - it was amazing!
I washed with soap and when dry applied iodine again and changed clothes (In case it got dirty outside house) and reapplied iodine again in evening, and now it is so much better! No swelling, no drainage and bumps are so much smaller. I expect will be gone now in couple days.
I have had it once before in past from insect bite again but it was really serious before I realised what was happening and I resorted to loads of antibiotics. But I still found washing area with soap thoroughly and applying hot/cold/hot/cold water with shower head very effective at healing it, I would see big improvement after showers doing this. And again I would apply iodine after shower when dry, and couple more times a day.
I think the water fasting, soap and hot/cold/hot/cold water and iodine was an amazing combination. Truly miraculous how fast it turned around.
Hope this helps someone :)
Margo (Toronto, Canada) on 10/19/2015
Your help is much appreciated,
Blessings, Marg
Dolores (Mira Loma, Ca) on 09/08/2015
Thank you so much,
Dolores
Chrystal (Dalton, Ma ) on 06/26/2015
Joanne (Mississippi) on 04/29/2015
Thanks for everyone giving the health items that they use. Invaluable help.
The above colloidal silver and serrapeptase is the first time I completely cleaned up the ulcer on leg!!
I am at this time still continuing with colloidal silver and the serrapeptase.
Sherri (Long Island, New York) on 03/13/2015
I ate some bad chicken breast and got very sick. A few weeks after this my cat scratched me on the leg while I was trying to get him out of the house because of a fire. A month later I began getting strong flu like systems and I noticed on my leg that the area where the cat scratched me had become a big red infected gash. I went to an emergency clinic and was told it was cellulitis. I went on 24 days of antibiotics but stopped after I started losing my hearing. By this time the gash was pretty much healed over but was red and inflammed underneath. The flu symptoms are gone and I am pretty normal except for the red gash on my upper leg. I have tried numerous natural solutions but am currently using a daily pascalite (calcium bentonite) clay internally 3x a day and a cilantro drink 2x a day to cleanse my system.
I found that Epsom salt solution also helps retard the infection topically. I've only used the clay for a week and the infection has definitely decreased. I'm just going to stick with this because I am noticing other minor healing signs as well. It is my conviction that the cellulitis is an internal problem and has to be treated both internally and externally. I think restoring health to the gut is always an essential and I am working on that as well. The clay has enabled me to sleep through most of the night. I normally take Coral Calcium and a methylated B complex to boost my system and immediate feel the lack if I miss a dosage. But with the clay I forget sometimes to take these pills because it seems to be keeping my body stronger. Hope this helps somebody. Thanks for all the good information everyone has contributed.
Agnes (Warsaw, Poland) on 02/23/2015
Take 3 drops of oregano oil mixed with 1 tsp pf coconut oil and 1 tsp of honey - 5 times a day for the first 3-4 days
then - maintenance dose- of 3 times a day for a week+ Also rub the area with a mix of coconut oil and oregano oil 4 times a day+ Morning and night do clay poultices+ once a day turmeric poultice, lots of water and ginger tea and a cup of milk with 1 spoon of turmeric at night
