Home Remedies for Boils
Home remedies for boils can bring relief within a few hours for people who suffer from these painful, swollen infections. A boil is a staph infection in a hair follicle or sweat gland, and can lead to a large, hard, painful sore that resembles an over-sized pimple. Unfortunately, they can last for weeks and sometimes form clusters called carbuncles.
Home remedies for boils can bring the inflammation to a head so that it will open on its own, relieving the pressure and allowing the pus to drain away. Once this has happened, it’s important to thoroughly cleanse the area with an antibacterial soap and keep it clean and dry.
Old World Home Remedies for Boils
A popular remedy for boils that’s been used since Egyptian times is onion. You can place a thin slice of raw onion over the boil and cover loosely with a clean cotton cloth. A cloth bandage soaked in either onion juice or garlic juice will also work. Both of these have natural antibacterial qualities that may keep returning boils to a minimum.
You can apply a salve made from one teaspoon of heavy cream mixed with a teaspoon of vinegar a pinch of turmeric powder. You can safely re-apply this mixture several times a day until the boil has drained.
One natural home remedy for treating boils involves gently warming a betel leaf until it is soft and pliable. While still warm, add a few drops of castor oil to the leaf and spread it around, then apply the leaf (oil side down) to the boil. In most cases, several applications of the betel leaf solution will result in the boil rupturing within twenty-four hours.
You can also try a poultice made from crushed parsley leaves and boiled water. This should do the trick within a day, and has a pleasant smell that makes it less annoying than onion or garlic on your skin.
Kitchen Home Remedies for Boils
The fat content of bacon makes it a very good drawing salve. Take a slice of raw, cold bacon and coat it thoroughly with salt, then wrap it in a thin cotton or linen cloth and apply to the boil several times a day. This is a solution you’ll probably want to use at home when you aren’t going out, since it is rather sticky and can stain clothing with bacon grease.
Native Americans made a simple paste of cornmeal with boiled water to apply to skin boils to relieve the pain and pressure. You could also try white vinegar as a poultice by soaking a thin cotton cloth in it and then placing on the boil, changing frequently until the boil opens and drains. Others swear that the acidity in tomato paste will quickly cause a boil to rupture and drain.
Whichever home remedy you choose to treat a boil, keep in mind that what you do after the boil has drained is just as important as the draining itself. Never squeeze a boil to get the last of the pus out; this will only drive the infection deeper into the skin. Always wash the area with an antibacterial soap, dry completely, and apply a mild antibiotic cream to the area to speed healing.
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