Bacon
★★★★★
I put the bacon on it (the fattiest piece I could find), and I swear on everything that within an hour it had developed a head, and in less than an hour and a half it was draining. I decided to leave it on overnight, and now it's almost completely gone and I am free of pain. I know it sounds like a ridiculous idea, but seriously, try it for a day or two (leave the bacon on as long as possible). I wish I'd known about it days ago.
Bacon
★★★★★
(Maine)
08/30/2016
Lol!! Thanks for the p.s.!
(North Carolina)
11/27/2017
Bacon
★★★★★
Bacon and Onion
★★★★★
Baking Soda
★★★★★
Baking Soda
★★★★★
Baking Soda
★★★★★
(Asheville, NC)
08/27/2008
★★★★★
I also tried the boil baking soda method, by putting some BS on a rag, dripping some water on it, then placing it on the boil for an hour or two. It drew the infection out and it drained with very little effort. Thanks so much for this advice.
Baking Soda
★★★★★
(White Oak, NC)
09/02/2007
★★★★★
Thank you Gabi from Jax, FL. I had a boil to come up on my buttock 4 days ago. Today is Sunday and I was ready to get come relief. It was Labor Day week-end and I could not wait three more days to go to the doctor. I did a home remedies for boils search and found this website. I first tried the oatmeal and salt remedy for two hours, but nothing happened. I decided that I was going to try a different remedy every two hours until I got one that worked. Next I tried the grated potatoes, but again nothing happened.
I tried the baking soda, lemon and Vitamin E and within two hours, I was getting relief and the boil had opened up and started to drain.
I also drink the two cups of hot water mixed with one tablespoon of vinegar and one tablespoon of honey. Thanks. This is what I will try from this day forward and will pass it along to others.
(Danville, Illinois)
10/27/2011
★★★★★
I have a boil at the moment on my chin. I just read about the baking soda for it, and I did it. And I think it's working cause lord does it burn!!!!
(Paso Robles, California)
11/09/2011
Yeah, I just started getting these boils in the last few months in my groin area and I am using the baking soda to help speed up the process of surfacing with my warm compress. The only time that my boils seemed to get infected or worse is when I squeezed the boils. Even if I got a lot of it out, it never got better fast by squeezing.
(South Carolina, US)
03/07/2015
Baking Soda
★★★★★
(TAS, Australia)
04/12/2009
I am just wondering if the Baking soda is the same as the bi-carb soda in Australia? or is it the baking powder?
EC: It's called bi-carb soda: https://www.earthclinic.com/remedies/baking_soda.html#BSBP
(Flanders, Nj)
01/06/2010
Do you think mixing salt water and baking soda would be even better? Just a thought because of the bacon post...
(Riverside, Ca)
12/27/2010
A small pimple turned out into a large boil and I wanted to just let everybody know that do not try to do a home remedy-especially when the boil gets bigger. I had tried to put hot paper towels and compress them on the boil and also put 91% Alcohol to dry out the boil however; it was getting larger than a golf ball. Finally, I went in the emergency and had them lance it and drain the pus and turned into a staff infection. The boil was on my bikini line!!! Of all things where I shave on a consistant basis-this time got infected-next time I will clean with alcohol. Now I know why men use aftershave-it has alcohol in it. I just knew that if it wasn't getting better that there was immediate attention and not to take chances and allow your body to heal with that big of boil to pop on its own is crazy and also taking chances with getting admitted into the hospital. Please go to a doctor, it can be very deadly and also, if you have diabetes, more severe chance of recovery. I don't have diabetes however; was worried when they tested me for it instantly. I am on Kfex and some other antibiotic including a pain reliever.
(Santa Paula, Ca)
02/10/2011
Do you drink enough water because you may have mrsa boils caused from your body being to acidic from not drinking enough tap water. I used to only drink bottled water. Bad choice its acidic if you dont believe me just get some water tests strips like I did and you will see the link. Mrsa cant live in an alkaline enviroment. Get your body alkaline no more boils! Study this. Very interesting.
(Ny)
02/11/2011
Bottled (spring water) is acidic? Tap water has fluoride (a toxin.. Read your toothpaste label), peoples waste (medications), now they say rocket fuel(?), metals that the FDA has set the rates as being approved? Who trusts the FDA? Read your local water contents on it's web site. Then, you be the judge with what you want to put in your body. Best to filter your tap water before ingesting in the best way possible.
(Bells, Tn)
06/11/2011
★★★★★
Re: Boils and bleached underwear
I was plagued with boils on my bottom for years. I stoped using bleach when washing underwear (and disposed of all old underwear) and have not had a boil in 3 years. I think chems in bleach stays in the fabric and creates a imbalance with the skin on contact. I rarely use bleach now except to clean counter tops and toilets.
(Melbourne, Australia)
06/11/2011
Instead of using bleach to clean counter tops and toilets you would be better off to use something natural like white vinegar or even 100% eucalyptus oil (diluted in water).
(Richardson, Tx, Usa)
10/19/2012
re: countertops - I use Borax on my countertops. Use it like "comet", but it won't blanch your clothes like bleach will, and no horrid smell or toxicity. As a bonus it will get rid of any "house" that bugs have that are pestering your kitchen. Just use it like you would a normal abrasive. PS baking soda will make your sink shine like no tomorrow.
Boil Cores
(New Iberia, La)
01/29/2010
Boil Outbreak Theories
(Exmore, VA)
01/02/2009
Boils are caused by a small (very small) parasitic microbe called Collembola ...You cannot see them without 10x magnification ... They enter the skin through the hair pores and cause boils ...
Prevention is simple ...
1) Cleanliness ... soap and water ...
2)Natural skin care creams containing sulfur ...
3) Turmeric and cayenne internally ... (sources of sulfur)
4) Cover the boil with something (Bandaid, tape or cream) so they do not reinfect the area ...
5) also antiseptic oils like tea tree and peppermint help to keep the area clean and repels those critters ...
Boils are very difficult to cure, because these bugs re-infest the area over and over again ... stop the bugs from returning and the boils will then be able to heal ... otherwise they can take months or more...
Ted
(Anderson, SC USA)
02/05/2009
Ted would Borax work to kill them?
(St. Louis, Missouri)
04/05/2010
(Sanford, Fl, Usa)
04/06/2010
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.
(Dallas, Tx)
05/06/2012
Well Ted I see you are like many on here with web education on a subject that is life threatening and you are stating that boils are cause by these micro org exogenously, incorrect. This was the medical field explanation for yeears, but looking at the reality of inception to exod of skin surface, we know scientifically and easy to prove to ourselves that is is WBC, doing their kob, but dying nonetheless, and when there is suppression of immune layers, you get colony formation. So Either myself and all my team trainers, all my team dr's, all my modern litereature, and the great Dr. Mehmet Oz who covered this a couplle months ago and I have had both pleasures of great education in health and nutrition, kiniesiology, human performance, etc, to having 4 boil surgeries in a bout of MRSA with hundres of open wounds, one ofthe most aggressive MRSA cases my dr's ever saw. I went 100% healthy 6day wk workout to next day sick, day after ICU kidney failure, liver not well, 104... Checking out, then I used my little nutrition brain, said to person to the right, go get me about 6 liters of Alkaline 9. 5 water. I'm writing you because of my knowledge of that SIMPLEST of fact. Alkaline body can fight and will stop raveging infection. Antibiotics are acidic themselves, MRSA will cause blood acid levels to skyrocket. Seem like a good longterm? Anyway, boil didn't crawl in you, you caused it, just like I did. This is nature bro, not fair. You are not, nor am I, smarter than that strain of bacteria that has lasted millions of years throught thousand degree tep surace on Earh to the Ice Age. We evolved because of them. So...live.
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)???
Boil Prevention Tips
★★★★★
(Flanders, Nj)
01/06/2010
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.
Boil Tips: Prick the Boil
★★★★★
There is no good reason to wait until the boil has "come to a head". The sooner you put a stop to it the better.
(Asheboro, NC)
06/06/2009
★☆☆☆☆
WARNING!
I would be cautious about picking or pricking any boil. Most instruments that you would use in your home are not sterile, no matter how much cleaning or heating you do to the instruments. Furthermore, sticking a pin in a boil will just drive the bacteria further down in to the hair follicle and cause a wide spread systemic infection that could be worse than the boil itself.
The best thing to do for a boil is to use topical heat, topical broad spectrum antibiotic ointments, the turmeric paste works well, and mixing Epsom Salts in warm water and soaking a gauze pad that you apply to the boil several times a day. Keep the boil covered with a band aid, and eventually it will resolve itself with minimal scarring. These pesky little things take about 10-14 days to run their course and completely heal.
I am a nurse and I caught the bacteria that causes boils probably in a nursing home that I worked in and I think I picked it up from the telephone at the nurses desk that never gets sanitized (also the most used piece of equipment) I break out on my face with them, so I wouldn't recommend picking or pricking a pimple or a boil
I was also reading a Western Civilization text book and it mentioned King Hezekiah of ancient Judah. So I incientally got my Bible out to verify the account in the history book, and as I was reading the Bible, there was an account of King Hezekiah having a painful boil, he was sick almost "unto death" and the priests applied a "fig" to the boil and the Bible says that Hezekiah was cured. So I am, today, looking up the fig/boil connection. Has anyone else heard anything regarding this natural remedy for boils?
(Sarasota, Fl)
01/30/2011
Thanks for informing me of the bible cure for boils. I will now buy some figs. :)
(Stockton, California)
01/11/2012
I have a book on natural remedies that recommends applying warm fig pulp to a boil. It also promotes healing so it may be better to prevent scarring.
Boil Treatment Warnings
As for the other large boils, especially in hairy places where legs, faces, or other places are being shaved, try using salisylic acid moisturizer before shaving, and a few hours after shaving, but do not use on mucous membranes. Salisylic acid helps to disolve dirt in clogged pores. Also, Tumeric is not as effective as Nutmeg and non-fat milk paste for those unsightly pimples. Tea Tree Oil is good at times.
But if the boil is due to a staph infection maybe you should see a MD for longterm use of Bactrim as long as you are not allergic to sulfa you should be o. K. Motrin helps with pain as long as you don't have kidney disease or ulcers, briefly using Hydrocortisone cream helps with redness and swelling but can cause drying. I think using oil would only exacerbate the clogged pores.
GO TO THE DOCTOR AND GET REAL MEDICATION TO HELP WITH THE CHRONIC BOIL PROBLEMS PEOPLE! Some antibiotics are free from certain pharmacies or cost much less than buying Tumeric.
(Thousand Oaks, Ca, Usa)
01/09/2011
Nurserynurse, I can appreciate that you came here to warn people about boil treatments but many of us look to natural remedies to heal us not just "get rid of" surface problems. I think we're all well aware that we can easily go to the Dr. and get a round of antibiotics (which by the way, are not cheaper than turmeric, especially if you have an East Indian market accessible to you) but we are also highly aware that antibiotics lead to a load of other problems that then need to be rectified.
As for a boil on the labia indicating syphilis- well, paleeze! I think that's pretty far fetched and a bit of hyperbole on your part. Not that it isn't a possiblity but I have had them there and certainly, I know I didn't and don't have syphilis.
Turmeric is a highly effective herb that is being studied right now by the scientific and medical community for what has always been known in the Ayurvedic community and Chinese medicine as well.
So, basically you're giving us advice that the mainstream medical world gives and most of us here are pretty fed up w/ that standard. I think the majority of us who frequent this site do our research and have found a place that we have learned tremendous information regarding cures that we would not otherwise be aware of. Those who would look to your type of advice would be going to the mainstream medical profession.
(Melbourne , Australia)
01/09/2011
To "NastyNurse" who says we should all go to the Dr for longterm antibiotics, I think you are on the wrong website. We can all go to the mainstream medical sites for your information.
If you are a Nurse you can been trained to not think; just keep pushing the drugs. Mind you most drug's active ingredients can be found in nature!
(Princeton, New Jersey)
01/09/2011
Amen to that. Could't have said it better myself, Lisa.
(North York, On, Canada)
01/09/2011
Hi and welcome in earth clinic,
I'm a pharmacologist and I can tell you that turmeric has a VERY POTENT activity against bugs like Salmonella and MRSA. If you need published papers just ask. Drugs like B-lactams will just suppress your TH1 immunity and give you candida.
People are mature and they can choose for themself. My health deteriorated since I took antibiotics as a child. I believe also that the natural healing will force these big pharma to look for new remedies.
(Seattle , Wa - Usa)
01/09/2011
Well said Lisa... Well said. While I totally agree with you, I will say that if anyone does have a very large (and hot to the touch) type of a boil, and feels generally very ill -then they should probably seek mainstream medical attention to be sure that they are not dealing with a serious sepsis / blood infection. (MO)
BUT - for people with average to large boils, who get them all of the time...
Taking tumeric (internally) daily at 1/2 tsp twice a day will stop them in their tracks within a week. Just read the turmeric section on here. It is TRUE - I am sold on turmeric for it's MANY healthy attributes.
To clarify - If you are in a crisis situation, err on the side of caution and go to the doctor...if not.... Take TURMERIC. Is it amazing stuff!
(Had to try out the now BOLD font! Love it! )
Best to you all. :-)
(Gippsland, Australia)
01/09/2011
Thanks for the nutmeg tip re pimples.
In Western medicine Syphilis is treated with Penicillin (usually via injection) unless there is an allergy to it then another antibiotic may be tried instead. Syphilis is caused by bacteria which is why penicillin works. Turmeric has also been proven in studies to be effective against bacteria's. In Ayurvedic medicine turmeric is used to treat syphilis, Chinese medicine has also historically used turmeric to treat syphilis. So it is not accurate to say syphilis is only treatable by antibiotics. I am in no way suggesting that you should treat syphilis at home, but there are alternatives especially for those who are allergic to antibiotics.
My husband was started on antibiotics as a teenager for acne and boils, yes he did get less boils and less acne but it never fixed the cause and he still got them. After some years and some side effects (and many $$$$) he stopped taking them and the boils ceased. As long-term or repeated use of Bactrim may cause a second infection, this is a documented side effect, plus other side effects, I wouldn't use it.
In Australia I know of no free antibiotics. One prescription (and we all know that for these conditions you need more than one) of antibiotics cost about $16 each. As we have not had them for years this info is from a friend who had them a couple of years ago. Turmeric is about $6 for 250grams, which will last a long time especially as you are taking only 1/2 - 1 teaspoon a day.
Turmeric has been proven so effective for many things that I believe a synthetic derivative has been created and is being studied for its effect on strokes.
(Michelbach-le-bas, Alsace, France)
01/10/2011
Hi Tommy, you said in your post: "I believe also that the natural healing will force these big pharma to look for new remedies. " I am not at all sure about that.... Look what is going to happen to us here in Europe, most natural stuff is going to disappear. Will big pharma be willing to take over? In many cases they have already but anyway, if they have to go through many trials, pay lots of money to certify each component I don't think that they will do it and it will take many years so in the meanwhile we will have hardly any choices!
(Huntersville, Nc)
02/24/2011
It is coming up on three years that I have been getting Staph infections. I have been to numerous drs, including a dematologist and an infectious disease Dr. I felt like I was going to final get some answers from the ID dr, but all he did was listen, quite attentively I might add, and say sorry. He said he could get me another prescription for antibiotics if I needed it, but that was it. At the time I lived in San Jose, Ca and went to Stanford University to see the infectious Dr. He said MRSA (that's what I have) is rampant in the area. He has seen people like me who get infections, which last about 2 years and then they suddenly go away. He wasn't sure why there are some people who contract MRSA and can't get rid of it and my susceptibility to MRSA had nothing to do with my immune system. So go figure. Sorry I don't have answers, but I do use colloidal silver and it does help me.
(St Louis, Mo)
09/08/2011
Dmontg: I too have had recurring boils (which eventually led to a 5-day stint in a hospital), after I allowed a golfball sized boil grow in my neck - turns out, it was in my gland!
The hospital pumped me full of antibiotics and fluids; and warned me that it was MRSA. Ever since, I have had many boils which seem impossible to relieve - most of them have been on my face and neck, with the occasional buttock boil (awful, you can imagine).
I've found that I'm prone to getting these after eating certain foods: just like Elle from Austin TX, cheap chocolate pudding seems to provoke an attack. Also certain nuts, like almonds, seem to be a cause. My menstrual cycle may be an indicator. However, I don't get boils every month...?
Not sure of any other commonalities amongst us with recurring boils, but I have O-negative blood. I had a bad outbreak of shingles, followed by a severe case of mononucleosis a few years later, and was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia about 5 years ago, after suffering years of widespread pain.
I really prefer natural home remedies, and avoid taking prescription medication - especially since my body seems to be resistent to most antibiotics at this point.
Thanks to the generous people shared comments on this site, I've discovered that ACV (apple cider vinegar) and tumeric are essential parts of the diet in order to keep these at bay. I also use tea tree oil, and lavender oil on the site of any boil.
(Sacramento, Ca)
01/25/2012
(Carrollton, Texas, Usa)
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.....
Boil Triggers: Almonds
(Escondido, Ca)
09/19/2009
i have read that the FDA required almonds to be pasteurized about a year ago, and one of the methods is to use a chemical that is an ingredient in jet fuel (yes, really); so i would do some internet research on almonds if u eat them a lot because maybe that chemical is giving you a reaction
(Mi)
06/01/2010
i added raw almonds to my diet about 4-6 months ago. i eat them several times a week at least. i have been having boils for about 5 months or so. i never would have thought almonds would cause this! i ate some tonight for dinner in fact! i hope this works for me.
(Indianapolis, In)
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....
(Richardson, Tx, Usa)
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.