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.
Aloe Vera
Posted by Grace (London, Uk) on 05/28/2012
★★★★★
Fresh aloe vera works for drying out many things, spots, cold sores and also boils. I have posted about it in the cold sores section too.
Boils are nasty things and I do find linked to diet. A good probiotic helps to minimize them as does cutting out sugars and hard trans and saturated fats as I detail below.
I am sorry so many of us suffer from these nasty things but I have managed to minimize them by being careful with my diet and when they do come up, acting fast with fresh aloe vera from the plant only.
If a boil develops I do find taking turmeric helps to bring it to a head however once it is oozing you need something to dry it out as soon as possible.
I do find to avoid boils avoid sugar, avoid eating hard fats (eggs, lots of red meat or porc, I keep cheese consumption down and try to mostly eat soft cheeses).
I do find that despite the warning on this page that you want to pop the boil as soon as you can with a sterile needle or other implement and get all the gunk out. Until you have done this it just cannot heal properly.
Once you have gotten all the yucky stuff out I find Fresh Aloe Vera straight from the plant is the most amazing thing for drying it up. The yellow ick should start to dry out and form a brown coloured scab which gets darker and drier by the day. If it is still very swollen and painful after a day it may be because not all the gunk has been extracted in which case lightly press on either side of the boil either with Q-tips or fingers wrapped in tissue paper and see whether more thick white stuff comes out, usually it does if the boil is very swollen. Keep taking the turmeric in water as suggested in other posts here.
Once the thick white stuff is all out of the boil, the boil is usually gross and oozing with that see through pus so you want to dry it up as fast as possible, avoid wetting the sore or taking long showers and baths. Holding a tissue to it for about 30 mins to stop the flow of pus will help, then you start applying aloe vera like crazy!
You should apply fresh aloe vera- the juicy part- straight from the plant every half an hour or so until the boil gradually turns into a scab and then keep on applying as often as you can. Only fresh aloe vera from the plant works, I have tried the bottle stuff and it just does not work the same. I always have an aloe vera plant in the house for these needs and have been known when travelling to bring parts of leaves with me in a ziplock bag!
The best thing is to slice a small amount off the plant and keep it in the bathroom and just keep on applying the juicy liquid as often as you can. Eventually you'll need a fresh piece as the juicy part will dry out.
I have found I can 'cure' a boil in 3 days if I am lucky, with only a minor red mark at the end that is easy to cover with concealer. Usually on the 3rd or 4th day of applying the aloe vera the scab is so tight and dry it easily falls off or peels off, do NOT pull it off if it is still stuck on too tight or you will have a scar and the sore may not be healed properly underneath yet.
If you are sure the boil is really dead and dried out and all scabbed up, another thing that helps the healing is to apply -only when you are 100% sure it is all dried up! Or else you will reactive it- some neosporin. This will help humidify the skin underneath so it heals nicely without leaving a big scar.
Aloe vera, straight from mother nature, from the fresh plant is heaven sent and I thank beautiful nature and mother earth for giving us this wonderful miracle!
Bacon
Posted by Melissa (East Liverpool, Oh) on 02/13/2012
★★★★★
I have to say that for me Bacon really worked! I had a boil in a very sensitive area from shaving, it hurt to even walk. I was debating on going to the emergency room but I knew that it would be painful to have it lanced. I found this site yesterday afternoon and saw the post about bacon, I was willing to try anything at this point! I placed the raw back over the boil and left it there all night. I woke up this morning and it was still sore so I took a bath in epsom salt. A couple hours later I went to the restroom and low and behold the pus pocket came out on its own! If I ever get another I know I will use bacon!
Bacon
Posted by Da Mith (Brisbane, Qld, Australia) on 02/05/2012
★★★★★
Out of desperation tried a piece of bacon fat on my boil. Had trouble getting bandaid to hold because of location of boil. Did manage to have bacon in place for a couple of hours. Awoke next morning and boil had started to discharge small and scab began to form. Pain almost completely gone. Next day boil incredibily itchy. Put some betadine ointment on and this eased itching. Day 4 and boil is healing well. Still a little redness and swelling but definately... this boil has been defeated.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Vivian (Cedar Rapids, Ia) on 08/19/2010
★★★★★
I soak a cotton ball in ACV and apply it to the boil with a bandaid. I replace it with a new one 2-3 times a day. It always brings the boil to a head and drains within a couple of days. It is a lifesaver! No more antibiotics and lancing!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by R (Denver, Co) on 04/08/2011
Why can you not take ACV or turmeric? I am breastfeeding also and take both....
Salt Pork
Posted by Kathleen (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma , Usa) on 02/07/2010
★★★★★
For boils/staph, & I'm pretty sure it should work on spider bites, ect. PORK SALT!! Or bacon,which I have used personally on mild staph boils. Sliced & put against skin (boil)with bandage over it. Change out 3-4 times a day,& you should see an incredible improvement within 36 to 48hrs. The fat (or oils) sure seem to be the DRAWING ticket.The bandage thing was much easier for on the job working conditions, & on the kids, it's almost a must.
Boil Treatment Warnings
Posted by Citygirl27 (Richardson, Tx, Usa) on 10/19/2012
Also, doctors can puncture a boil to get the pain, pressure and liquid out, All they do is pierce it with a sterilized instrument, and clean the area with alcohol right away afterwards. No need to pay out hundreds of dollars for a medical visit for that. Now if you have more than one, or have boils in multiple places, you may have a systemic infection and need oral treatment. In that case, you would want to get a prescription/medical advice.
Boil Treatment Warnings
Posted by Dmalali (Ac, Nj) on 01/11/2012
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
Be careful with substance that are high in iron. MRSA lives off of the iron levels in ones blood. It attaches onto the red blood cells and feeds off their iron. Also, be careful with oil based topical treatments such as neosporin vaseline etc.. oil traps the infection inside the skin and creates a breeding ground for the infection to grow.
Boil Triggers: Almonds
Posted by Brygivrob (Escondido, Ca) on 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
Boil Tips: Prick the Boil
Posted by Beverly (Sarasota, Fl) on 01/30/2011
Thanks for informing me of the bible cure for boils. I will now buy some figs. :)
Antibiotics
Posted by Kd5rcx (Northeast, Ar, Usa) on 04/17/2012
Just a note of caution: After my wife was treated for Mono and had a bad reaction, a second doctor complained that 3/4 (probably opinion and not fact) of all people are allergic to sulfa drugs! He wondered why they were even still in use. Unrelated to thread: Recently I found that megadosing with Vitamin C can cure Mono in a couple of days. I was furious! It's bad when you feel safer filtering through sites like this one than speaking to most medical professionals in your area. Thanks to all of you.
Boil Prevention Tips
Posted by Samantha (Lebanon, PA) on 09/30/2008
★★★★★
I "grew" a horrible boil 2 days ago and was trying many different tricks to rid myself of the absess. I eventually broke down and went to the Dr because of a MRSA outbreak in my office. Fortunately, I don't have MRSA but I do have a very helpful tip from my doc.... When you bathe wash your face last or with a completely separate wash cloth. He stated that the bacteria in your nose causes outbreaks of skin absesses. Dry the same way, face last or separate. He said the amount of Bacteria in your nostrils is a main cause to many issues. Make sure you wash your hands before and after you use the restroom as well. I hope this helps anyone prevent painful boils.
Boil Outbreak Theories
Posted by Ted (Exmore, VA) on 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
Cream of Tartar
Posted by Healingmama (San Diego, Ca) on 06/10/2012
★★★★★
I had my first boil (CA-MRSA) in February of this year. Took doxycycline for 6 weeks. In May I developed another boil, this time in my nose... An undesirable location thanks to its close proximity to the brain. For another 6 weeks I used Bactroban (Mupirocin) cream 3x per day as per doctor's orders. No change in the boil. Finally in desparation I tried hot compresses in my nose combined with this cream of tartar remedy. I started with 1/2 tsp in a glass of warm water but that gave me a wicked headache for 24 hours on the second dose... So I backed off to 1/4 tsp 2x per day. Within 24 hours the boil suddenly came to a head and now, three days later, has opened on its own and is slowly draining away.
I am a true convert to the cream of tartar. I do believe it is at least in part responsible for the sudden and rapid healing from a boil that has plagued me for 6 weeks. Very impressed - plan to use cream of tartar in small doses from now on for maintenance and healing. Thank you!
Colloidal Silver
Posted by GABI (TORONTO, CANADA) on 02/04/2008
★★★★★
Hi. I didn't try turmeric when I was in boils. I use Colloidal Silver Water. Apply a drop or two on top of boil (acne too!). After 1-2 hr it stops hurting, stops "growing". Up to 3 days it subsides to red spot. You can use small hair spry bottle (with very fine mist like spry). If you have acne or boils more then one and you expect more to show up spray it on your skin just once and let it dry. Nothing will break out! I suffered for almost 30 years from something what doctor called "diaper rush" (!). The pic of my "diaper rush" was always during summer months. After using once single spray of Colloidal Silver Water I am free of this skin condition. I will get 1 tiny pimple time to time but who hasn't have it during hot summer days?
Comfrey -- Important Remedy for Staph Infections!
Posted by Lisa Allen (Chandler, AZ) on 12/10/2007
★★★★★
Just thought you might like to hear about another amazing property of comfrey, one that I was surprised to see not mentioned among your cures and treatments for staph infections. Comfrey has been shown to be able to burst the cell walls of varius types of staph bacteria. It only takes about 10 minutes of exposure to a comfrey infusion, used as a compress to start killing staph by causing the cell walls to weaken and fail. I had read about this in an article some 15 years ago, and had the opportunity to pass this on not long afterwards to a friend who's husband was near to losing his leg to a staphlococcus infection. He had diabetes, which made the situation worse. My friend, a lady by the name of Colleen who worked at the local health food store started immediately bathing and wrapping her husband's leg in comfrey tea compresses. The next time I saw her, she told me his leg had healed up in a matter of two weeks, much to their doctor's surprise. With all the drug resistant varieties of staph going around, your readers might want to know about this godsend property of comfrey! Please pass it on!
Apple Cider Vinegar and Baking Soda
Posted by Dawn (Zachry, LA) on 12/06/2007
★★★★★
I found that baking soda and vinegar made into a paste applied to a boil helps draw the infection out
Tomato
Posted by DEBRA (OCALA, FLORIDA) on 09/20/2007
★★★★★
I went on your web site yesterday, i have had boils my whole life, like other people on this website, i was willing to try anything, i ran across using a tomatoe,the person who suggested it got them in the same area (thighs and around that area) i thought what the heck within 1 hour of completing the process with each half, i got a shower and it opened, i thought holy crap it really does work, so for 59 cents you can have relief, thanks again margarita form madrid spain.
Salt
Posted by Tammy (Wellston, OK) on 11/09/2006
★★★★★
Last year I had a spider bite on my inner thigh. At first it was just a small red bump, but then it grew into what looked like a ring worm. A week later it was the size of a tennis ball and the center of it was a infectious white and itchyyyy as poison ivy. I showed it to my family in India via web cam, she knew immediately what to do. Said just wet it, pour table salt on it and let it sit for at least 20 min. After about one minute it began to burn some, nothing unbearable, although i only let it stand for about 5 min as I'm a big baby. It WORKED!! Dried it up in a matter of days. Since then, I have done this remedy for a number different insect bites, even have done on poison ivy and same result. A few days of doing this once at night cleared it. You can literally feel the salt drawing out the poisons.
Baking Soda
Posted by Julie (White Oak, NC) on 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.
Oatmeal
Posted by Jessica (Eustis, FL) on 03/04/2006
★★★★★
When I was 17 I started having trouble with boils and my mother and I tried everything. When nothing seemed to work we called my grandma who told us to mix a paste of oatmeal, add salt and apply directly onto the boil wrap it to keep the poultice in place. When I woke the next morning the boil core was on the poultice not in my leg.
Oatmeal
Posted by Rob (Kentucky) on 06/29/2024
Oatmeal Poultice for Skin Boil
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp steel-cut oatmeal in a small bowl
- 1/8 tsp table salt
- Warm water
Instructions:
- Add the water to your bowl of oatmeal with salt and mix together until you have a thick paste.
- Apply the paste gently to the affected areas.
- Cover with gauze.
- Allow it to dry.
- Repeat til boil is gone.
Nutmeg
Posted by Andre (Johannesburg South Africa) on 02/20/2006
★★★★★
Have used nutmeg, taken orally - about a 1/4 tsp in am & pm. But do you think it will work on cysts - in particular ovarian cysts? My thinking is that if it helps for boils, it should work on a cyst - given that it is like a boil but just internal?
Nutmeg
Posted by mmsg (somewhere, europe) on 07/19/2021
Ronda, could there be something that is causing the boils? A food that your body can't handle?
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Vera (Boca Raton, Fl) on 09/15/2017
★★★★★
A 100% cure for boils.
Apply 27% hydrogen peroxide with a q-tip. Rub into the skin so the skin begins to burn a little, and turns white. Keep doing, even several times a day, until a crust forms. Wait a few days, then poke off the middle of the boil -- there will be a "cone" (like in a volcano) of hardened pus.
Keep applying the peroxide until the whole boil is gone. There will be no scar, and no leftovers causing problems later. Mine was an inch across, I waited too long, and it's taken over a month of treatments. Simple and effective. (Pool stores carry 27% peroxide as "shock".)
Raw Potato, H2O2
Posted by Bebe (Elkhart, In) on 02/08/2016
★★★★★
Raw potato diced up or shredded up, raw only, will pull out the infection, then use hydrogen peroxide to finish pulling out any leftover infection for that week, you will heal, my grandsons boil on his butt was very big and sore I put on the raw shredded up potato into a gauze and taped around the edges so the gauze would breathe, overnight the shredded potato pulled out the core, he felt it hurt at that point, then I checked it the next day and the potato was blackened afterwards, I then proceeded with hydrogen peroxide to keep it cleaned and it healed.
Then my husband had 4 toes on his foot that would not heal, so I did the raw shredded potato again with a big gauze to cover them overnight, then the next day the shredded potatoes in the gauze was black, so I took it off and cleaned with hydrogen peroxide, he healed in two weeks, just keep putting the peroxide on it til it healed up well, the first day I did this the potatoes had pulled out puss and it looked awful, I just cleaned it with the hydrogen peroxide and it healed, every day for two weeks was sufficient.
