Top Remedies Summary
Things to consider eliminating from your diet:
Wheat / flour / gluten / dairy / caffeine / cigarettes
Daily:
3 times a day:
Turmeric mixture (the fat is important for absorpotion, as it water temperature)
1 tsp of turmeric; 1/16 of a tsp of black pepper; 1/2 to 1 tsp of coconut oil in 8 oz hot soup; broth or water (when an infection is severe it must be taken 4 times a day and it does miracles in two to three days)
Also:
Apple Cider vinegar - 2 tea-spoon full in glass of water (sip slowly throughout the day - also good for weight loss)
Omega Oils - Follow dose
Burdock Root (tablets) - Follow dose
Once a day
Bring 1 tsp of black onion seeds to a boil in one glass of water keep it boiling until the white part of the seed shows, let cool off and drink it
Topical: Tea tree oil, Epsom bath salts, Witch Hazel, Iodine, antibacterial soap (bar not liquid)
Less common Suggestions:
- Bacitracin Ointment to be taken up / in the nose twice a day
- Bee Propolis (a wood supplement)
Note: Make sure you get a bacterial swab to ensure it is HS and not MRSA as there are similar symptoms
Acne Soap
★★★★☆
I live in the tropics where the virus swept through last summer causing thousands of people to become ill.
This started September 2014, and has caused me terrible joint pain, styes, skin rash, and the boils. I bought some tea tree oil soap which has helped a lot, I bathe with it, rinse and dry thoroughly, then rub soap on the boils and dab on talc. They seem to be going now, still hard lumps but no pus. I also drink a tea made with fresh grated ginger and turmeric, you can use dried powder, cinnamon, honey and lime juice plus hot water. I have taken 4 types of antibiotics which did nothing, doctors seem disinterested and have offered no advice or medication. There is no cure or treatment for chikungunya virus, only painkillers, the effects can last for years, I had never heard of HS until I started researching the cause of boils/lesions in the armpit area. Hope there is a treatment soon for all the people suffering from HS.
Acne Soap
★★★★★
(Ca)
02/13/2021
(Ohio)
04/03/2022
Hi, I think she is on to something here because I too thought my HS flare up were just acne. I get them in my groin area. I put Proactiv Face mask on the bumps before they get big and it calms them down and sometimes they dont ever drain, they will just go away. I put it on at night. Depending where the bump is you can apply Proactiv face mask during the day too. I tried this on a bump that rubbed my leg when I walked and it ended up making it worse because of the friction. So I applied EMUaid during the day and proactiv face mask at night.
Adrenal Gland Flush
★★★★☆
I'd like to add, the ladies at my local health food store recommended an adrenaline gland flush, I used a capsule form, every two weeks. It was amazing. Since HS only happens in the skin near these glands, there is some kind between the two.
All natural, no bad side effects, except for... Ladies, um, overproduction of vaginal moisture which, let's be honest, isn't the worst thing in the world.
I'm on a mission to find a cure, but in the meantime... Let's stick together and help each other suffer less.
There is so little research on this, and many dermatologists are stumped, because it does not behave like a skin condition. This is why I strongly feel that the skin is just a symptom, and rather HS is actually a SYSTEMIC condition.
With that, I just want to add that though it may seem like pressure would be relieved if you try to manually open the bump or boil... this does not help, it actually makes it worse, by allowing foreign bacteria into the sight, causing for a prolonged infection.
Good luck everyone!
(Ca)
09/04/2020
Hi there,
Thanks for this post! I always attempt a natural cure before anything else and believe skin issues arise from a root cause from within. Interesting about the adrenals! Would you mind linking the capsule you tried?
Antibacterial Soap, Iodine
★★★★★
I figured after that the iodine would kill any bacteria waiting to get in. That's what surgeons swab you with before they make their incision. Lot of people are allergic to it though and I'm not sure what the alternative would be if you are allergic. If it stops working, I will come back and let everyone know, but so far it's worked for about a month now. I hope it brings relief to others like it has for me. If you're allergic to iodine, google search to see what the alternative to iodine is. I'm sure you'll find it somewhere on the internet.
(Milwaukee, Usa)
04/14/2010
★★★★★
This works for me too, I'm just coming off of one of the worst breakout's in years. I'm sick of dermatologists saying part of it is being over weight, i recently gained about 30 pounds due to my thyroid and menopause. I asked this last dermatologist, why have i had this for years, when i was rail thin ??? and i just lost 10 pounds !!!!
All the stuff i've been on over the years and it came down to the strongest anti bacterial soap i could find, good exfoliation, Iodone and making my grandmothers oatmeal pack, i just did this and the next day the "bumps" were flat and the inflammation was gone. get a large container of plain oatmeal, baking soda and sea salt. and generous amounts, boil like you would to eat it,put the salt and baking soda in so it boils, add oatmeal, cook until you can't see the water anymore then mash with a potato masher.apply when temperature is comfortable to you, leave on for 20 - 30 minutes. use an old sheet to lie on, remove with an old bath towel then rinse off. this works even better if you take a baking soda bath first or wash area with hot water and baking soda. you can save the remaning oat meal and just reheat it. then apply your iodine.
(South Africa)
01/31/2017
Hi Karen,
Just a tip for the BO. I also suffer from it. I wash my armpits thoroughly in the morning, dry them and then apply apple cider vinegar to the entire arm pit. Once it dries the odor of the vinegar disappears. Then I use my deo over that. I only discovered this at the age of 37 and have been wearing sleeveless clothing all my life until now. I can finally wear cute t-shirts :-)
As for the HS, my daughter started with it very recently. We have been to see a homeopath. She has advised to cut out gluten as the issue stems from a leaky gut. She has given us two homeopathic remedies as well as Lymphomyosot (manufactured by Heel). We are also dosing her with Zinc, Turmeric and Tissue Salts (nr 12 - Silicea).
Apparently stress and holding in feelings of hurt in the past has also contributed to the condition.
I'm hoping this all clears up and that we can heal her system.
Antibacterial Soap, Turmeric
★★★★☆
Antibacterial Soap, Turmeric
★★★★★
Antibacterial Soap, Weight Loss
(The Beach, Canada)
02/13/2011
While I'm sure weight can be a contribiting factor, I have had HS since puberty and have no weight issue, but my father had HS all his life too.
Antibiotic Ointment in the Nose
★★★★★
(Palm Desert, Ca)
09/13/2015
Hi, I wanted to tell you my remedy for HS. I did use the bacitracin up my nose, still do every evening, sometimes during the day just to keep it moist. I noticed prior to my first ever HS (June 2015) this year (I'm 55) that I had a pimple like sensitivity in the tip of my nose; inside; I thought I had a pimple. I got this sensitivity twice, prior to my eruption under my right arm pit. Since I read the post about it being a strep, which makes so much sense, I stopped shaving at all, (I was afraid it could come from the metal of the razor).
I started taking Turmeric 450 mg 3x a day (Costco brand with olive leaf) I also DO NOT use deodorant anymore. What I do is have a bowl of Baking Soda and pat it under my arm, let the excess fall into the sink, and Voila, no odor ever! I also cut out night shades (peppers, mushrooms, eggplant), I was eating a red, or yellow, pepper almost every other night in a salad. I stopped. No tomato sauce, or spices like paprika, or Spike, or even seasoned foods like Orange Chicken.
I had cut out milk products 3 months earlier only because I didn't want to have the fat hormones that accompany milk products. No cheese. You must be vigilant. We must first look at our diets.
The first HS I had, the doctor cut and packed it - never again. I screamed so bad he lost 5 patients that day. That one healed, still red though and I shaved to test it, and 3 more erupted. Back to doctor for antibiotics 2nd time in 2 months. (I hadn't taken antibiotics for over 20 years). These I did not have the doctor touch. But he said I may have to have that surgery. In my mind I said NO WAY. The surgeries have not stopped HS from what I read. I followed my routine above and have not had another. It has made me look at food, my shower, razors, my gut, my stress. Hey any of you have mold in your shower? Strep is all around us, however when your immune system is compromised, or taxed we can't fight this off. I hope this information helps someone!
(Palm Desert)
09/24/2015
By the way, I did have a cerec crown put on a tooth almost 9 months ago (I don't recommend the cerec it has only been a problem if you need a crown do it the old fashioned way). My bite has never been the same, and the tooth is still sensitive. I do believe this could be a or the initial cause of my HS problem. I still have to have a root canal now since the tooth has never been right. Perhaps our HS problems are staph due to dental work that invades our body. Toxins have to come out and it's through our lymph nodes. Its a common denominator worth looking at.
Antibiotics
★★★★☆
From my experience... drinking alcohol makes things bad, as the alcohol in my system pushes the doxycycline out of my system and the disease comes back for 24 hours or so with a vengeance. I've also had success putting the hibiclens on troubled areas with a cotton ball during flare ups (don't wash off and re-apply when you feel the itch coming back), which somehow helps to prevent things from getting worse and spreading.
What brings me back to the online community after years of control is that my new insurance won't pay much for the doxycycline, making the drug $70 a month... I reluctantly paid for one more month of meds and received word today that I'm going to be switched over to Cephalexin going forward. Has anyone had success with docycycline and then made the switch over to cephalexin? I should mention that I've been on the doxy daily for going on 3 to 4 years now. However, I've been reading that the cephalexin cannot be taken daily due to its strength... I'd be very grateful for any feedback. Good luck everyone, here's to hoping that modern science and medicine will someday soon figure out a cure to this life-altering disease, which is surprisingly affecting a large part of the worlds population.
On that note, I also hope my experience will help someone out there who is struggling to find answers.
(Ma)
03/07/2016
I was recently diagnosed, after 10 years, with HS and was somewhat relieved that their was a name for what I've been dealing with. I have been on & off cephalaxen (keflex) for about 10 years. Had several expressed and have been hospitalized twice. The keflex was the only antibiotic that seemed to work. After being on it consistently for 2+ years I was concerned about what that was doing to my body on a daily basis. Now I tend to go on it as needed. Ironically I just had the worst issue in my left armpit last Monday & needed Iv antibiotics for the past several days. Today I graduated to keflex 4x/ day for 7 days. Easier to manage as a wife and working mom. Two months ago I started with accutane for cystic acne along my jawline. While the drug came with many concerns and hoops to jump through my skin has never looked better! Then, this lump appeared last week & was so painful!! I've been online searching for ANY info that can help me not be in this situation again! I hope this helps you and others & keflex is helpful for you as well!
Antifungal Cream
★★★★☆
Antioxidants, Vegetarian Diet, Herbs
★★★★★
Apple Cider Vinegar
| 5 star (1) | 50% | |
 (1) |
50% |
★★★★★
All you need to do is to apply apple vinegar using cotton to your affected area. Leave it there all night long . Do this for 1 week and you will start to see the results.
It is so simple but really effective.
Apple Cider Vinegar
I had a recent outbreak in my genital area (bikini line) from my HS. I was successful in bringing the boil to a head by covering it with a cloth soaked in ACV and it broke the skin on its own (I did not punture or squeeze out the infection/pus). However, after the skin broke and it appeared to have healed over, the boil returned. Again I did the ACV-soaked cloth and it erupted. But this time it left an open sore or "hole" where it initially broke the skin. Now there is a stinging feeling and it seeps a little with yellow pus and slight blood. I am concerned the hole will not heal or close and that it is still leaking slightly and the pain/stingin is off and on. Please help!! The only thing that seems to put my mind at ease is cleaning the area with hydrogen peroxide and covering the area with sterile gauze. What else should I be doing???
(Tennessee, Usa)
11/05/2013
Dear Eliza,
I would try a charcoal poultice over the area. It should help with the pain and also draw out any lingering infection, as well as helping the skin to heal. You will find, "How to Make a Charcoal Poultice" in the index of the Activated Charcoal page her at Earth Clinic. You can use one poultice for overnight and change it a few times during the day.
You can also take turmeric internally. 1 teaspoon twice a day. You can mix it into milk (dairy, almond, rice etc.) or take 4 capsules.
I hope you find relief soon. Please keep us posted on your progress!
~Mama to Many~
(Somewhere, Europe)
11/05/2013
Eliza, read up on turmeric for boils.
(Rusteburg, South Africa)
11/06/2013
Hi Eliza, Grind epsom salts fine in a coffee grinder then add glycerine so that it is a paste & put the paste on the hole, it might burn a bit but it draws the junk out.
(Northland, New Zealand)
11/07/2013
The extra vigin coconut oil, has been a great stopper for boils.The one that had started to develop just turned into a zit after about five days of application.The stuff just slowly goes into the whole area and kills the bug...well worth a try! .I use it to stop jock rash by applying it once every other day.
(Bahrain)
05/12/2015
Put manuka honey UMF 20+ and cover it with an aloe vera antiseptic band aid..
Apple Cider Vinegar and Baking Soda
★★★★☆
