Home Remedies for Boils

Boils happen when bacteria gets through a tiny break in the skin and infects a blocked oil gland or hair follicle. Boils are painful and ugly but are mostly harmless. They appear on the face, scalp, thighs, groin and buttocks. One day you can have a tiny red spot or pimple on your underarm and the next day it can turn into a big, swollen, ugly and painful boil filled with pus. Thankfully there are home remedies to treat boils.

Home Remedies for Boils: Cornmeal

The early Indians have created the home remedy of cornmeal to help treat and get rid of boils. You will want to make a paste out of a water and cornmeal mixture. Bring a ½ cup of water to a boil in a pan and add cornmeal to make a thick paste. Add more cornmeal or water to make it more or less thick as you desire. Apply the cornmeal paste to the boil and cover this with a cloth. Repeat this every couple of hours until the boil comes to a head and drains.

Home Remedies for Boils: Jelly Jar or Cup

Using a jelly jar or cup as a suction over the boil is a good home remedy to treat boils. Boil the cup or jelly jar in water for a few minutes. Use tongs to take the cup or jelly jar out and let it cool for a few minutes. Don't let it cool to long because it won't work if it is not hot enough. You don't want it too hot to where it burns you either. Just let it cool down for a few minutes and place it over the boil. As the cup or jelly jar cools over the boil it will bring blood and circulation to the area. Then just blot it with a cloth and wash the pus away.

Home Remedies for Boils: Bacon

The fat and salt content of pork are believed to bring boils to a head. Roll a few pieces of pork bacon through salt and place it between a cloth. Place the cloth on the boil and repeat throughout the day until the boil comes to a head and drains. Be careful because this can be messy.

Home Remedies for Boils: Eggs

Use the whites of an egg to treat a boil. Boil and peel an egg and wet the whites. Apply the wet whites right to the boil to get it to come to a head. This home remedy was used in the early nineteenth century to treat a boil.

Home Remedies for Boils: Milk

Heat a cup of milk and slowly add salt to it. If you add the salt too fast it could cause the milk to curdle. Simmer this salt and milk mixture for ten minutes and then add flour or breadcrumbs to thicken it up. Divide this mixture into four different poultices and add one to the boil every half hour to treat it.

Home Remedies for Boils: Onion

Cut a thick slice of onion and place it over the boil. Wrap this with a cloth and change every few hours until the boil comes to a head and drains. Onions have antiseptic properties and acts as an irritant to draw blood and heat to the boil allowing it to come to a head.

Home Remedies for Boils: Nutmeg

Stir a ½ teaspoon of nutmeg into a cup of warm water and drink it. Nutmeg increases circulation in the body which can fight off the bacteria from the boil.

The Do's and Don'ts When it Comes to Boils

Don't squeeze and pop a boil even if you are tempted to. If you do this you can risk the infection spreading to other places on your body.

Make sure you wash anything that touches the boil to prevent infection from spreading elsewhere. This includes, hands, compresses, towels, or clothes.

Don't use over-the-counter boil treatments because they can cause the boil to burst prematurely and spread the infection to other places of the body.

By using these simple home remedies you can use things right from your kitchen cupboards and refrigerator to help treat boils.

Sources:

Home Remedies for Boils

The Doctors Book of Home Remedies