Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Things You’ll Need:
- Fresh parsley
- Cloth to use as a compress or poultice
- Distilled water
- Bandages
- Antiseptic or antibacterial cream
- Rolling pin or mortar and pestle
Step1
Determine if the skin lesion is a boil, as opposed to another type of wound or infection. Boils are characterized by a hard, crusty head, which is actually created from dead skin cells. The head covers a pus-filled abscess that is typically yellowish.
Step2
Buy fresh parsley from your local supermarket, as opposed to dried parsley flakes, which do not contain the same antiseptic properties.
Step3
Crush the parsley, using a rolling pin or a mortar and pestle. You can add a small amount of distilled water for consistency and to bring out the juices.
Step4
Apply a handful of the crushed parsley directly to the boil. Press the parsley into the affected area without causing too much pain. Wrap a cloth around the affected area to hold the parsley in place.
Step5
Keep the parsley compress on the boil for 15 minutes. Check to see if the head of the boil has softened to the point where it can be safely removed. If the head is still too hard and cannot be removed without a significant amount of pain, apply the compress at 15-minute intervals until it softens.
Step6
Use a clean dry washcloth and plenty of warm water to remove the head of the boil and to clean out the abscess. Apply some antiseptic ointment or anti-bacterial cream to speed the healing.
Step7
Keep the boil covered with a bandage until it has completely healed. Change the dressing at least twice a day.
Step8
Consult a physician if the boil does not completely heal with 10 days, or if the boil worsens or spreads. Chronic boils can be symptomatic of a serious medical condition, such as diabetes, immune system disorders or a severe vitamin A and E deficiency.
