How to Treat Boils Using Home Remedies
Boils are nasty red, pimple-like knots that are caused by a break in the skin that gets infected. The infection comes from bacteria that sets itself in a hair follicle. Boils can be painful and are most commonly found on the face, scalp, underarms, groin area, buttocks and thighs. However, they can appear anywhere. Boils usually last about two weeks and during that time they grow quickly, fill with nasty pus, and drain.
Instructions
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Boil a ½ cup of water in a pot and add cornmeal to make a paste. Apply the cornmeal paste to the boil and cover with a cloth. Keep applying the cornmeal paste until the boil comes to a head and drains. You should only have to reapply the cornmeal paste every two hours.
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Boil a cup or a jelly jar in a pot of water for a few minutes. Take a pair of tongs to get the cup or jar out so you won’t burn yourself. Let the cup or jar cool just a little bit but not too much or it won’t work. You want the cup or jar to be warm enough so you can use it as a suction over the boil. Using a warm cup or jar as a suction over a boil will bring blood and circulation to the area and help get rid of it faster. Wipe away the pus from the boil once it bursts.
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Roll some bacon in salt and wrap the meat in between two pieces of cloth. Put the cloth on the boil and repeat this until the boil comes to a head and drains. The fat from the bacon and the salt can bring the boil to a head and drain it so it heals faster. Be careful because this can get messy.
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Boil and peel one egg, wet the white part and apply it to the boil. Cover this with a cloth. The whites of the hard-boiled eggs can bring the boil to a head and drain it faster.
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Warm up 1 cup of milk and slowly add 3 tsp. of salt. You don’t want to add the salt too fast because it can make the milk curdle. Simmer the milk and salt for 10 minutes and add flour or bread crumbs to thicken it. Apply this solution to the boil every half hour until the boil comes to a head and bursts. Wipe away any pus that comes out.
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Cut a thick piece of onion and place it on the boil. Put a cloth over the onion and replace the onion and cloth every few hours or until the boil comes to a head and drains. Again, wipe away the pus. The onion has antiseptic chemicals and acts as an irritant to draw blood and heat to the boil.
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Take a ½ tsp. of ground nutmeg and stir it into a hot cup of water and drink it. Nutmeg stimulates circulation, which can fight the infection in the boil.
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Tips & Warnings
Make sure to wash any towel or cloths that came in contact with the boil. If you do not wash them, the boil could come back.
Wash your hands before and after touching the boil so you won't spread it to another part of the body.
Clean your skin with an antiseptic soap to decrease the chances of the boil returning.
Take a shower instead of a bath to keep the boil from spreading to other parts of the body.
Do not squeeze the boil no matter how much you want to. Let it come to a head and drain itself. If you squeeze a boil or break it open you increase the chance of spreading the infection.
Do not use over-the-counter medications to treat the boil. Over-the-counter medications can irritate the boil and cause it to burst open too soon, therefore increasing the chance of the infection spreading and even getting into the blood stream.
If the bacteria from the infected boil gets into the blood stream it can cause blood poisoning.
If you do end up squeezing the boil, even though you shouldn’t, make sure not to squeeze the boil if it is near the lips or nose because the infection can go straight to the brain.
Have your doctor treat the boil if it is really tender or if a child or elderly person has it.
If you have any symptoms like a fever or chills, see a doctor immediately because the infection may have already spread.
Resources
- Photo Credit Peter Galbraith from stock.xchng-http://www.sxc.hu/profile/mwookie
