How to Get Rid of Genital Warts: The Complete Guide
HPV & Genital Warts – An Overview
To put it plainly and simply, genital HPV is a sexually transmitted disease. And although it’s not transmitted by the exchange of bodily fluids during sexual intercourse, it is transmitted through skin to skin contact. And when the warts are in or on your genital area, there’s only a very few ways that it can be transmitted. Hence the reason for it being classified as sexually transmitted disease. There’s also the little fact that the more contact you have with different sexual partners, the more likely it is that you will get genital HPV. In fact, studies conducted over the years have shown that approximately 18-20% of the population suffers from genital warts and that number is growing yearly. Of this twenty percent of people though, only about 4% receive treatment.Treatment
- What are the benefits of the treatment
- How long, on average, will the treatment take
- What’s t he cost of the treatment
- Will a different treatment be better for you
- Do you need immediate treatment or can you wait
- What side effects can you expect from the treatment
- Can you change the treatment if it’s not working
- Can treatments be combined if the need arises
Natural Remedies
Natural remedies lie thick on the ground but not everyone will use these or even know of these to use them. And just as with all other illnesses and medical conditions natural remedies can be used to remove genital warts. Whether or not they will work for you is largely dependant on a number of factors, key amongst is your underlying health, the particular strain of genital HPV you have, and whether you respond favorably to the ingredients used in the remedies. It should also be noted that since different people respond in different ways to medications, your experience with a particular remedy might not be the same as someone else’s response. So first you need to make sure that you’re not allergic to any of the ingredients, and then you need to go through the whole trial and error process of finding the remedy that’s right for you. If you have any doubt as to whether these remedies will work for you, or whether you might be allergic to any of these ingredients, consult your physician immediately. Do not use more than one remedy at a time, or certain remedies alongside prescription medication. Some of the herbs might react badly with the prescription drugs. However, if you do utilize multiple remedies or you mix and match natural and prescription remedies, keep a detailed journal of exactly what you’re using and in what dosages, along with the duration of treatment for each separate treatment. This can help you to keep a track of everything that you’ve tried so far and to find out which ones work for you. And it also serves the purpose of being able to help in the event that you react in an adverse way to your treatments.Vitamin E Oil & Garlic
Apply some Vitamin E oil to the effected areas. Place some chopped raw garlic over it and cover with band aids or adhesive tape. This remedy is best used on any warts on the outer genital areas.Garlic suppository
This is alright to be used incase you have genital warts on the walls of your vagina.Castor Oil
This treatment is only for use on external genital warts and not for those that might be in your body. Rub some castor oil on your warts until it has been absorbed fully. Take little more castor oil and apply onto the wart again. Next you need to cover the wart with a band-aid. Keep doing this until the wart is removed. This can take up to a few weeks to happen, but patience will pay well in this case. You can apply the oil about 3-4 times a day for best benefits.Apple Cider Vinegar
Put a few drops of the Apple cider vinegar onto a cotton ball and apply on the effected areas. If your skin is unusually sensitive dilute the cider vinegar in water.Fig Juice
Try applying the fresh juice of figs on to the affected areas. Do this for about 2-3 times a day until the infection has cleared up.Sour Apple Juice
Apply the juice of sour apples onto the warts. It has been said that the magnesium in the apples helps to remove the warts. Continue until the warts have disappeared.Pineapple
What you need to do, is to soak a piece of cotton wool, or a cotton ear bud in some of the pineapple juice and gently rub it over your warts. You can also apply freshly cut pineapple pieces over the warts. Tape in place with medical tape or band-aids.Banana Peel
This has been said to work for quite a lot of people, and despite the fact that it might sound weird it can be beneficial to you. For some people though this remedy works best on other types of warts like common warts and plantar warts. What you need to do is to take the peel of banana and tape it into place over the wart. Change the banana peel “dressing” every few hours, and continue until the warts have disappeared.Onions
Onions, like garlic, are known to be good for your body and including them in your foods whenever you can is one surefire way to get them into your body. But if you need a quick pick-me-up for your genital warts, you can always try to include them raw, into your diet. And, here’s the bad news if you’re not too fond of onions: you should ideally do this for about at least one month for it to start working. You need to eat a quarter of a raw onion every day, presumably for the rest of your life, or until your partner throws you out for harboring bad breath:)Salt and Onions
Extract juice from a fairly large onion and add salt to it. Apply this juice to the infected area about 1-2 times a day until cleared up. Alternatively you could slice the onions and cover with salt. Let it sit a while and the juice that forms from this is what you need to use.Shitake Mushrooms
Although many mushrooms have medicinal properties it was not until very recently that this was found out and accepted by the West. In Asian countries like China and Japan mushrooms are used on a daily basis as medicinal herbs. For the case of genital warts though, the Shitake mushroom is then one you want to look at. Including this mushroom in your diet has shown to significantly reduce the recurrence of genital warts in may people. Since it is the mushroom body that is used for medicinal purposes, the mushroom can be used in a soup or as a decoction. Both methods will get the mushroom into your system. You also have the option of getting the medicinal qualities of the mushroom into your system through the use of a commercially prepared extract of the mushroom. It is called LEM, and is not a pure extract of the shitake mushroom. The pure extract is available in Japan where it is considered to be a drug. The extract you buy will only be a fraction of the pure form. You should only use about 1-3 grams of it about 2-3 times daily. The usage of high amounts of LEM has been known to induce adverse reactions in people along the lines of diarrhea, so you should only take the recommend amount. You should also be aware that there can be reactions with certain drugs, so it’s best to consult with a physician or an herbalist to find out what these are. Shitake mushroom decoctionUse: 1 large/ 2 medium Shitake Mushrooms 2 – 3 cups of water
Wash the mushroom and place in a pan filled with the water. You can slice the mushroom if you want. Place it on the heat and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes. After it is done, strain the water and drink.Herbal oil
Herbal oil mixture 1Use: 2 oz of vegetable or Castor oil 1/4 tsp of Lavender oil 1/4 tsp Tea Tree Oil
Use: 1/2 oz Castor Oil 1/4 tsp or 20 drops Tea Tree Oil 1/4 tsp or 20 drops Thuja Oil 2 capsules Vitamin E
Mix the Tea Tree and the Thuja oils with the castor oil. Open the two capsules Vitamin E and pour in the powder or oil contained within them. Mix well until all the ingredients have been combined well. Using a cotton ear bud (Q tip) apply the oil mixture onto the warts, making sure not to go onto the surrounding skin as the Thuja oil can be very string and can give a burning sensation. Herbal oil mixture 3 If you have nice sunny weather where you live, then this particular treatment is something that you can try out if you want.Use: 100ml of Castor Oil A handful of fresh Violets
Place the castor oil in a reasonably large-medium sized clear glass jar. Make sure that it has a sealable lid first. Wash the violets lightly to get out any dust and pat dry with a clean tea cloth or kitchen towels, taking care not to crush the flowers. Leave it till the water dries off sufficiently and then add to the jar filled with the castor oil, making sure to get the violets fully into the oil. This is where the weather comes into play as you need to leave the jar in direct sunlight. You should place it in a place that gets optimum sunlight so a windowsill is alright as long as you don’t know it down! Leave the jar in direct sunlight for about 1-2 weeks. After you feel that a sufficient time has passed you can take some of the castor oil and rub onto your warts. Do this about once a day everyday for best results.Herbal suppository
Use: 1 tsp dried Calendula flowers 5 drops tea tree essential oil 1/2 tsp Goldenseal rhizome powder 1 cup water 1 tampon with applicator
Make a decoction of the herbs by placing the Calendula and the Goldenseal in a pan along with the water. Bring it to a boil, and let it simmer for about 3-5 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and leave it aside for about 30 minutes. Once the tea has finished steeping, strain it and add the Tea Tree oil to it. Stir in well. Soak the tampon in the tea and oil mixture, stirring occasionally to mix in the oil properly. Insert this tampon into the vagina using the applicator. Without an applicator it becomes more difficult to insert as the tampon would have expanded.Thuja suppository
Use: 30 drops of Thuja 1:2 Tincture 1/2 cup of water 1 tampon with applicator
Combine the thuja tincture and the water. Soak the tampon in the mixture and insert into the vagina using the applicator. Without the applicator this might be a bit difficult as the tampon will have expanded with the tincture.Thuja Oil
Use: 20 – 30 drops of Thuja Oil 1 oz Olive Oil
Combine the two oils, mixing very well. Apply the oil mixture to the affected areas at two to three times a day until the warts have disappeared. Use this oil only on the affected outer areas, as the thuja oil might still be too harsh to use on the vagina or the anus.Herbal Tea Soak
This is known as a genital soak and is especially good and easy to use for male genital wart infections.Use: 1 tsp Yarrow 1 tsp Goldenseal 1 tsp Lavender 2 cups of boiling water
Place the herbs in a glass and pour the boiling water over them. Close and leave to steep for about 15-20 minutes. When it is sufficiently cool you can pour it into a suitable glass or container and soak the genital area afflicted for about 5-10 minutes. Continue this daily until the warts disappear.Herbal Teas
In this section I have included a number of herbal teas which are good for you and which promote overall good health. Quite a few of them in fact, are stress relievers and if used on a regular basis can boost up your immune system and flagging spirits. There is no one particular tea that is said to be good for curing genital warts, although a few of them do aid in it. Green tea for instance is one which has had good results with just about everything, genital warts included.Green Tea
Green tea has been known to have some very good medicinal benefits and this is no less true in the case of warts. Although it might not remove the warts completely on its own, it can help whatever other treatment you might be taking. Being popular as it is these days for its soothing and relaxing properties green tea can now be found alongside our normal black tea on the shelves of the grocery store. These however, for the most part are consisting of green tea in teabags. And although there’s nothing wrong with that, you can do much better for yourself by buying loose leafed green tea which is readily available in naturalist or herbalist stores. If you can stand to do so, substitute your normal tea or coffee routines with green tea. Or you can have about 3-4 cups of green tea per day, in addition to your normal coffee or tea breaks. Within about two to three weeks after having a steady regime of green tea, you can see the difference in your outlook and health. Of course, it works much better if you can cut out the caffeine laden normal teas and coffee! Green tea RecipeUse: a small pinch of loose leafed Green Tea 1 cup of boiling Water
You can use a teapot if you feel it necessary, but otherwise just place the pinch of green tea into the water and allow it to steep for about 10 minutes. Strain the tea if the leaves haven’t settled in the bottom of the cup and drink. Don’t let it cool too much as this tea is best drunk while it retains most of its warmth. Alternatively If you’re using a normal teabag for your green tea, place the teabag in a cup or mug of boiling water and leave it to steep. Since there is more than a pinch of green tea in the tea bag you don’t need to leave it for that long, only until you gain the desired strength of your preference. Since there is really more in a green teabag than is suitable for a single cup, a friend of mine uses it instead for one pot of tea. The strength comes out at just about right, and the teabag is fully utilized. Green tea band-aid The tea bag can also be cooled and placed on your warts as well. Remember though not to let it come into contact with any part of you after you have placed it on the wart. You can even do the same with the loose leafed tea. All you need to do is to place the steeped tea leaves on a small piece of muslin or gauze and make a small disposable tea bag. Use in the same manner as the commercial teabag and place on your warts.Elderberry Tea
You can drink this tea, and also place a teabag of the steeped tea on the wart. Again here you can either get the readymade teabags from naturalist stores or you can use loose herbs to make your tea, and then muslin-wrap the tea bag.Use: 1 tsp Elderberry (preferably loose or in teabag form) 1 cup boiling water
Place the Elderberry into the boiling water and allow it to steep. !0-15 minutes should be enough, although a lot depends on your preference here. Use the discarded tea on your warts if you so desire, making sure to dispose of the teabag immediately in a safe manner so as not to pass on the infection.Ginger Tea
Ginger Tea 1Use: 1 inch piece of dried Ginger Root peeled and crushed (or 1 tsp powdered ginger) 1 tsp loose leafed black Tea Leaves or a normal teabag 1 cup boiling Water Sugar or Honey
Place the tea leaves (or teabag), and the crushed or powdered ginger in a teapot, pour in the boiling water and allow the tea to steep for 3-4 minutes before straining. If needed add sugar or honey to taste before drinking. Ginger Tea 2Use: 1 tsp grated Ginger root 8 oz boiling Water
Place the grated Ginger root in the boiling water and leave to steep for about 10 minutes. Leave to cool for a bit, strain, add sugar or honey for taste and drink.Lemon Balm Tea
Use: 1 tsp of dried or fresh Lemon Balm 1 cup water
Boil the water and add to the Lemon Balm. Allow it to steep for a few minutes before straining and drinking.Linden Tea
Use: 1-2 tsp of dried or fresh Linden 1 cup boiling water
Add the Linden to the water and allow it to steep for 15-20 minutes before straining the tea and drinking. This tea should be drunk hot to get the maximum benefits.Oatstraw Tea
Use: 1 tbsp of dried Oatstraw 1 cup of boiling water
Add the Oatstraw to the boiling water and allow it to steep between 5-10 minutes before straining and drinking.Herbal Decoction
Use: 2 tsp Vitex Berries 1 tsp Burdock Root 1 tsp False Indigo Root 1/2 tsp Echinacea Root 1/2 tsp Calendula Flowers 5 cups water
Place the herbs and the water in an uncovered pan and place over heat. Bring to a boil, the lower heat and simmer for about 5-7minutes. Remove from the heat, and cover, letting it steep for about 15-20 minutes. Strain and drink.Kava Kava Espresso
To quickly relieve stress Kava Kava can be used in an espresso form. This uses very little water so the mixture can be very potent.Use: 1 tbsp powdered Kava Kava 1/4 tsp lemonade mix (of your choice) 1/3 cup water
Place the powdered Kava Kava into a cup along with the lemonade mix, add the water and stir well. This can be drunk immediately or after it has cooled a while.St John’s Wort
Use: 2 tsp of dried St John’s Wort 1 cup boiling water
Mix the St. John’s Wort herb with the boiling water and allowing it to steep for about 10 minutes. Add a little sugar or honey after straining to improve its flavor.Herbal tincture
Use: 1 oz Goldenseal root tincture 1 oz Pau D’arco bark tincture 1 oz Echinacea root tincture
Mix the Goldenseal, Echinacea, and Pau D’arco tinctures together and take about 1ml of this mixture about 4-5 times a day. Continue until the warts infection has cleared up.A few Herbs
The herbs that I’ve mentioned here are all good in one way or another for shoring up flagging immune systems, relieving stress and ridding the body of viral infections. The herbs mentioned should be used in a proper manner and according to any directions that an herbalist will or which will be on any labeling included with the herbs.- Aloe Vera – It has healing and soothing properties which are good for curing many ailments, genital warts included.
- Astragalus – This herb boosts the immune system
- Bloodroot
- Buckthorn
- Cabbage – Use the juice from a white cabbage to apply on the wats
- Calendula
- Cayenne Extract – this can be applied to the warts
- Chaparral
- Chickweed – Apply the juice of the fresh chickweed to the warts
- Dandelion Juice – The juice of dandelions when applied to warts has been known to aid in their disappearance. This is an old English cure
- Echinacea – This herb grows in the mid west United States and is also known as the Coneflower. It’s good in the fight against allergies and boosts the immune system
- Garlic – This is one of nature’s wonder drugs and something that was highly underrated by a great many people in the western world until very recently. It has anti-viral properties, anti-bacterial properties and fights fungus infections as well. Added to all that it also boosts the immune system and helps to promote white blood cells to fight infections
- Greater Celandine – The fresh herb is crushed to get the milky juice from it which is then applied to the wart. For genital warts, only the warts which are visible or on the outer part of the genital area should be treated with this herbal juice
- Green Figs – The juice of the figs can be applied to the warts
- Goldenseal – This herb can be used as a supplementary wash for genital warts. Goldenseal is traditionally an anti-viral, and anti-biotic herb
- Houseleek – has been known to destroy warts. The juice of this herb should be applied
- Lemon – has antiseptic properties to it.
- Lomatium
- Mandrake Tea – Can be applied to the warts to help remove them
- Mayapple
- Mullein
- Papaya
- Pau D’arco – Should be used diluted for genital warts. This herb is found in Central and South America and is considered by many herbalists to be a powerful anti-viral, ad in some instances an herb that can help in the fight against cancer, although there is no solid proof about this. It also helps to boost the immune system
- Red Clover
- Rubber Plant – The white juice obtainable from the stem of a rubber leaf should be applied to the warts for a few days
- Tea Tree oil – tea tree oil is used for many things, and it is considered to be an anti-viral and anti-bacterial herb
- Thuja – Thuja especially is supposed to be good in the fight against genital warts. This herb should not be used undiluted however as it is very strong and can be an irritant to sensitive skin.
- Vitex – is known to balance hormones. For that reason many women tend to use it. The berries come from a tree found growing in the Mediterranean
- Wintergreen
Vitamins
With the necessary Vitamins and Minerals included into your diet, the chances for keeping the HPV infection in its place, rises. If you wanted to you could always take the necessary vitamins and minerals in supplement form, but I always prefer to get my nutrients in natural form. The benefits far outweigh those to be had from getting your nutrients in supplemental form, besides which there’s no denying that fresh foods always taste fantastic. What I’ve done below is give a list of foods which contain the vitamins or the minerals which I’ve mentioned. Vitamin A Milk, Cheese, Broccoli, Carrots, Tomato Juice, Pumpkin, Butternut Squash, Mango, Sweet Potatoes, Liver, Butter, Papaya, Cod liver oil Vitamin B complex Spinach, Soy milk, Tomato juice, Watermelon, Mushrooms, Broccoli Clams, Oysters, Shrimp, Fish Green Peas, Pork, Chicken Bananas, Potatoes, White Rice, Eggs, Wheat-germ, Milk Vitamin C Spinach, Tomato juice, Broccoli Oranges, Grapefruit, Kiwi, Mango, Strawberries, Lime, Lemon, Melon, Guava, Green Peppers, Lettuce, Chilies Vitamin E Cod, Shrimp, Cod liver oil, Corn oil, Canola oil, Soybean oil, Avocado, Wheat germ, Sunflower Seeds, Tofu, Coconut, Soybean, PeanutsMinerals
Zinc Zinc taken orally can help in reducing warts, although this treatment is best done under the supervision of a medical practitioner due to the fact that more than average amounts of Zinc are needed for proper dosage. Do not take this zinc treatment without medical supervision as, taken in the wrong amounts it a potentially toxic treatment. The zinc treatment is normally taken orally in the form of zinc sulfate. Due to the nature of zinc though, there could be side effects which you should be aware about. These can include stomach pains, nausea, and vomiting. Zinc in foods Spinach, Lentils, Green Beans Broccoli, Green Peas, Tomato Juice, Oysters, Crab, Shrimp, Yogurt (plain) Ricotta cheese, Swiss cheese, Lean ground Beef, Turkey Lactobacillus Acidpophilus Lactobacillus acidophilus is found naturally in yogurt and including this in your dietary habits can work wonders for you.Eat the right Foods
Eating the right foods is one of the best ways to stay healthy and it’s also one of the easiest if we can only give it a fair chance. Unfortunately for us, these days, it’s all about fast and frozen meals. Nutrition has gone out the window and instead speed and ease-of-use has taken its place. If you want to live a healthy lifestyle not only should you eat the foods which I’ve mentioned above but you should also include as many leafy green vegetables as possible. One of the best methods to stay wart-free is to eat well. A healthy, well balanced diet can do wonders for you, your immune system and your overall health. It can reduce the toxins which are even now plaguing your body and weakening your system. Also, a well balanced meal can shore up tired and flagging bodies and help your immune system to fight the good fight as it were. The same applies to alcohol. The less you have the better you will feel. Alcohol in small quantities is definitely better for you than in large quantities, besides which, a steady use of both cigarettes and alcohol has also been linked to the development of genital warts. And if you really want to go the whole hog, you might want to throw in a pinch of exercise into the broth as well. Coupled with other healthy living habits that you can incorporate into your new improved lifestyle, exercise can also help you maintain a (hopefully) wart-free life.White Chalk
White chalk is really an odd remedy, and I have to confess that I didn’t know what to do with it or where to put it in the book. That’s how it ended up here! I also have to confess that I haven’t tried this remedy out for myself, but I have been assured that it works. If in doubt you could always ask your physician but don’t be surprised if they laugh you out of the office. What you’re supposed to do is very simple really and all you need is a piece of white chalk, the variety that’s normally found in the hands of school teachers the world over. Rub the white chalk over the wart, gently as you might be sensitive around the genital area. In fact I would suggest using this remedy only on the warts which are found in hardier places like the thighs. You should do this at least once a day until the wart is removed. The chalk is supposed to make the wart dry up, which is why it should then, ideally, fall off.Alternative Treatments
These alternative treatments are just that, and although not something that has gained the seal of approval of any of the western medical communities, they do work. You just need a healthy dose of belief in the fact that it will work, and a good practitioner.Acupuncture
In this method of healing bodily ailments, thin needles are placed on certain points on the body corresponding to meridian or pressure points. These in turn will help to unblock whatever energy flows or “Chi” flows have been causing the problem. The immune system is given a boost and promoted along with the general health of the patient.Acupressure
Acupressure is another form of acupuncture. With acupressure though, needles aren’t utilized in the treatment method. Instead Pressure is applied to the same meridians and pressure points which are used in acupuncture. There are just as many healing benefits with acupressure as there is with acupuncture. And if you can’t stand the sight of needles let alone be able to contemplate having them tapped into your skin, then acupressure might be one alternative treatment you want to look into.Aromatherapy
With this treatment method aromatherapy oils, or essential oils, are used to aid in the recovery of a patient. The oils can be used in massages, oil burners, in baths, or as topical treatments when diluted with another agent. Essential oils should never be ingested (barring a very few) as they are most of them toxic to the system. Oils such as Tea Tree, Thuja, Onion, and garlic would be particularly apt in the case of genital warts, and should be used accordingly.Heat Pad
In some therapies used for wart removal, a heat pad is utilized to help remove the wart. Of course due to the delicate nature of the genital area and the fact that some warts may not be accessible the heat pad isn’t always used.Hypnosis
Hypnosis is another popular method used for wart removal by quite a few people. Although it’s not been documented exactly how hypnosis works in the aid of wart removal studies have shown that people who undergo hypnosis have a greater reduction in warts than might otherwise be.