Both warts and Verrucas are caused by an infectious virus and are known as verrucas when found on the soles of the feet. Nobody really knows why warts appear and nobody can foretell their disappearance although many people have made a living out of attempting to do so. Even today there are wart charmers still working and, to be fair, most of them have an altruistic attitude about their undoubted gift.

However at one time a pretty penny could be made out of convincing the gullible public that if they rubbed their warts in a piece of rancid meat and thrust it beneath a dung heap the warts would in time disappear – which of course if you chose (but 1 don’t advise it) prick each wart with a new pin which would then be driven into a tree after which the warts would one by one drop off.

A delightful model of Medieval malevolence was the practice of rubbing the warts with a piece of bark or meat which was then wrapped enticingly in a small parcel and dropped conveniently for an unwary traveler to pick up, the intention being that the picked up your warts as well.

Old-fashioned Remedies for WARTS and VERRUCAS

I have to say quite honestly that I do not know whether the following remedies, some of which I have tried, do actually work or whether it was just the passage of time that did the trick. I will leave you to make up your own minds. However it is always a good idea to wear rubber shoes when visiting swimming pools to guard against the possibility of ‘catching’ a verruca.

External ulcers are the result of a small wound or insect bite which refuses to heal. Varicose ulcers are those which open on a varicose vein and I strongly advise against anyone neglecting them – seek a professional opinion.

Ulcers should be kept dry protected. Simple remedies would have included bathing with a herbal lotion such as horsetail, marigold, sage, thyme, rosemary, camomile or red clover, leaving the area to dry and then dressing with comfrey ointment or the more modern alternative of vitamin E oil straight from a capsule. If the ulcerated area is not severe many of the remedies given for Boils may bring relief.

Preventative Measures for EXTERNAL ULCERS

If you are prone to boils take sulphur regularly.

Drink plenty of water and avoid fatty foods, chocolate and stimulants.

Sunshine and a daily swim in unpolluted sea water are the best although not always the most practical solutions. Investigate sensible alternatives.

A three to four day fast on fruit juices will cleanse and purify when you feel your system becoming clogged.

Emergency Measures for EXTERNAL ULCERS

Herpes zoster is the technical name for this skin condition which is though to be related to chicken pox and which appears to be brought on by extreme tiredness, emotional tension and being generally run down. It is an inflammation of the major sensory nerves and therefore confines itself to ‘quarters’ of the body but no description can accurately conjure up the sheer pain and irritation and the debilitating after effects. Shingles is very unpleasant and requires professional must be taken to protect the eyes.

I have to take a somewhat defeatist attitude and say that all one can do about shingles is to try to relieve the discomfort, and to this end I know of many people who have used the services of an acupuncturist as an alternative to the time-honoured aspirin and calamine lotion. Many of the remedies suggested under Anxiety, Nervousness and skin Disorders and Irritations (our health information topic) can be used to bring strength and comfort.

Drink and Diet for SHINGLES

The most useful remedies are those which one might take for nervous disorders – vitamin B complex, a regular bowl of oats, a fruit juice fast, a daily tablespoon each of orange juice and castor oil, and nettle, sage, camomile, valerian or blackberry leaf tea.

Soothing Oils and Waters SHINGLES

The most comforting thing that I can remember using when I had shingles on my face was a cold compress which had been soaked in tincture of hypericum (St John’s wort) and this ws no mystical panacea but a very genuine relief. Infusions of calendula, camomile, horsetail and horehound can also be used to soothe the affected area.

Essential oil of rose in the bath water will bring peace of mind and a hop pillow may help you to sleep.

This not uncommon condition can be identified by scaly, dry blotches most generally on the soft inner side of elbows, knees, crotch and occasionally scalp and forehead. They become rough and red with a silvery soft, scabby appearance. It is often considered to be an indication of poor health and hygiene which at one time had unfortunate connotations.

Fair-skinned people seem to suffer from it more than dark-skimmed and although it looks unpleasant it is not infectious and the victim should not be treated as a pariah. Psoriasis may be caused by using detergents and in some cases it is the result of an allergic reaction.

There was nothing mystical about the old-fashioned treatments for it which still hold good today. A diet of raw foods was recommended including whey milk for breakfast and slippery elm and honey at night.

If the patient was of a nervous disposition either sage tea or golden rod tea were given to calm and strengthen. More up-to –date suggestions might include a vitamin A supplement, cod liver oil or evening primrose oil.

Drinks and Lotions for PSORIASIS

Burdock and Camomile Drink

25g(1oz) each dried burdock seed and dried camomile flowers

600ml(1 pint) water

Honey

Simmer the burdock seed and camomile flowers in the water in a covered pan for 15 minutes. Straub through a clean cloth and sweeten to taste with honey. Keep refrigerated. Take 3 tablespoons four times daily for two weeks. This will also strengthen the body against irritations of the skin, boils, styes and rheumatism.

Although commonly believed to be a reactionary rash caused by nettles, urticaria can actually be the result of an allergy towards almost anything. In its mildest form it is aggravating and irritating but it can be serious if the reaction is violent enough to cause those areas surrounding the lips and eyes to swell and if the soft membranes inside the throat and mouth swell enough to make suffocation imminent.

The most common reaction suffered by the majority of us is that which is caused by a car scratch or insect bite and is instantly identifiable as a red weal which itches. Certain plants inflict the same kind of rash as a nettle sting and strong sunlight can have a similar effect.

Herbal Remedy for NETTLE RASH

Basic Herbal Moisturizer or cream

1 teaspoons grated beeswax

1 teaspoon emulsifying wax

5 teaspoons almond or sunflower oil

4 tablespoon purified water

Place the waxes and oil in a bowl over a pan of simmering water and heat until the waxes are melted. Warm the water and beat it slowly into the oily mixture. Remove from the heat and continue beating until the cream has cooled and emulsified. Pour into clean, dry containers, seal and keep refrigerated.

To this recipe and method you may add any herbal infusion of your own choosing for a specific skin problem. Merely substitute for the purified water a strong herbal infusion. For example 4 tablespoons of a strong infusion of golden rod used instead of water in this recipe will soothe a skin irritated by an allergic reaction.

Quince: The sharp, sweet spiciness of quince combined with hone and lemon has a gratifyingly swift effect on tickly throats, nipping in the bud any further desire to sneeze or cough. Below is an Italian recipe which, using the true quince, has a gloriously pervasive smell.

Quince syrup

350g(12oz) quinces

600ml(1pint) water

Juice of 1 large lemon

Clear honey

Wash the quinces and cut into small pieces without peeling or coring. Put into a stainless steel pan with the water, cover and cook gently until quite soft, adding more water if necessary. Turn the cooked fruit into a clean muslin jelly bag and leave to drain overnight into a china bowl.

The next day measure the juice grained and add an equal quantity of honey. Brining slowly to the boil and continue on a slow bubble until the mixture is very syrupy. Pour into clean dry, warm jars and seal immediately. Take by the spoonful when required. It can also be added to hot water as a night-time toddy.

An abscess is a very severe boil which usually requires professional treatment.

A carbuncle is a many – headed or collection of boils in one place and that place is usually the posterior. The best old-fashioned advice that I can conjure up is to sit in a bowl of hot water into which one of the solutions given for Boils has been stirred. Carbuncles in any other place may be treated as a severe boil and any of those remedies used, especially a thick poultice of slippery elm.

Preventative Measures for CARBUNCLES

If you are prone to boils take sulphur regularly.

Drink plenty of water and avoid fatty foods, chocolate and stimulants.

Sunshine and a daily swim in unpolluted sea water are the best although not always the most practical solutions. Investigate sensible alternatives.

A three to four day fast on fruit juices will cleanse and purify when you feel your system becoming clogged.

Emergency Measures for CARBUNCLES

 
 
 
 
 
Kaolin poultice followed by a dressing of Golden Lion ointment applied on cotton wool and taped into place was the treatment for every type of infected pustule and it did seem to clear them up quickly and without too much agony. However it did not, I suspect, get to the source of the problem.

Unless a boil is caused by an outside infection such as a splinter or picking with dirty fingers it is most probably the result of a poor state of health and can usually be taken as a pretty fair indicator that you need a change of either diet or scene.

If you suffer from boils continuously you should take professional advice. Such advice many years ago would have comprised a blood purifier of black molasses or treacle and flowers of sulphur, hot compresses or ‘cupping’ – a process which it intrigues me to know is still carried out even today.

The theory is that one takes a small-mouthed jar well rinsed in boiling water and, as soon as is feasible without scalding the patient, places the mouth of the jar over the boil then waits for it to cool. Suction does the rest and provided the boil is at a stage ready for treatment the core will come out neatly and without unnecessary pain.

One of the most constantly recommended methods of ‘drawing’ a boil that I have come across is to take the skin of a hard-boiled egg- that is the thin membrane between white and shell – and wrap it over the boil. I am told this never fails to work.

A Madonna lily petal steeped in brandy and used rough side down will draw a boil to a head then when it has satisfactorily dispersed the smooth side should be used to heal it. Onions baked to a pulp and used in a poultice and leek, cabbage and rape treated in the same way or pounded with lard to make a healing unguent were all pressed into service, but I suspect that the problem might not have arisen if plenty of healthy green vegetables and foods rich in minerals and vitamins had been eaten in the first place.

When treating boils absolute cleanliness is essential for both your own sake and that of your patient. Make sure that your hands are well scrubbed in soap and water before and after dealing with it. Always use boiled water and sterile dressings and never, ever squeeze a boil for it is not only potentially dangerous but murderously painful. Hot compresses are the most sensible and safe method of bringing a boil to a head and giving relief from the pain.

There are a great many old-fashioned herbal remedies which I mention below but among the least complex and most satisfactory hot compresses are hot water or hot water and salt. Also recommended for both simplicity and efficacy is a solution of 1 tablespoon of Epson salts and 1 teaspoon each of bicarbonate of soda and boric acid powder in 4 cups of boiling water. Use a soft compress of cotton wool which should be burned of flushed away as soon as it is discarded.

Preventative Measures for BOILS

If you are prone to boils take sulphur regularly.

Drink plenty of water and avoid fatty foods, chocolate and stimulants.

Sunshine and a daily swim in unpolluted sea water are the best although not always the most practical solutions. Investigate sensible alternatives.

A three to four day fast on fruit juices will cleanse and purify when you feel your system becoming clogged.

Emergency Measures for BOILS

Acne is a few or a collection of pimples and pustules which erupt over the face and back and is caused by the sebaceous glands, which are attached to each side of the hair follicle, overproducing diet, allergic reaction and hormonal imbalances occurring mostly during adolescence, and occasionally during the menopause in women and also prior to periods, may create the conditions under which acne will erupt.

Contrary to popular belief greasy, dirty skin and hair do not cause acne but in order to prevent infection it is essential to maintain strict cleanliness externally and internally. Many sources advocate washing with pure soap and water but I believe that it is best to keep the face clean with warm water alone, using a small, slightly abrasive face sponge.

I also believe strongly in the benefits of warm, healing face masks which will soften and cleanse the clogged pores without adding to the problem. It is when acne becomes infected by pressing and picking and thus allowing dirt to infiltrate the vulnerable areas that the major problems arise. Up until that point acne is just one of those aggravations which disappear after a while. I do not think that it is wise to use facial scrubs and peelers, heavy cleansing lotions and strong astringents, nor to try to cover the affected area with masking creams and powder. Fresh water, particularly sea water, fresh air and sunlight will do far more to improve the condition of the skin and so will looking to your diet and that euphemistic ‘inner cleanliness’.

Diet for ACNE

Cut out all fats and eat plenty of good greenstuff. An excellent breakfast time cocktail to be taken daily in times of crisis is a combination of beetroot, celery and tomato juice. When the condition has cleared reduce the dose to twice a week as a preventative. Blackstrap molasses taken daily is another essential as is honey or honey and lemon juice tea at night. Liquorice, either in a tea or as sweets, was the old-fashioned answer to spots and is considerably more palatable than cod liver oil and cold baths.

If you suffer frequently from these frustrating outbreaks try to pinpoint the times when they are most likely to occur and take evasive action beforehand by going on a three-day of grapes and water or fruit juice. However this should only be attempted when you are ‘resting’, otherwise you will become tired and even more stressed. Another preventative tonic to be taken before a period (if this is the time when acne begins to make itself felt) is made by simmering 25g(1oz) of fresh sorrel in 1 litre(1¾ pints) of water for 10 minutes.

Cleansing Lotions and Packs for ACNE

Sulphur Mask

1 teaspoon sulphur powder

2 tablespoons fuller’s earth

1 beaten egg white

Bottled water

Mix the ingredients together using enough bottled water to make a smooth paste, Although this id an efficient deep cleansing mask make an allergy test before using it because some skins may suffer an adverse reaction to sulphur. To do this spread a little of the mixture over the skin on the inside of the elbow. Leave for a few minutes then rinse off and pat dry. Check the skin for any reaction.

Tomato Paste Mask

4 good-sized tomatoes

Finely ground oatmeal

1 teaspoon clear honey

Puree and sieve the tomatoes. Mix the ingredients to make a smooth paste and rub it gently over the skin, concentrating on the worst affected areas. Leave on the skin for 10 minutes then rinse off with warm water. This remedy is more of a preventative for it cleanses and clears blackheads and blocked pores like magic.

Onion Mask

1tablespoon onion juice (extracted in a blender)

1 tablespoon kaolin powder

1 teaspoon clear honey

Mix the ingredients together to form a thick paste and use on blemished, oily skins.

Patches of itching skin for which you can find no identifiable answer may occur on any part of the body and many of the remedies suggested for Measles and Eczema will help. Oral antibiotics often create this problem and the very best antidote is to eat a large amount of plain live yoghurt. A large handful of oats or ground oatmeal thrown into a warm bath will ease all-over itches.

Many skin irritations can be caused by the soap you use so try the alternative of making your own with the herbs and essential oils that suit your skin best.

Herbal Remedy for MINOR IRRITATION

Herbal Soap

1 large block olive or vegetable oil soap

25g(1oz) finely chopped herbs

A few drops of essential oil

1 tablespoon finely ground oatmeal

Grate the soap into a basin and add the remaining ingredients. Heat gently in a bain-marie until they melt and mix well. Line an egg box with waxed paper and pour the soap into each section. It is better, of course, if you have the correct moulds for soap-making but this is a neat alternative.

Two-Way Remedies for MINOR IRRITATIONS

Marigold, sage or camomile: These three healing herbs can either be drunk several times a day to soothe the beleaguered spirit or used as an infusion to bathe the irritated area. Essential oil of camomile diluted in almond oil may be rubbed into the skin to promote healing.

Remedies to Take

Try the famous ‘green cocktail’ but include also some beetroot and parsley.

Burdock and Camomile Drink

25g(1oz) each dried burdock seed and dried camomile flowers

600ml(1 pint) water

Honey

One cause of these eruptions which we all know and love is using a face pack containing yeast. This will ultimately have a five effect but may, within a few hours of applying it, stir up the skin rather too well.

Herbal Remedies for SPOTS

Wheatgerm and Honey Scrub

1 tablespoon wheatgerm

2 teaspoon clear honey

1 teaspoon sunflower oil

1 teaspoon fresh lemon jucie

Mix all the ingredients together to make a thick paste and apply it in small circular rubbing movements to the face and neck. Leave for five minutes then wash off with warm water. Splash with cold before patting dry. Use once or twice a week. In between times avoid soap and wash your face in clear water only.