Studied Homeopathic Remedies

  • A Combination Treatment of Oral Antimonium crudum plus Topical Thuja and Nitric acidum
  • Antimonium crudum
  • Calcarea carbonica
  • Nitric acidum
  • Thuja occidentalis
  • Natrum muriaticum
  • Sepia
  • Staphysagria
  • Sulphur
  • Causticum

Warts are benign tumors on the skin caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV). Although they are not dangerous, warts can be uncomfortable and unsightly.

Scientific Evaluations of Homeopathic Remedies for Warts

While the list of classical homeopathic treatments for warts is rather long, there is as yet no real evidence that any of them are effective.

One large, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 174 participants tested a fixed homeopathic treatment plan for plantar warts (warts on the soles of the feet).1 The trial involved a 6-week course of treatment consisting of one tube of Thuja 30c weekly, five pellets of Antimonium crudum 7c daily, and one tube of Nitric acidum 7c daily. The results of this complex protocol were not encouraging: at the end of the treatment period and the post-treatment follow-up, homeopathic treatment of plantar warts had not proved itself any more effective than placebo.

Another double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with a negative outcome enrolled 70 children with warts on the backs of their hands.2 These children were assessed according to classical homeopathy for assignment to one of 10 preselected remedies. Each participant was then randomly treated with either the remedy indicated by the assessment, or placebo. Once more, the results were disappointing.

 

Traditional Homeopathic Treatments for Warts

In classical homeopathy, there are many possible homeopathic treatments for warts, to be chosen based on various specific details of the person seeking treatment.

People who can be described as romantic, gluttonous, sleepy, weary, peevish, and sulky and who have horny warts on the hands and feet or flat warts fit the symptom picture for Antimonium crudum.

Those who have cold hands, feet, knees, and head; whose hands are clammy; and who sweat on the top of the head at night, fit the picture for Calcarea carbonica. It is often used for babies and children.

Practitioners use Nitric acidum to treat large jagged warts that bleed when washed and Thuja occidentalis to treat warts that are large, seedy, and pedunculated (meaning they have a stalk at the base).

If you are a responsible, reserved person with hot, moist palms but skin that is drying and cracking around the nail beds; who does not like direct prolonged exposure to the sun; who suffers from headaches; and who has skin conditions, like warts or other skin conditions, like fever blisters or eczema, Natrum muriaticum might be the right classical remedy for you.

Sepia (the ink from a cuttlefish) is a remedy used for many skin conditions. The skin of a patient needing Sepia is described as blotchy, dry, rough, and cracked or crusty, and pigmented with freckles, moles, sun spots, and age spots. The warts of a patient who could use Sepia may, over time, have also developed pigmentation.

The warts of a patient who may fit the picture for Staphysagria are said to look like figs or cauliflowers on stalks. Itching is another characteristic of the skin symptoms indicating this remedy.

The homeopathic indications for Sulphur go on for pages. Among its many other uses, Sulphur is traditionally used to treat skin symptoms, including warts. The skin of a patient who might respond well to Sulphur is typically dry, warm, and red. Unfortunately, this remedy also has a reputation for aggravating the skin symptoms of some people.

Finally, if you have warts located on the tips of your fingers or nose, Causticum might be appropriate. The warts described for this remedy are large and jagged and bleed easily.

For a thorough explanation of homeopathy, including dilution of therapies, see the Homeopathy Overview.

 

References

1. Labrecque M, Audet D, Latulippe LG, Drouin J. Homeopathic treatment of warts. CMAJ. 1992;146:1749–1753.

2. Kainz JT, Kozel G, Haidvoge M, Smolle J. Homeopathic versus placebo therapy of children with warts on the hands: a randomized double-blind clinical trial. Dermatology. 1996;193:318–320.

Last reviewed September 2014 by EBSCO CAM Review Board