Boils are one of life’s real miseries and can really take the enjoyment out of a good day. Not only are they painful and angry, but they also often appear in the worst possible places – where your clothes or skin rubs or even on your face with is embarrassing and unattractive. Often they come as a result of stress and are most commonly found in the warm moist areas of the body – the groin, the armpits and the small of the back. Fortunately there are several ways you can speed up the recovery process.

Garlic/Onion – Garlic and onion juice are effective remedies for boils as they help to ripen and break them then evacuate puss. Mix them both in equal quantities (by crushing them and collecting the juice) then apply liberally for the best results.

Bitter Gourd – Bitter gourd is a remedy that works particularly well for boils that are filled with blood. Rather than apply to the boil, have a cupful of gourd juice mixed with a teaspoon of lime juice and drink daily on an empty stomach.

Milk Cream – Milk cream is a great remedy for boils mixed with vinegar and turmeric powder. This ripens the boils but avoids them becoming septic.

Betel Leaves – Betel leaves work well when warmed, softened, coated with castor oil and left on top of the boil. This means that it’s constantly affecting the boil directly and after time it will rupture and drain the boil of purulent matter.

Cumin Seeds – Cumin seeds should be ground to a paste with water and applied to boils for the best results.

Boiling Water – Simply dabbing boiling water onto a boil will help to burst them. Apply to a piece of cotton wool with some TCP to prevent infection and hold it on until the boil begins to suffer. Warning though: this hurts.

Hot Pin – Even more painful than the hot water though, heating up the tip of a pin and using it to pop the head of the boil is a great last-ditch attempt for bursting a boil.

Margosa Leaves – These work as either a poultice, liniment or decoction. To create the decoction boil margosa leaves in water.

Parsley – Parsley steeped in boiling water can be a great poultice when wrapped in clean linen cloth and dabbed onto the boils.

Turmeric – Turmeric powder helps speed the healing process when roasted and dissolved into water and applied to the boils.