I used to pull wrenches to pay the bills while I went to school. Something that seemed to plague mechs was pesky hand warts. For some reason I don't understand to this day, motor oil soaked dirt on an engine would lend to getting a wart if you had a cut on your hand.

My Great-Grandmother, rest her soul, had a ton of homespun curatives. One of the more useful ones I have shared with others follows.

Find a dandelion. Preferably one that is in full bloom. Follow the stalk down from the bloom to the base of the plant and pinch it off. Holding the bloom end in one hand, use your thumbnail and fore finger on your other hand and, starting under the bloom end run the fluids in the stalk down to the base where you broke it off. Stop just shy of the end. There will be a small amount of fluids there. Dab it on the wart until coated. If you prefer a quicker response, soak the wart in water until it is saturated and blot dry first.

The wart will turn dark, and in a few days to a week, fall away leaving healthy skin. Stubborn ones may take a treatment or two more. Most the time you'll look to inspect it, a week or so later, and it will be as if it were never there.

Don't waste money on over the counter meds that use acid, or freeze/burn them off until you try this out. And, make sure you are dealing with an actual wart and not something more serious.

Disclaimer: These statements have not been blah blah, FDA, blah blah yada yada ya.

Oh, no need to reply if this was helpful.

Stigma understood.

Wart Jokes welcome... I don't know any or I would throw one in.

well now I want to try this, but I don't have a wart.

I need to first cut my hand on motor oil soaked dirt on an engine you say?

You're crazy, but I will oblige you.

First, you need to find someone that has a donor wart.

The viruses that cause wart are active in the top of the growth nodule. Sterilize an area that you wish to infect. We are looking to make a wart, not gangrene.

Make a small incision in your finger or a good sized pin prick. Scrape the rough, porous top several microns off of your donors wart and insert them into the wound you've created. Cover with a bandage and let it simmer for a few days. Within a few weeks, you should have a brand new buddy.

Of course, there is not a cure for many of the viruses that cause warts, so you will definitely get good use out of GG-Mother's Curative, as long as you can find a dandelion... which should present no problem this winter.

If this doesn't appeal to you, you could always seek out some homeless wretch that has warts and give it a whirl, or just cure your donor.

I'll name it Ralph. My little buddie

Gilligan, an old school name.

Wart Removal - Buck Knife

Yes, if your intention is to cut out one and aid the spread of the virus throughout the surrounding tissues and blood vessels, a buck knife would do the trick nicely... not exactly painless though.

So my daughter has one on her hand now that came back after the dermatologist previously burned and froze it off. We will try this cuz our next procedure was going to involve compound W and duct tape.

Been there done that. I had one (center of palm) and when I made a fist, it hit on the nail on my ring finger. Soon enough I had one under the edge of my nail. An man did that sucker hurt. Did the whole freeze/ compound w thing. Never got rid of it. If it hadn't been for my GGM, I'd probably still be fighting the cursed things.

Just apply as noted above. But Don't mess with it afterwards. No scratching or pulling on.

I have to run, long drive to make today.

Let me know if it works out. I've never had this NOT work for any one that has tried it.

I am gonna try it.....bit no dandelions here yet.

I'll let you know and thanks,
Shane

I'm going to have to recommend Dr. Bryan Selkin at Plano Dermatology

Channel locks.

They come out with a POP!

Duct tape, cotton, and vinegar works. I probably had a couple of hundred bucks invested in a wart on a knuckle with dermatologists over the years freezing one off. Then I read about this other trick.

Every night I would roll up a little ball of cotton about 1/4" in diameter. I would tape the dry cotton over the wart with duct tape, leaving the cotton exposed from the sides under the tape. Then I would use a straw like an eye dropper to wet the cotton. I figure it is impossible to wet the cotton first and then tape it on.

The wart will start drying or turning dead. I would trim it off and keep up the treatment. Soon the wart will be dead black and come off. I wore a Band-Aid during the day to hide this beautiful ongoing redneck surgery.

It took two attempts at this to work. I quit too early the first time. The second time I kept this up even treating the hole in my finger after the wart came off.

Google "vinegar on warts". There are plenty of links. I used white vinegar. Some used apple cider vinegar.

It hurt very bad. I could take my pulse from this finger. But the wart has been gone for several years and never came back after many years of having it.

Old school, does it work on what they call flat Warts? I have tried everything but your cure. and I will try it. picture of a dandelion??????

Sorry it took so long to reply... been shooting doves out west.

DannyB, vinegar should have a similar effect. This is due to the acidity of of vinegar (acetic acid) If you look at a bottle of vinegar it will usually note that the acidity has been reduced to a certain percentage to make it safe for cooking etc.

Dandelions contain a myriad of acids: linolenic, oleic, linoleic, palmitic, and caffeic acids, to be exact. But, in addition to these acids, the plant latex also contains salts and proteolytic enzymes. The salts and acids will dry the wart tissue and cause it to shrink and, in a process similar to when you brine a turkey, will draw the enzymes into the wart. The enzymes are also believed to counter the some of the 35 some odd viruses that cause warts.

I believe that by flat warts, you may be referring to plantar warts. They are tougher to get rid of by nature of the depth that they grow in the skin, sometimes reaching as far as bone. Pre-soaking in warm water is a must for tackling them. Most OTC medications recommend hydrating plantar warts due to their stubbornness.

Milkweed will work as well, but I never could find any when it was needed.

Here's the picture you requested:

Long nose pliers work too, but I won't do it again! Had one on the side of my left index finger. Got it loose and pulled it out. I would've sworn that thing was hooked to my elbow when I finally got it out...

Wish I'da known about the dandelion thingy!

Man can't wait for dandelion season...snow all over ground here.
Not suppose to a high over the 20's till next weekend.

Shane

So, SatNiteSpec has been spending time down on Harry Hines, will this work for his warts also?

I have no personal point of reference for warts on giggle sticks. Maybe someone will chime in?

My grandpa bought mine for a nickel when I was a kid and the dang thing went away he rubbed the nickel on the wart and it worked only had one tho

My brother had a thumb full of them and we worked on a job site one time and a guy told me I should buy the warts from him and we both thought he was crazy. Well we tried it and the things were completely gone in a couple of weeks.

I found this, but it doesn't look very painless.