Treating Warts With Thuja, the Homeopathic Way

This article discusses the various treatment options available for common warts, with a focus on thuja occidentalis as a homeopathic remedy. You will learn how to use thuja to get rid of warts, which type of wart is thuja effective on, and how thuja compares to traditional western medicine for wart treatment.

How do we get warts?

All warts are caused by various strains of the HPV virus. The virus spreads by physical transfer. That is, by touching an object that is contaminated with the virus. Hands, fingers, and feet are the most common location for warts because we use these parts of the body to interact with objects in our environment.

Wart viruses enter the skin through cuts or abrasions, which may be merely microscopic. Our immune system quickly kills off the vast majority of these viruses. But if the immune system is weak, the virus has a chance to grow into a wart.

What is thuja?

Thuja occidentalis is a type of evergreen tree that grows in North America, along the Appalachian Mountains in the northeastern United States and Canada. It has a long history of medicinal use, including wart treatment. Medicinal thuja is extracted from the leaves of the tree.

So thuja is a type of homeopathic medicine. It is an all-natural alternative to the typical over-the-counter wart products containing salicylic acid. Your doctor will not prescribe or recommend thuja, but many people find it successfully treats warts. It is less harsh than salicylic acid, yet quite effective.

How exactly does thuja treat warts?

It’s two fold. First, thuja is believed to strengthen and stimulate the immune system. Research has found that thuja increases the amount of T-cells (white blood cells that fight viruses) in the blood.

Since warts are caused by viruses, thuja can help your body’s natural defenses fight off the virus. This can result in warts becoming smaller and even going away on their own. In this way, thuja helps to fight warts “from the inside”. Thuja extract can be orally ingested in tablet form to boost your immune system.

Secondly, thuja treats a wart when applied directly to the wart itself. There are several thuja products to choose from. Thuja cream or ointment may be applied directly to the wart from the container.

Thuja oil, however, needs to be diluted before application. Pure thuja oil is too strong to put directly on the skin. Start with  a mixture of 9 to 1 olive oil/thuja oil, and slowly increase to find a mixture that is effective yet not too intense.  Never ingest thuja oil as it is toxic.

The direct application of thuja will burn through the wart like traditional OTC wart treatments do. It will likely take several applications over a few days to completely burn off the whole wart. Two applications per day is reasonable.

To protect the healthy skin around the wart, apply a protective layer of vaseline or petroleum jelly around the wart prior to applying the thuja. After application, cover the wart with a bandaid or gauze to keep it clean and to keep the thuja from rubbing off. If left uncovered, the open wound is ripe for infection. An infected wart causes many complications.

In between treatments, shave dead skin cells from the top of the wart with a sterile emery board. The dead skin should peel off easily. And never cut off a wart with a razor or nail clipper, no matter how painful or irritating it is.

Which type of warts is thuja effective on?

There are many different kinds of warts. Those best suited for treatment with thuja are the soft or bloody kind. Genital warts are usually soft and very responsive to thuja treatment. Plantar warts, on the other hand, are tough, hard warts on the bottom of the foot that often don’t respond as well to thuja.

Most people report a positive experience with thuja for treating warts.  The only way to know if it works for you and your particular wart is to give it a try. Obviously, people respond individually to medications.

Can thuja be used for warts on children or animals?

The orally ingested thuja tablets are relatively mild, and usually safe for children 2 and older. Thuja is also safe and effective for dog warts. But as always, refer to the instructions and warnings on the specific product that you buy.

Are there any side effects?

Side effects are mild with thuja. It has a pleasant evergreen smell. Remember that thuja oil if ingested is poisonous, and in too high concentration will burn and irritate the skin. So be careful and test to find the proper mix for your wart. For pills and creams, just follow the instructions.