DEAR DR. GOTT: I saw your article about the person who had a wart removed by rubbing chalk on it. I had a wart on my hand for seven years. Then I started teaching, using a blackboard and chalk. A couple of months later, I noticed the wart was getting smaller and eventually it disappeared forever. My family and friends laughed when I told them I thought it was chalk dust that did it. I’m happy to see someone else agrees with my very unscientific conclusion.
DEAR READER: The white chalk you use in your classroom is generally made from calcium carbonate, a processed form of natural limestone. This chemical compound, found in rocks around the world, is used for many purposes, such as a dietary supplement. It is commonly used as an over-the-counter antacid. Calcium is required for healthy bones, muscles, the nervous system and the heart.
My guess, and it is only a guess, is that the calcium carbonate dries the lesion, much as any liquid “coating” would. Once air is prevented from reaching the finger or area where the wart is present, the lack of necessary oxygen causes the wart to disappear.
Readers who would like additional and rather unusual remedies for wart removal might consider the following:
— Cover the lesion with clear nail polish to create an airtight seal. Repeat the process for several days, when the wart should wash off with soap and water. Or try Tang and a Band-Aid. Simply mix the Tang with a small amount of water to form a paste. Put the paste over the wart and cover it with a Band-Aid. If you don’t have any Tang in your cupboard, dampen an aspirin with water and place this mixture over the wart. Remember not to choose the latter remedy if you have an allergy to aspirin. Both remedies may require repeat treatment for several days to become effective.
— Apply undiluted tea tree oil directly to a wart several times a day until the wart disappears.
— Consider Elmer’s or a similar type of glue to cover a wart. Peel the glue off after it dries and repeat the process up to three times a day until the wart disappears.
— Rub a wart against the inside of a raw potato several times a day for at least two weeks.
— Warm castor oil dabbed over a wart two or three times a day and covered with an adhesive bandage has been found effective. Again, repeat the process until satisfactory results occur.
— If you have dandelions growing in your back yard or a field, crush a stem until the “milk” appears. Rub the milk over the wart several times a day until the wart disappears.
— Crush raw garlic and dilute or blend it with vitamin C from a capsule supplement. Apply it to the wart and cover with a bandage for 24 hours. Remove the adhesive and wash the area with warm soap and water. A blister will likely form, but the wart should fall off in about a week.
I could go on, but enough is enough. As you might imagine, it appears almost anything can be tried to remove warts, which are caused by a virus that enters the body through cracks in the skin. Warts can spread, so avoid irritating them through picking or scratching.
Readers who would like related information might wish to order my Health Reports “Compelling Home Remedies” or “More Compelling Home Remedies” by sending a self-addressed, stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 U.S. check or money order for each report made payable to Dr. Peter Gott at P.O. Box 433, Lakeville, CT 06039-0433. Be sure to mention the title when writing or print out an order form from my website’s direct link at www.AskDrGottMD.com/order_form.pdf.
