BOILS
Definition: A pus making skin infection in a gland or hair gland, marked by pain, redness and swelling.
Cause: When the blood stream is flowing "clean" and doing an efficient job by feeding the system properly and carrying off the wastes, the whole body benefits...When a "good clean blood-purifying program" is being used, we will see that the toxic poisons are being removed and boils, acne and other skin diseases will start clearing up. [NL 1-7]
Herbal Aids
Boils, Carbuncles, Tumors: Bruise the fresh leaves of plantain and apply to the affected area, cover and keep moist (juice); change poultice before dry. [SNH p.53] also try Stings & Bites Ointment (plantain)
Rashes, Pimples, Boils, Scurvy, Eczema: Use a decoction of equal parts burdock root and yellow dock (Rumex crispus) as a wash, and drink the combination as a tea. [SNH p.65]
Boils, Carbuncles: Make an external application of equal parts of echinacea and ground pine or club moss (Lycopodium clavatum), while taking the echinacea tea or syrup internally; another effective poultice is to use flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum), lobelia (Lobelia inflata), slippery elm powder (Ulmus fulva), and cayenne (Capsicum minimum; C. fastigiatum) with echinacea tea and apply fresh 2 times daily for 4 days. [SNH p.89]
Boils, Carbuncles, Gangrenous Sores: Apply the powder of bayberry in a poultice. [SNH p.133]
Boils, Tumors, Scrofulous Ulcers, Ulcers of Mouth and Throat, Inflamed Skin and Mucous Membrane, Infection, Cancer: Apply a poultice of the fresh roots and leaves of white pond lily; also the strong decoction makes an excellent base for mixing other ingredients for application; the powder is often mixed equal parts with crushed flax seed (linseed) or powdered slippery elm. [SNH p.165]
Inflammation, Bruises, Sprains, Swellings, Suppuration of Boils: Apply a fomentation made from the comfrey root or leaves. [SNH p.310]
Boils: Paint the part with pure olive oil to prevent sticking, then saturate a thick layer of cotton with comfrey mucilage and apply to the affected parts. Cover with plastic or waxed paper, bandage, and leave on until nearly dry. Make a fresh application by following the same process. If pus is present, paint the part with oil of garlic instead of olive oil and take 1 teaspoonful of the oil, internally. This will prevent or stop putrefaction and pus formation, which will hasten the healing process. Give fomentation wrung out of a strong decoction. [SNH p.310]
Boils: A comfrey fomentation or fresh poultice is excellent when it is necessary to resort to cutting and draining. This will draw and drain the boil. [SNH p.310]
Swellings, Pneumonia, Pleurisy, Boils, etc.: Make a compress or plaster of lobelia, of hops, bran, or lard. [SNH p.363]
Dr. Christopher's Black Drawing Ointment: This is an excellent drawing ointment. For use externally on old ulcers, tumors, boils, warts, skin cancers, hemorrhoids, excellent for burns and as a healing agent. This is made with chaparral, comfrey, red clover blossoms, pine tar, mullein, beeswax, plantain, olive oil, mutton tallow, chickweed, poke root. [HHH p.196]
Vegetable Juices: Useful for the treatment of boils and carbuncles are carrot & spinach, carrot & cucumber, carrot. [NL 3-5]
Black Walnut: Externally, Black Walnut is nearly a miracle worker in cases of scrofula, eczema, impetigo (as related above), acne, dandruff, boils, itch, shingles, ringworm--we could go on, but you can see that you can use Black Walnut whenever a skin disorder appears! The tincture is an excellent first-aid remedy for wounds. [NL 5-7]
Testimonials
1. Boils Under Both Arms: While serving in the army during World War II, we had a soldier come to us with a bad case of boils under both arms. We lanced and treated them as usual, but in a week or so he was back with another crop. When questioned about it, he said that he had been plagued with the problem all his life. I asked him if he wanted to rid his body of the boils, and he said he did. So I gave him a prescription, to the mess sergeant (not to the druggist): no fried foods, no milk, no meat, no potatoes, no soft drinks, but all fresh fruits and vegetables. Needless to say, the boils promptly cleared up and he had no recurrence of them. So these types of diseases must be treated by clearing up the blood stream and keeping it clean if healing is to be realized. [SNH p.70]
2. Boils Suffered for Nearly a Year: Dr. Shook also related, at length, the story of a young man who was suffering for nearly a year with boils on different parts of his body, two under one arm and one under the other, several scattered about on his wrists, buttocks, and legs, and nine on his neck. It was the worst case of Furunculosis (boils caused by blood impurity) that Dr. Shook had ever seen.
He told the man to gather a large sackful of fresh burdock leaves and to dig up the roots of first-year plants. His wife washed and chopped the leaves and made them into a poultice with Oil of Eucalyptus and applied wherever the boils appeared. The roots were cleaned, chopped, and boiled, four ounces to a quart of water, for twenty minutes. This was strained and reduced to one pint and taken in small doses throughout the day till the pint was gone.
In three weeks, the boils were gone, and in one month the young man was completely well, although he had suffered so much for so long. The boils did not recur (ShoA:46-47). [NL 5-12]
