The Best Essential Oil for Treating Warts Naturally

Wart is a small growth on your skin caused by a viral infection, most commonly a human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. When the virus invades this outer layer of skin, usually through a tiny scratch, it causes rapid growth of cells on the outer layer of skin – creating the wart.

Essential oils could be effective for treating warts because many of them can kill the virus as well as burn off the wart. It is inadvisable to apply essential oils to genital warts, for which the best approach is to see your doctor for advice.

A wart spreads through physical contact with another wart or a contaminated object like a computer keyboard, a towel and clothes. They most commonly grow on your hands and feet, but they can appear anywhere.

Common Wart Treatments

The most common treatments for warts involve salicylic acid and cryogenic kits (like this one and this one), which you can do at home.

While these treatments are relatively effective, warts may re-appear after some time because they may not kill the virus that cause it. They only burn or freeze off the scab-like growth, which may leave the stubborn virus alive.

You can also use apple cider vinegar (ACV) and I wrote about it in my post on how to use ACV to remove warts and skin tags.

11 Essential Oils for Warts

Oregano Essential Oil

Oregano is one of the hottest oils and is the best at burning off warts. In addition, it has antiviral properties because of its active ingredient called carvacrol. ¹

Lemongrass Essential Oil

In a study on the antiviral effects of 12 essential oils on the herpes simplex virus type 1 (which is the cause for cold sores), lemongrass oil came out at the top by completely eliminating it, both at the beginning of its lifespan and after it infected cells.² Whether it has the same effect on human papilloma virus is not known, but it is definitely worth a try. Lemongrass oil is also one of the best essential oils for treating shingles.

Clove Oil

Clove oil contains carvacrol, thymol, eugenol, and cinnamaldehyde, the substances that contributes to its antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties. In addition, it also works as an anesthetic, which is particularly useful if you have painful warts on your feet. ³ Clove oil is also one of the best essential oil for eczema.

Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca alternifolia)

Tea tree oil is one of the top essential oils to have in your emergency kit and there are 75 amazing uses for it.

Tea Tree has often been tested to be effective against viruses.⁴ Its main antiviral ingredients include terpinen-4-ol, a-terpinene, p-cymene, terpinolene and a-terpineol. Tea tree oil is also one the best essential oils for treating acne and for healing scars.

Cajeput Oil

Cajeput oil is obtained from a plant in the same family as tea tree, and many essential oil users use it to treat viral infections.

Eucalyptus Oil

If you have eucalyptus oil at home, it has been found to be effective against some viruses, but not as effective as oils like tea tree. It is certainly worth applying if you don’t have time for an immediate shopping trip for something stronger. ⁵

Santolina Insularis

Santolina insularis is not an easily available oil, but it has been proven to kill viruses and stop them from spreading from cell to cell. ⁶ It is an oil in the chamomile family with white-yellow flowers.

Peppermint oil

Peppermint oil is a very versatile oil and one of the commonly used essential oil. I’ve already written a post about the top 10 uses for peppermint essential oil.

Researchers have found peppermint oil to be effective against some viruses, including the herpes viruses that cause cold sores. If this is your oil of choice, apply it as quickly as possible, as it is more effective at the beginning of the life cycle of a virus.⁷

Manuka Oil (essential oil of Leptospermum scoparium)

Manuka oil is derived from the leaves of the Manuka tree which is native to Mew Zealand. It is another antiviral oil that prevents some viruses from taking hold if it is applied early enough. It stops the virus from re-producing, which kills it quickly.⁸

Thyme Oil

Thyme oil is a useful antiviral oil, even against some drug-resistant viruses that live on the skin. ⁹ You can also use thyme oil to treat cold and sore throat.

Ginger Oil

Ginger oil has antiviral properties. Like thyme, it has been shown to work for viruses against which drugs have been ineffective. ⁹

How to Use Essential Oils for Warts

The Simplest EO Blend for warts

Since lemongrass oil is the strongest antiviral oil, mix 10 drops of that with a teaspoon of jojoba oil and store it in a bottle. Apply one drop with a cotton bud twice a day to the wart and cover the area with a bandage to force the oil deep into the wart.

The Gentlest Blend for warts

Lavender and frankincense will not work as fast as the oils listed above, as they cannot burn the wart off, but they are gentle enough on the skin to be recommended for children and people who have sensitive skin.

Mix an equal amount of both into a bottle and apply it straight to the wart with a cotton bud. You can also mix it with grapefruit seed extract liquid which has similar effects to lemongrass oil, but less hot. Try the following recipe to see if it works for you.

• 10 drops lavender
• 10 drops frankincense
• 10 drops grapefruit seed extract liquid

Apply it two or three times per day.

The Strong Blend for warts

Mix the following oils into a bottle and apply one drop to the wart two or three times a day using a cotton bud.

• 1 tablespoon jojoba oil as a carrier
• 2 drops lemongrass oil
• 2 drops tea tree oil
• 2 drops manuka oil
• 2 drops eucalyptus oil

The Strongest, Hottest Essential Blend for Warts

This is the strongest blend that contains the hottest oils that exist. First test it by applying a drop to the bottom of your foot where the skin is not too sensitive. If it causes no irritation or discomfort, go ahead, otherwise dilute it with more jojoba oil. This blend is probably too strong for your facial skin, so test it on the inside of your elbow first if you want to use it there.

Mix the following blend in a jar and apply it to the wart twice or three times a day. It is crucial that you avoid touching the skin around the wart, so apply it with cotton buds.

• 1 tablespoon jojoba oil as a carrier
• 3 drops lemongrass oil
• 3 drops tea tree oil
• 3 drops clove oil
• 3 drops thyme oil

Place a bandage over the area after applying the oil. If it burns, remove it with olive or coconut oil, not with water.

The Aftercare Blend

To prevent the wart from returning, you must continue to apply an antiviral oil, but you must also apply an oil that will nurse your treated skin back to health. When the wart falls off, mix the following oils and continue to apply it for another week or two.

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil (also read my list of uses for coconut oil)
• 6 drops lavender oil
• 6 drops tea tree oil

Be Patient to Get Results

Start with the gentler blends before moving to the stronger ones. If you see no effect after two weeks, you may need to combine the essential oil treatment with the more traditional salicylic acid treatment: the oils to kill the virus and the salicylic acid to burn off the wart. You can also try ACV to remove warts and you can get all the details in my post on how to use ACV to remove warts and skin tags.

Read these related articles:

• Warts on Hands: Causes and Effective Natural Treatments
• How to Remove Skin Tags and Warts with Hydrogen Peroxide

If you are interested to learn more about essential oils you can find useful information in my e-book Magical Aromatherapy. This e-book will help you to discover the power of essential oils and the most effective ways to use them.

Resources:

1. Gilling, D.H., et al., Antiviral efficacy and mechanisms of action of oregano essential oil and its primary component carvacrol against murine norovirus. Journal of applied microbiology, 2014. 116(5). http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jam.12453/abstract?userIsAuthenticated=false&deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=
2. Minami, M., et al., The Inhibitory Effect of Essential Oils on Herpes Simplex Virus Type‐1 Replication In Vitro. Microbiology and immunology, 2003. 47(9). http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1348-0421.2003.tb03431.x/full
3. Chaieb, K., et al., The chemical composition and biological activity of clove essential oil, Eugenia caryophyllata (Syzigium aromaticum L. Myrtaceae): a short review. Phytotherapy research, 2007. 21(6). http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ptr.2124/abstract
4. Bishop, C.D., Antiviral activity of the essential oil of Melaleuca alternifolia (Maiden amp; Betche) Cheel (tea tree) against Tobacco Mosaic Virus. Journal of Essential Oil Research, 1995. 7(6). http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10412905.1995.9700519
5. Schnitzler, P., K. Schön, and J. Reichling, Antiviral activity of Australian tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil against herpes simplex virus in cell culture. Die Pharmazie, 2001. 56(4). http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/11338678
6. De Logu, A., et al., Inactivation of HSV-1 and HSV-2 and prevention of cell-to-cell virus spread by Santolina insularis essential oil. Antiviral Research, 2000. 48(3). http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166354200001273
7. Schuhmacher, A., J. Reichling, and P. Schnitzler, Virucidal effect of peppermint oil on the enveloped viruses herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2 in vitro. Phytomedicine, 2003. 10(6). http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S094471130470255X
8. Reichling, J., et al., Virucidal activity of a beta-triketone-rich essential oil of Leptospermum scoparium (manuka oil) against HSV-1 and HSV-2 in cell culture. Planta Medica, 2005. 71(12). http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/16395648
9. Schnitzler, P., C. Koch, and J. Reichling, Susceptibility of drug-resistant clinical herpes simplex virus type 1 strains to essential oils of ginger, thyme, hyssop, and sandalwood. Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy, 2007. 51(5). http://aac.asm.org/content/51/5/1859.short