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Q. I had a wart on my finger for 15 years. A few doctors said they could cut if off, but I don’t like the idea of surgery.
My mother told me of an old gypsy remedy, but I would never try it. It was too hokey. One day I argued with her and, in an effort to prove her wrong, I decided to go ahead and use the remedy. I just knew it wouldn’t work. Well, within two weeks the wart was gone.
Here it is: cut a slice from a potato, rub the white part on the wart, then go bury the potato in the yard. Supposedly if you dig up the potato later, it will have grown the wart on it.
This sounds way too silly, but it did work. Mom was right, and she won the argument.
A. We don’t know if this is a gypsy remedy, but it certainly is old. We have heard from a number of other people who have treated their warts successfully by rubbing them with raw potato or potato peel and burying the piece of potato.
John
I remember this like it was yesterday: 12 years old, 13 warts on my hands. Honestly, a person told me to rub them with potato skin and then bury it; in two weeks gone.
Lisa
When I was a small kid I had a small wart really close to my eye, and my grandpa told me to get a potato and cut it into 4 pieces and rub it on my wart. Then go outside, and throw it over my shoulder. Yes it worked, and I am going on 58. After 50-plus years it’s still gone.
David
I did the same thing, except I was told had to cut a potato in half and bury in the back yard in a dirty dish rag. Let me tell you, after having a wart on each pinky frozen, burnt and cut off and then coming back bigger and worse, I was desperate. I had heard this tale before and thought it was dumb, and no way it would work. But after the 3rd painful attempt to get rid of them, I tried the ridiculous tale myself, and like OP stated, within 2 weeks they rubbed away clean.
Shannon
I had a wart on my thumb for years and tried freezing it off but it always came back. My grandmother taught me this trick. Lo and behold wart was gone in 2 weeks and never came back. This was 10 years ago!
Terri
I had a wart on my knee when I was a kid. My mom told me to cut a potato in half, rub the juice onto the wart while the just after the full moon during waning. Then bury the potato. Within a couple of weeks the wart was gone.
Roger
Yep, same thing my mother told me, rub potato on a huge wart I couldn’t get my attention off of, then bury the potato. She said one thing: never think about it anymore! 3 months later I remembered that I might want to have a peek, and like magic it was gone!
Dawn
Yes, this works!!! I had 5 warts on four of fingers on the left hand. My Great Aunt cut a potato and rubbed it on my fingers and then buried it in my grandmother’s yard when we were visiting. A few weeks later the warts were gone!
Aaron
30 warts on my fingers! Hospital trips to burn off filled with pain. Romany gypsy grandma suggested potato starch rubbed on them! Sceptical! Done it! Two weeks gone!
Mike
I had warts on my fingers as well as a small child. My mother eventually used the same remedy; she cut the potato in half, rubbed the white part all over my hands, and buried it in the yard. Literally, days later I’ve never had one since. I don’t know how, but yes this works.
Sara
Hi, Roger,
Do we have to rub the potato only once or everyday?
Stephanie
Worked for me with a wart on my pen finger. I had many exams and did tons of writing when I was 15. I tried the potato, and the wart went away!
Jill
Back in the 70s, my sister chewed on her fingers and had warts all around her nails. My grandmother cut a potato in half and rubbed the white side all over her fingers and within *days* they were gone. I almost fainted from being totally amazed. I thought my grandmother had some magical capabilities. LOL, but it was the potato!!
Honest, it blew me away but it really worked. No more warts!!!
Libby
Texas
My son was in bad pain due to over 20 warts on the bottom of his feet. (Locker rooms are breeding grounds). He was afraid he would have to cancel a ski trip because of the pain. I took him to the doctor and was told that the best way to deal with them was to do surgery. I will spare you the details. I was telling my friend about our situation, and she said she had a SPELL to get rid of them. My son, being the good sport that he is, followed her instructions. We waited for a full moon, cut a potato in half, rubbed it on both feet, and buried the potato in the back yard while saying her words as instructed.
We went about our busy holiday season. A few days after Christmas I asked him if he wanted to talk about the surgery and was sorry about the trip. He pulled off his socks, and I saw that there was no need for the doctor. The warts were drying up and falling off. He returned to the doctor for one more visit. The dr. asked him to come in at no charge (REALLY!) because he had to see for himself. Dr. told him not to tell anyone else what had happened. LOL
He enjoyed his first trip sans family and warts!
Judy
Millville, De.
My dad did the same thing when he was younger cut the potato in half he rubbed it on his wart that was on his thumb and he’s not sure how long it took but it fell off so this remedy does work !! He buried in the ground after he rubbed it on his thumb though
Heather
WV
When I was younger, I had gotten a planters wart, so my mom said cut a potato in half rub the wart with one half and I can’t remember which half to bury ,but next day it was gone. I can’t explain it and I know it sounds crazy.
Bill
New Jersey
I had numerous warts all over my hands when I was a kid. My parents took me to the doctor, we tried Compound-w for years. Nothing worked so I had to put up with the pain and the pain of looking at them. One day my grandmother told me she would rub a potato over them and bury the potato in the back yard. A few weeks later when I was playing baseball I noticed there was no pain when I put my glove on. I took my glove off and noticed all the warts were gone. Sounds crazy but it worked! 45 years later and still wart free.
Robin S.
FL
When I was a young kid back in the seventies my stepmother rubbed the potato on my stepbrother’s wart, then went outside and threw it over the roof. The wart was gone the next day. Sounds dumb as hell but it really works. I know it’s crazy.
Tyler
atlanta, ga
**THIS ABSOLUTELY WORKS**
Had a wart on my thumb and one of my toes for the longest time, and I tried rubbing potato on them/keeping a piece under a bandage overnight, and it worked within a few weeks. Warts slowly turned black and then progressively faded away. I definitely recommend this. Much cheaper/less painful than going to a dermatologist to have them removed or frozen off, which, by the way, doesn’t always ensure that they don’t come back.
kathy
Pennsylvania
I used this remedy twice…..I did not bury the potato, but would rub a slice of potato on the wart as often as I was able during the day……within a few weeks the warts were gone both times……
cara
64068
when I was very young I had one wart on my hand that my mother said I got from my turtle . she told me to rub the raw potato and bury it and it went away .
Leon
Johannesburg South Africa
I have warts on both my feet and I’m battling to walk and am having to continuously have them cut out every three to four months
Have started putting a potato peel with a plaster on
How long should the peel be left on the wart
I put it on at night and sleep with it on then remove it in the morning and wash my foot
Is that correct or wrong and what is the correct thing to do
Simrat
chandigarh
Yeah! Its really works,i have no words for praising. But i m happy….i have genital warts and potato removes it within few days
Bonnie
Usa
A friend of mine has genital warts from the HPV virus…will it work and what do you do?
Pam
Pennsylvania
When I was a child I had a wart on my wrist, and elderly woman told me to rub a cut potato on it for 3 days then tie the potato with string and throw it in the field. She said my wart would grow in the potato and when it rotted away my wart would be gone. My wart went away and never returned.
Bridget
Ashburn, VA
I had a wart removed on my knee when I was a kid. I had a smaller one on the palm of my hand that the doc suggested I remove using a potato. He said to rub a fresh piece of sliced potato to the wart and bury the other half. I recall only doing this once, leaving my hand unwashed overnight. My wart was gone within a few days. I will always remember this because it was so astonishing. The reason I got to this site is because my husband is laughing at me for believing I can remove his wart with the potato trick. We’ll see who’s laughing once I try!
Sam
Los Angeles
The most effective treatment is 1) crush 2 baby aspirin, add one drop water to make a paste. 2) apply paste to wart cover with small potato peel and place band aid over to hold in place… do this everyday for a week to 10 days. Wart will fall off.
Chloe
‘I have flat head warts also. They are terrible. Its not one or two… it’s like 100s on my legs. I’ve tried the apple cider vinegar, duck tape, freezing them off, burning them off, and even cintimine. I’ve tried everything put a potato. So how does this potato thing work? Rub it everyday? Do I put tape on it after ? Any help would be most appreciated!
carlyn
I had one on my eyelid two days ago I took a potato put it in a ziplock and put it in refrigerator and cut lil slice and rubbed it on my eyelid then cut a small piece and put a bandaid on it for a few hrs and then the following day I sliced me a piece every so many hrs rubbed it and then I looked in the mirror at the end of the day it was gone was so happy too see it gone.
I also heard when I was growing up u can do this to warts by cutting in half and rubbing it and throwing the it over ya shoulder the potato outside and not looking back my niece lost her warts when I treated her this way.
K.M
I have a bad case of flat warts spreading all over my whole body now. Almost impossible to cure, Tried ACV: it affected the warts – and also made them spread like crazy. I guess they were angry because I tried to evict them. Anyway, I tried Tea tree oil, manuka honey, duct tape, vitamin c, zinc ointment, lavender oil, acids, a lot of things.
I also rubbed a potato slice on my shoulder, like why not. I only did it once and forgot about it, Now guess what part is smooth and healthy! My shoulder! I can’t quite believe it but from now on, I will eat, breathe and bathe in potatoes.
It’s worth a try!
Ethan
I used to have many warts on my foot about a year ago and I started using this remedy, needless to say it works like a charm and I recommend you do it. Cut a slice of potato and just tape it on the wart overnight or simply rub the liquid and let it dry. Another remedy to help is your own urine, pee on a coin to rub it on the wart. Taping the wart will deoxygenate the virus and these methods will help kill them
Dan
When I was little, I had a wart on my calf for a long time. My grandma got sick of looking at it, went into the kitchen, cut a potato and rubbed it on the wart. The wart went away…..I’ll never forget that. Sometimes those old wives’ tales work !
Bob g
When I was about 8 or 9 years old I had flat warts on both forearms. They extended from my wrist all the way up my arm. I was covered with them. Several things were tried but nothing made any difference. One day a neighbor suggested that I cut a potato end off and rub my inner arm over the warts. It seemed strange at the time. I did this for a few days and then forgot about it.
About 2 weeks later I was helping wash the dishes in the sink and noticed that all the warts had completely gone… Not a single one remained. I learned something very important at a very young age and that has stayed with me for many years. In gratitude I write this B. G.
Rdm
The potato thing worked for me as a child I rubbed the middle of a raw potato on the two warts I had on my hand and they both disappeared.
Tantricpetals
A friends brother had a huge wart on his finger. He went to the doctors, tried all their methods. He tried the Compound W Freeze Off, nothing took this thing off!!! His sister later said “Why don’t you try Grammy’s potato method?” He said, “I’ll try anything at this point, it’s painful and I cannot do my job with this on my hand.” So she went and got a potato, cut it in half and he rubbed it on his huge wart, this thing was like dime size! She told him then to go bury it and as the potato rots in the ground the wart will die off too.
They have an Indian heritage and she said it’s an old Indian Remedy. They both agreed who cared where the remedy comes from, just so it works. Low and behold, if I had not seen this gone in about a couple weeks, I would not have believed it! Skin is clear and soft like nothing was ever even there!
So this morning I have decided to give it a try as well on my planter wart that just keeps getting larger and a new baby one starting. They are on my fingers and sometimes the larger one is actually painful if I grip something to tighten it. So this morning I cut a potato in half, rubbed it on both and buried it in the front yard. They say the secret of the remedy is don’t tell anyone where you buried it! So I did this at about 5:30 am this morning when no one was around and I buried it. Now it’s the waiting game. If it doesn’t work I will try what others suggest: a daily treatment of potato slices and bandage it up!
God I hope this works, I’ve been dealing with it for much too long.
Tonii
I have not done this yet but my mums friend had warts when she was 14 and she pee’d on them and they went away in about a week I don’t really want to pee on my hands soo I will be trying this I hate getting bullied from my warts
Satish
I too had a very bad Wart under my left foot that gave me pain for 4 months. Then as said I started rubbing the wart with potato slices twice in a day for 3 minutes and the pain completely subsided in 15 days and the whole item in about a month. A very very effective home remedy as I experienced.
Bev
My dog has an eyelid wart, so I am going to try the raw potato remedy. He is 9yrs old and I don’t want him to go through any surgery. I would like to hear about how this remedy works and how long it took… thanks!!
RJ
‘He’ was, by your logic, kind enough to give them to us though.
Miranda
I have 6 warts on my right hand, a couple of which have been there for several years. Too long to remember. I actually underwent past treatments of liquid nitrogen at the derm’s office years ago, just to have them come back along with extra ones!!! I refused to go back due to the severe pain and the idea of having a hand covered in warts after it was all said and done. I mean the one time I did go to remove three, it resulted in six!
However, over the years I still dealt with shame of having the disgusting little things on my hand! Recently I thought I’d try to remove them at home. I first purchased salicylic acid from Walmart and started placing it on the warts, then covered with bandaids. I did this 3 times total (as it says to apply twice a day up to twelve weeks on the bottle). It burned terribly after the 2nd application due to the blistering of the surrounding skin.
I began to research online about home remedies and came across the banana peel and potato therapy. I remembered having a plantars wart on my toe when I was just younger that my grandma had cut a potato for and it had actually healed! … At the time I just thought it had eased the pain but not really healed it. After all, a POTATO! ?? …. But after reading reviews, I was rather convinced that maybe my grandma was right!
So….I wanted to try both banana on two warts, and the potato on the others. I began 4 days ago placing cut potatoes on some of the warts and wrapping them in bandaids both night and day, (the bananas the same way on the last two warts). After 2 days, I saw a difference in size on the potato treated ones… they were smaller!!! The banana treated ones looked the same (not to say it wouldn’t work) just not as fast for me as the others. So, I began potatoes on those two also.
Tonight I wrapped all of them with potatoes and duct tape. Not so much attractive, but hey if its temporary I say what the heck!? I hope and pray that they ALL will be gone eventually! I will update once I see complete progress! So far, I think it is helping! :)I All smiles!
cw
We have used the potato remedy on common and planter warts for years with consistent success. There is no need to bury the potato though. The remedy is simple. Just peel a meaty slice of potato and cover the clean wart. Tape the potato in place and leave for 2-3 days. When the potato is removed, the wart will have turned black or dark brown.
On common warts, this is an indication that it is dead. On planters warts, it usually requires multiple treatments due to the depth and seeds in planters warts. This has worked on all three of my children even after having some removed medically that grew back.
The potato is the only consistent remedy that has worked. Before using the potato, we tried acid, burning and scraping, and liquid nitrogen. They all grew back. The enzyme in the potato actually kills the virus. Its really cool, cheap, and way less painful. Good Luck.
Tina
I ran across this site so I thought I would share my story with you. When I was about ten years old I had a wart on my forehead. I had it a long time and I’ve no idea how it got there, but it was ugly. My Mom told me about my aunt who could take them off without touching you. Everyone in the family went to her when they had one. I went to see her and she looked at it (didn’t touch it) and told me to forget all about the wart. Needless to say, I kept checking it everyday. One day I just looked in the mirror and it was gone. It only took a few weeks to disappear.
A year and a half ago my daughter had two warts on her fingers. We tried many over the counter products that didn’t work. My Mom called my aunt on the phone and my aunt talked to my daughter and asked where the warts were. My aunt then told her to forget all about the warts. We noticed a week later that they were gone.
I had heard many stories of her doing that when I was growing up but it is still amazing to me. We all want to know how she does it without even touching someone. She won’t share her secret with anyone right now but she said that she might pass it down when the time is right.
Have a great day!
IT
I have a wart, and have for a few months. I’ve been using tea tree oil, which has yet to make a difference. I read about the potato remedy, just rubbed it on, and within hours had results. I didn’t keep it on or anything. Didn’t bury it. Just put a band aid on when I was done. Easy peezy.
Simon
When I was a kid my mom took me to the doctor for a wart on the side of my hand. He said he could remove it, but then told her about this potato remedy. I don’t remember how long it took for the wart to go away, but it DID go. No pain, no scarring, wonderful.
Ld
Nope. just rub the white part on the warts every day, (morning and night). You will see them start to go away. Also you can try Apple Cider Vinegar treatment, but I heard it stings.
Garry
When I was about nine years old I had warts on my thumbs and fingers of both hands, A little girl that had moved in down the street one day told me her mom was a witch and she could get rid of my warts. She ran home and soon came back with a piece of potato peeling. she told me that her mom instructed her to rub the peeling on my warts and as she did she said the following. “As this peeling rots away so your warts shall go away” then she told me to bury the peeling in my front yard and not to bother it. After several weeks I looked down and to my surprise the warts were all gone and they never did come back.
Susie had also told me to make sure the peeling has no eye on it, or it wouldn’t work, as the peeling would then grow and not rot away. This is a true story so help me God. To this day I still remember how Susie rid me of my embarrassing warts! I Love you Susie where ever you are! I Miss you too!
LD
I have a question for those who used the potato overnight remedy. Did you apply the potato peel for just one night, covered with a bandaid–or every single night for a period of time? Thanks; my 6-year old daughter is getting flack from her schoolmates about her warts and I’d like to be able to get rid of them naturally.
LJM
I had a few small warts on my left foot a while back, and I read that I should use a potato peel to get rid of them. Well I applied the potato peel and used a band aide to keep it in place. Within a month they were all gone. Thank God Almighty for all the natural resources He has made and given us to help our bodies with different problems!
MN
Twenty years ago I had warts (verruca) on the sole of my left foot and on my right hand, perhaps from touching the ones on my foot. A friend advised me of the potato rubbing remedy. Within three weeks of daily treatment, they disappeared, and remain gone to this day.
Mark S.
When I was young I had warts on my hands and fingers. My grandmother rubbed the warts with potato skins and then buried the skins. All the warts went away.
brettbum
I have an old medical text book with about 30 volumes in it. It’s about 100 years old and the preventative medicine section prescribes this potato remedy (which I first heard about myself 30 years ago from my Great Grandmother).
The only difference is that the medical text book doesn’t require hiding the potato, burying it or anything like that. Just rubbing the raw potato on the wart, pimple etc.
AM
I told this remedy to a doctor that I work with. Her daughter had several warts that had been burned off, then cut off and still grew back. She did not want to go back to the doctor, because the treatments were painful. So they decided to try the potato remedy even though they were both doubting that it would work. She sliced a white potato into wafer-thin pieces, then placed it on the warts and covered with a dressing. She left it on overnight for one week. The only thing that they did not do was to bury the potato. After one week the warts were gone, and that was almost one year ago. They have not come back since. I think they are believers now.
AW
When I was about 8 years old my brother and I both had warts on our hands. Our Aunt asked us if she could buy them from us. We agreed and she gave us a quarter for each wart. A week later they were gone and never returned.
Chrissy W.
I have warts on both my eyelids and the bottoms of my eyes. It’s horrifying. This is day one of the potato remedy. Dr. wants to slice warts open and “hope” it works! I’m sooo desperate!
Thanks for tips!
Dr. Greer
Viral warts will resolve on their own over time… but it can take a long time! This complicates our ability to determine effective strategies for managing warts (did it resolve because of the potato goo, or on its own?). One thing’s for sure… we should find a fancy name for the potato process, like “ablative potato therapy,” or “Solanum tuberosum Linnaeus ablation.” Perhaps then doctors could bill for it! (Joking of course–but I’m sure someone would.)
LJK
I have just read the website of an aromatherapist. She states that warts are caused by a virus (as is also stated on your website), and that they are an external sign of an internal potassium deficiency. I thought, after reading about the comments of your readers regarding their experiences with treating warts, that a possible common factor in their treatments is potassium (potatoes, milkweed, urine [perhaps the body’s own potassium]. Thanks for your show and website.
LB
I was told by my grandmother to rub warts with potato skins, or place potato skins on them. I put a piece of potato skin on the warts with a Band Aid, and it worked on all of them.
k
I had a wart on my thumb when I was little, and a lady told me to pee on a penny and rub the penny on the wart. I did, and it went away.
ss
Years ago, my aunt, a nurse, broke open the stalk of a milkweed plant and smeared some of the white goo on my wart. The wart soon disappeared and never returned.
Don
When I was a child both hands were covered with warts. Many home remedies were tried. One worked completely: For two weeks, each night at bedtime, rub hands thoroughly with castor oil and tie a sock on each hand.