A boil (also known as a furuncle) is a bacterial infection of a blocked oil gland or hair follicle. A boil usually appears suddenly as a painful pink or red bump about half an inch in diameter. The surrounding skin also may be red and swollen. Within 24 hours, the bump fills with pus. It grows larger and more painful for five to seven days, sometimes reaching golf-ball size before it develops a yellow-white tip that finally ruptures and drains. Boils generally clear completely in about two weeks. Small boils usually heal without scarring, but a large boil may leave a scar.

A carbuncle is a cluster of boils that often occurs on the back of the neck, shoulders, or thighs, especially in older men. Carbuncles cause a deeper and more severe infection than a single boil. As a result, they develop and heal more slowly and are likely to leave scars.

REMEDIES FOR BOILS……..

Bread: On boiling water, put a piece of regular bread. Remove it when it is soft. Apply it to the boil on a temperature tolerable to the skin. This will bring out the head of the boil faster.
Bitter Gourd/karela – Prepare a juice of bitter gourd and add one teaspoon of limejuice in it. Everyday start your day by drinking this juice on an empty stomach. This remedy is very useful in case you have got boils, which are filled with blood.
Betel Leaves/ Paan and castor oil – Take a betel leaf and boil it in warm water till it becomes soft. Then put castor oil over this leaf and keep it over the area affected with boils. Keep for about and hour or two and then replace it with another betel leaf dipped in castor oil. This is also one of the very effective home remedies for boils.
Wrap sliced onion in a cloth and apply. Avoid direct application of onion to skin.
 Mash two or three garlic cloves and apply.

 Tea Tree Oil — Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic that is able to help in the healing of all kinds of skin problems. All you have to do is apply one drop of tea tree oil directly on the boil each morning after bathing until it's gone.

·  Castor Oil — Put some Castor oil on a cotton ball and place it on the boil. You will need to secure it with gauze or a band-aid. Castor oil will draw the poison right out of the boil and can heal it in as little as two days.

Turmeric/arad for boils
 

FRANK FROM NEPAL…..

I have been fighting a battle with boils/cysts since February 2007. From Feb to Apr 2007 I have been lanced in the operating theatre 3 times, and 5 times in the surgeon’s consultation rooms.

The cysts would appear on the right loin, lanced, and then another would appear on the left loin.

I have seen an urologist, internist, ear, nose and throat specialist, and surgeon whose answer to everything was lance it.

It was a battle which started to affect my work, personal life. Within 48 hours the boil will start, and then grow till ready to burst. I couldn't plan any holidays, trips.

Then after May 2007 it went away, and I was ecstatic about this "remission" as it turned out. Lo and behold October 2007 it can back with a vengeance. Which I had once again lanced.

Then I decided to take my health into my own hands and made an appointment with a natural health practitioner. He did help a lot in reversing free radical damage, etc but he said to cut caffeine and aspartame. Which I did, but the boils re-appeared. My GP said that the medical profession can't help my further.

Then a friend of a friend who is Indian told me about this spice called turmeric.

Boils started to appear on my left loin. In less than a day the boils were red and inflamed. I immediately went to the nearest supermarket to purchase turmeric. Within a couple of hours the pain seemed less. The next morning the pain was CONSIDERABLY less and the boils shrunk to 1/3 of its original size. And on day 3 zip, gone nothing.

I have been using Turmeric for 1.5 months and it is still gone.

It does give you constipation and dehydrate you. Drink plenty water and buy some extra electrolytes.

Dry ginger and asafoetida- hing paste should be made by adding a small quantity of water. This paste should be applied over the areas of boils twice a day as an external measure.
 
Another efficient remedy would be to apply a mixture of 1 tsp milk cream, 1 tsp vinegar and a pinch of turmeric powder, on the boils. This would ripen the boil without letting it get septic.
 
Boils can be cured by using onions and garlic. Extract the juice of either of the two and apply it on the boil. It would ripen the boil and break it, thus evacuating the pus. You also use onion and garlic together, mixing the juices in equal quantities.

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Ammarah
Radio Islam
+27118547022
ammarah@radioislam.co.za
www.radioislam.co.za