Boils

Boils—painful, pus-filled inflammations of the skin and subcutaneous tissue—have many causes. They may be due to chronic constipation, or to high pitta in the blood. A toxic liver can also create boils. Repeated boils may be a sign of diabetes, so if you get boils repeatedly, check on your blood sugar.

NEEM POWDER PASTE. At the site of the boil, apply a paste of neem powder (preferably) or some neem oil. To make the paste, simply mix a little neem powder with warm water.

TRIPHALA WASH. Wash the affected area with triphala tea. Boil 1 teaspoon triphala in 1 cup of water. Cool, and wash your face or other affected area with the tea. Let it dry on the skin. (For information about triphala, see appendix 2.)

FOR DIABETES. If there is a history of diabetes in the family and you get repeated boils, use this formula:

neem 1 part
turmeric 1 part
kutki ½ part

Taking ½ teaspoon of this mixture 2 or 3 times a day with warm water will help take care of the root cause of the boil. Continue taking it until the boil disappears.

FOR
CHRONIC
CONSTIPATION. If the boil appears to be due to chronic

constipation, do a basti (enema) using dashamoola tea. Boil 1 tablespoon

of the herb dashamoola in a pint of water for 5 minutes. Let the liquid

cool, strain it, and use it for an enema.

In addition, take ½ teaspoon of amalaki or the herbal compound triphala at night. Steep the triphala in a cup of hot water for 5 to 10 minutes and then drink. This purgation will help to remove excess pitta from the hematopoietic (blood-building) system, which is the cause of the boil. You may continue taking the triphala or amalaki indefinitely, even after the boil is healed, as a preventive and general health tonic.

COOLING, HEALING PASTE. Apply a paste of red sandalwood and turmeric powder locally. Use ½ teaspoon of each powder, and mix them together in warm water to make a paste.

BRING THE BOIL TO A HEAD. Apply cooked onions as a poultice, or apply a paste of ginger powder and turmeric (½ teaspoon of each) directly to the boil, to bring it to a head.

LIVER CLEANSERS. A boil may develop into an abscess, if the boil is due to an infection of the sebaceous glands (a pitta condition). It becomes inflamed, raised, and red. If you use a formula to help cleanse the liver, the condition will be improved.

A simple and effective liver cleanser is aloe vera gel. Take 2 tablespoons 3 times a day.

Or you may try this Ayurvedic formula:

shanka pushpi 3 parts
kutki 2 parts
gulwel sattva ⅛ part

Take ½ teaspoon of this mixture 3 times a day with warm water.