Boils, Carbuncles, and Furuncles - II

Boils, Carbuncles, and Furuncles (Contd.)

In the early stage, that is when the boil is small and slightly red we can try putting hot pack on the site. Some times the boil will become soft and slowly it will disappear within a day or two. Normally it is not advisable to do pin pricking at home because it can lead to serious infection. It may unnecessarily lead to complications. A number of home remedies can be applied with good results; they avoid direct puncturing of the boil. Here are several inexpensive tricks: 1. Mix freshly cooked white rice with a bit of castor oil and apply to the boil. Cover the paste (poultice) with a plant leaf and apply a tight (but not too tight) bandage to the site. Leave the bandage intact for ten or twelve hours. Hibiscus, castor tree, banana, Four O’clock, gongura – these leaves will work wonders. 2. Instead of rice one can also use a wheat flour paste. 3. Sandalwood paste, particularly freshly ground wet paste also is very effective for boils. It cools the skin (boil) locally and helps in healing fast. 

Traditional (herbal or Ayurvedic) healers use castor, mustard, or neem oil for topical applications. Such oils make the skin soft and prevent additional infections.I should mention here a few (celebrity) cases to highlight the severity of skin diseases. Many people particularly those with brown or dark skin develop pigment (dark) patches due to excessive exposure to sun. One should be careful with sun’s radiation. It can lead to skin cancer – it happened to Sri Ramana, President Jimmy Carter, and senator John McCain. Carl Marx suffered life long with skin problems, particularly boils. 

If a boil, blister, or skin wound happens on outer accessible regions of body, then it is easy to apply bandage or antibiotic ointment (Bacitracin, Boroline, Soframycin). However, some times boils can pop up at very inconvenient places (under arm, inner thighs, etc.) and they can create unbearable pain leading to severe impairment or restricted body movement. If they show up on face – they create embarrassing situations. Often this often happens with facial acne during adolescent growth stage with active hormones. 

Now, internally what to drink or eat? We should try to keep the body in a cool state, in its own natural equilibrium. That means taking good (freshly prepared) food, fresh fruits, juice, yogurt, and buttermilk. Periodically it is advisable to give the skin an oil massage. Often boils happen near the roots of hair; oily skin massage keeps the skin clean, soft, and it helps to retain natural moisture. Avoid as much as possible dry itchy skin situations – this happens in extreme dry hot climate or in cold indoors during winter. 

So, basically we have two or three methods of handling stubborn boils: 1. Take immediate action as soon as it appears. Apply hot pack and massage gently with one of the oils mentioned above. Usually the boil should start improving in appearance. That is, it becomes less red in color and feels a bit soft to the touch. Normally within a few days the skin should return to its normal feel and color. 2. In acute cases we have to resort to minor but very careful local surgery. At this stage one can consult a physician if one can avail easily (within the bounds of cost, accessibility, etc.). Thoroughly clean tools must be used to pin prick the boil. After gentle draining of blood and pus, we have to cover the wound with gauge and keep it dry. In the last stage one can use antibiotic ointment to help in the process of healing. Even a small drop of turmeric mixed mustard oil can seal and heal the broken boil. 3. Applying a poultice is an alternative method to deliberate surgical puncturing. Here we take a warm paste (freshly cooked white rice, wheat flour mixed with castor seed oil) and apply directly to the boil. The poultice is securely fastened to the site with clean leaf (betel leaf, hibiscus, castor seed, banana, etc.) and clean cloth. Usually just one application is enough. Or, one can remove the old bandage and apply a fresh paste after ten or twenty hours.    

According to the Indian Materia Medica  the following help in the management of boils (healing, pressing down, or cracking open): Fig fruit, (country) kanda (Elephant’s Foot Yam, Zamin Kanda/Suran), boiled rice, castor seed, moon plant, fenugreek, thorny amaranthus, onion, tamarind, cilantro (coriander), cumin, clay, gongura, dhaniya, tobacco, sour poyi (Basella alba), drumstick leaves, neem oil, garlic, custard apple, lime, alum, and turmeric. “A stitch in time saves nine” – that proverb holds lot of truth in skin care. Proper nutrition (fruits, buttermilk, vitamin supplements) and a little hygiene do wonders for the skin. Otherwise even a tiny boil can make life unbearable and miserable. This article is no substitute for a doctor’s visit. No AI (Artificial Intelligence) tools were used in writing this article. Copyright 2025 by the author