Plant Medicine Has Both Direct Antiviral And Systemic Effects On Warts

Warts are epidermal lesions caused by an infection by the human papilloma virus. The HPV virus is transmitted between hosts through direct contact. For infection and replication, the virus requires a compromised skin surface with epithelial cells in an advanced state of differentiation. It attacks the granulosum and keratin layers of the epidermis. The viral DNA and protein production occur in the upper spinous layer with final virus assembly occurring in the granular layer.
The human papilloma virus is a non-enveloped, double-stranded DNA virus that replicates in all epithelial cell layers. However, viral replication is associated with excessive proliferation of all of the epidermal layers except the basal layer. This process produces acanthosis, parakeratosis and hyperkeratosis. There is a deepening of the rete ridges, which produces the typical papillomatous architecture that produces pinpoint bleeding with debridement of the lesion.
Warts occur most frequently in children and young adults. One study suggests that the persistence of disease may be attributable to a lack of Langerhans' cells at the site of lesions, leading to decreased stimulation of cell-mediated immune response. Minor trauma at the site of inoculation is important as there could be an abrasion of the skin that allows penetration of the wart into the epidermis. Warts will frequently be present in high-pressure or high-friction areas.
Though one can diagnose warts with a high degree of certainty based on their clinical appearance, a biopsy may be required for a definitive diagnosis. If the lesion is chronic, aggressive, irregular and resistant to multiple therapies, be cautious of malignancy. In rare cases, warts may degenerate into verrucous carcinomas. Thus, diagnosis and treatment are essential.
Warts are generally benign and usually self-limiting lesions, but sometimes they become painful and can be debilitating. The incidence of warts is becoming higher and higher in the general population. Warts usually resolve spontaneously within a two-year period in about sixty percent of cases. While multiple treatments have been proposed over the years, there is no uniformly effective treatment for warts so therapy can often be difficult and unrewarding.
Most of us would try anything to get rid of an unsightly wart, from treatments of liquid nitrogen to daily applications of salicylic acid for weeks on end. The most common treatment utilized is home therapy with a nonprescription salicylic acid preparation. Unfortunately, certain reports show that only two of five patients have success with salicylic acid. In the office, we commonly see patients who have already failed over the counter salicylic acid treatments.
Dinitrochlorobenzene, like salicylic acid, is applied directly to the wart. Studies showed this method was effective with a cure rate of eighty percent compared to forty percent for placebo. But this drug must be used much more cautiously than salicylic acid; the chemical is a known mutagen, able to cause genetic mutations. So a physician must administer dinitrochlorobenzene. This drug induces an allergic immune response resulting in inflammation that wards off the wart-causing virus.
Cryotherapy, in which a physician uses liquid nitrogen to freeze and kill off the wart, is the method many people turn to when salicylic acid has failed. Some studies found this treatment was just as effective as salicylic acid; in other studies, cryotherapy was no better than a placebo at healing the warts. Other treatment options, from injections of the anti-tumor drug bleomycin to laser therapy, don't appear to have consistent effectiveness.
Better studies are necessary to find which method of wart removal is definitively the most effective. It is also important to inform patients that a series of treatments and great deal of patience are often required, regardless of the therapy. Patients may favor an individual treatment and may help with the decision-making process. Therefore, it's important to be aware of the alternative treatments for resistant warts. Plant medicine is an effective homeopathic treatment for warts.
Plant medicine is potent antiviral agent for warts which quantifiably destroys the HPV virus. It can provide maximum and rapid penetration of antiviral agents into cell membranes without damaging healthy tissue. The extracts in plant medicine have high levels of phenols and improve circulations. They can also strengthen immune parameters, which helps enhance the immunological, and cellular defense mechanism. To learn more, please go to http://www.naturespharma.org.