An Instagram reel claims that a paste of slaked lime, baking soda and water eliminate warts completely. The claim by the user is False.
Claim
In an Instagram reel it is claimed that a paste of slaked lime, baking soda and water eliminate warts completely. In the reel by healthflashy, it is said that "Don’t use this ₹1 ingredient unless you want your warts to completely disappear from the root — and that too in just 1 minute! Allpaste of slaked lime, baking soda and water eliminate warts completely you need is half a teaspoon of chuna (edible lime used in paan). Add half a teaspoon of baking soda to it, and then mix in 2 to 3 drops of water. Stir it well to form a paste. Now, apply this only on the wart. Within just 2 days, the wart will dry up and fall off — and you won’t even notice it happening. So make sure to share this video as much as possible and don’t forget to follow us!"
The reel is captioned as "The Easiest Home Remedy to Remove Warts! Treat Them with Just a 1-Rupee Ingredient!"
The reel can be accessed here.
Fact Check
The claim by the user is False. There is no scientific evidence supporting the claim that a paste of slaked lime (Chuna), baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), and water can completely eliminate warts. While some traditional remedies aim to irritate or chemically burn the wart tissue, this mixture is not a medically approved or safe treatment.
What are warts?
Warts are non-cancerous skin and mucosal growths caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).
There are over 100 types of HPV, and the virus can affect any part of the body. Warts appear in different forms, including:
- Common warts
- Genital warts
- Flat warts
- Deep warts on hands and feet (Myrmecia)
- Focal epithelial hyperplasia
- Epidermodysplasia verruciformis
- Plantar cysts
HPV spreads through direct skin contact or by touching contaminated surfaces. The risk of getting warts increases when the skin barrier is damaged (for example, by cuts or friction).
Although warts can be stubborn and hard to treat, they often go away on their own over time, usually within a few years. Some HPV types—particularly types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, and 3
—are considered high-risk because they are linked to certain cancers.
Management of warts
Once a wart is diagnosed, treatment depends on symptoms, patient preference, and cost. While many options exist, no treatment is consistently effective, and warts often return. It’s generally best to start with the simplest and least painful methods.
Observation is a valid approach. About two-thirds of warts go away on their own within two years, though they can sometimes grow or spread. Other treatment options include:
- Topical treatments, such as creams, gels, or liquids applied directly to the wart
- Cryotherapy, which involves freezing the wart with a very cold substance
- Chemical treatments, which involve applying stronger substances to destroy wart tissue
- Immunotherapy, which stimulates the immune system to fight the wart virus
- Injections into the wart, using substances to target the wart from within
- Systemic treatments, including oral or injected medications that affect the whole body and are used for resistant cases
- Alternative/non-drug therapies, such as taping, heat therapy, hypnosis, or herbal remedies (though evidence is limited)
- Surgical options, where the wart is physically removed using tools like lasers or cautery
Medicinal uses of slaked lime
Slaked lime (calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)₂) plays an important role in boosting calcium intake, especially in areas where it is used to enrich staple foods such as rice. Calcium is vital for bone health, growth, and overall development, and getting enough of it is key to preventing and managing conditions like rickets, which results from calcium deficiency.
Medicinal uses of baking soda
Sodium bicarbonate, commonly known as baking soda, is a white powder that is soluble in water. When it breaks down, it produces carbon dioxide, sodium carbonate, and water. The release of carbon dioxide gas helps dough rise, making it useful in baking cakes and bread. Sodium bicarbonate may enhance athletic performance and is also used in combination with other substances to treat indigestion and hyperkalemia (high levels of potassium in the blood).
FDA-approved Indications for sodium bicarbonate
1. Acute or chronic metabolic acidosis related to:
- Severe renal disease
- Uncontrolled diabetes
- Severe primary lactic acidosis
- Circulatory insufficiency due to shock
- Severe dehydration
- Extracorporeal circulation of blood
- Cardiac arrest
- Drug toxicity
- Barbiturates
- Toxic alcohols
2. Urine alkalization
3.Severe diarrhea with HCO3- loss
Can a paste of slaked lime, baking soda and water eliminate warts completely?
Studies have shown that slaked lime boosts calcium intake when added to staple foods like rice, while baking soda helps balance acidity, enhance athletic performance, and along with other substances can also treat hyperkalemia and indigestion, but there is no scientific evidence or medical consensus to support the claim that warts can be removed in just by using slaked lime and baking soda. In fact, this mixture may cause skin irritation or chemical burns, particularly on sensitive or broken skin. Warts are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) and require targeted treatments.
An article published in the journal Clinical Medicine and Research mentions that no single treatment is fully effective in all patients. There are various treatment options that the article mentions like removal using salicylic acid, surgical removal by curettage or cautery, chemical cautery, cryotherapy etc. However the article does not mention regarding this home remedy for wart removal.
Another article published in Journal of Integrative Dermatology highlighted that sodium bicarbonate may be a safe and effective option for treating certain skin conditions. It has antimicrobial properties and can be used in both hospitals and clinics, especially for pre-surgery skin preparation. Sodium Bicarbonate may also help with psoriasis, aquagenic pruritus (itching caused by water), and could be used as a shampoo substitute, though with care.
An article in Sathee, by Ministry of Education, mentions that direct contact of slaked lime with the skin may lead to various adverse reactions. It can cause irritation, resulting in redness and itching. Prolonged or high-concentration exposure may lead to chemical burns. Additionally, repeated contact can result in dermatitis, a condition marked by skin inflammation, dryness, scaling, and cracking.
While slaked lime and baking soda have recognized uses, such as boosting calcium intake and managing acidity, there is no scientific evidence or medical consensus supporting their effectiveness in removing warts. Warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) and typically require targeted medical treatments like salicylic acid, cryotherapy, or surgical removal. Importantly, applying slaked lime directly to the skin can cause irritation, chemical burns,
Dr Divya Siddavaram, Senior Dermatologist, CARE Hospitals, Hitech-city, Hyderabad, said, "Baking soda and slaked lime mixture is popularly used to remove warts and skin tags as an at-home remedy. It may or may not remove the warts but it will certainly lead to a lot of pigmentation and in extreme cases it can also lead to a lot of scarring. So beware of such things."
Dr Ruby Sachdev, Consultant Aesthetic Physician, Gleneagles Hospital Bengaluru, said, "While the idea of using a simple homemade remedy like a paste of slaked lime or baking soda may be very appealing, but honestly it is neither very safe nor effective for the wart removal. Applying a paste of one of the above would not eliminate warts because skin irritation, burns and pigmentation issues and using a mixture can be harmful. Warts generally are caused by human papilloma virus that is HPV and often resolve on their own over a time. However, for persistent bothersome warts, aesthetic physicians and dermatologists recommend treatments like cryotherapy, salicylic peels, laser therapy, and radiofrequency and cauterization. Cryotherapy is nothing but freezing the wart with liquid nitrogen, salicylic peels, the topical applications of peel which will help in drying up of the area. Laser therapy we use certain focus light to destroy the wart tissue and in radio frequency and cauterization we use heat to basically burn the wart out. These methods are clinically proven and minimize the risk of scarring or any skin damage."
Health Dialogues Final Take
The claim that a paste of slaked lime, baking soda, and water can eliminate warts completely is unsupported by scientific evidence and potentially dangerous. Slaked limed is a known skin irritant and can cause skin burns or irritation and have no proven antiviral effect against Human Papilloma Virus.
Hence, the claim that a paste of slaked lime, baking soda, and water can eliminate warts completely is FALSE.