Whitlow is a term applied to all acute inflammations of the deep seated tissues in the finger, whether the structure affected by the root of the nail, the pulp of the fingertip, the sheath of the tendons that run along the back and front of the fingers or the bone. A small, painful abcess forms at the base of the nail or the pulp of finger. The pain of whitlow is intense and the patient is very uncomfortable. Suppuration and bursting of a whitlow takes a long time. Some­times the nail is lost and the finger may be disfigured.

Natural Cures for Whitlow:

Ten grams of Isphagula should be steeped in 40 grams of Vinegar and applied to the spot when the whole thing has swollen. The poultice like mixture should be bandaged with a clean cloth and water dripped over it. The bandage should be changed every three hours. The inflammation will subside in three days. Once the pus has been ejected after suppuration, cooked leaves of Neem should be made into a poultice and bound over the site of the whitlow.

A Brinjal (egg plant) should be cooked in hot ashes and cut open. The finger affected by whitlow should be placed in it when it is still warm. It will suppurate and the pus will be ejected.

If a case of whitlow is intractable, an Onion should be sliced and ground with a pinch of Salt in it. The paste should be applied over the affected limb; a new application being made every six hours.