01/09/2026
Probably the most famous wart in history is the one that Oliver Cromwell sported above his left eye. When he commissioned a portrait he demanded that it be a “demanded an honest, un-idealised depiction,” hence the famous saying “warts and all.” Today there are numerous proprietary treatments for warts which are easily obtainable from the local chemist. Centuries ago this was certainly not the case and instead of visiting the pharmacy many folk on Dartmoor would visit the local ‘wart charmer’. These were men and woman who by various means and rites could ‘charm’ away any wart – usually for a nominal fee. To this day there are still wart charmers who offer the same service. But here are a very few of the traditional remedies and spells that at one time were believed to be efficacious against warts.
1) Find an oak apple (gall) and crush it to a powder, this should then be mixed with a strong vinegar and applied to the offending wart/s.
2) Take an eel and then cut off its head then rub the wart with the blood that seeps from the severed wound. Once this is done bury the head in the ground, as the head rots away the wart will gradually disappear.
3) Take as many small stones from a running brook as the number of offending warts, then put them into a clean white bag and throw it into road, preferably at a road junction. Then wash each wart in vinegar on seven consecutive mornings, whoever was unfortunate enough to pick up the white bag will get the warts and yours will disappear.
4) To get rid of warts you must steal from the butchers shop a tiny piece of lean meat. This must then be rubbed on the wart three times from left to right. The meat must be immediately buried and as it is you must say, “As you rot, so depart my warts!”
5) To cure a wart the first seen blackberry of the season should be picked and rubbed over the wart and then thrown away. As the berry either rotted away or was eaten by some bird or animal the affliction would disappear.
6) A rather complicated cure was practiced on the western moor and that was to take a live snail which was then rubbed on every wart whilst reciting three times, “Wart, wart, on this snail’s back, go away soon and don’t come back”. The poor old snail had then to be impaled on a hawthorn bush by one of its thorns, as the snail rotted away the warts vanished.
7) Rub the milky juice of the petty spurge (Euphorbia peplus) onto the wart.
8) For three consecutive nights, rub the wart with the furry inside of a broad bean pod, on each occasion bury it in the ground, as the pod rots so the warts vanish.
9) This one comes from the Ashburton area, prick the wart with a pin, and then stick the pin into the trunk of an ash tree. Next, recite the following rhyme, “Ashen tree, ashen tree, pray buy these warts from me”. The warts will be transferred to the unfortunate tree.
10) Here is a modern cure that was related by a farmer, that is to simply cover the wart with Duct Tape and leave in-situ for three days, then rip off the tape and the wart will peel off with it.
11) Here’s an odd one from Tavistock, take an un-opened pea pod that contains nine peas and rub it on the warts whilst chanting, “Wart, wart, dry away”. Then bury the pod and wait until it rots by which time the warts will have gone. How would you know how many peas are in a pod without opening it?
12) Apply the ‘milk’ from the stem of a dandelion directly on the wart, this cure also worked for spots and pimples. It was recommended that the ‘milk’ should never put on healthy skin as it is an irritant.
13) People would cut the apple in half and then rub one of the halves over the wart, the two pieces would be bound together and buried, as the fruit rotted then so the wart disappeared. Alternately you could cut the apple in half, rub one bit over the wart and then feed it to a pig whilst eating the remaining half.
14) Cut an onion in half and rub one half over the afflicted area. The two halves must then be tied back together and buried deep in the ground, as the onion rotted so the warts began to disappear.
15) Another cure from the Tavistock area was to take 9 leaves of Heart Fever Grass (Dandelion) and 9 Scarlet Pimpernel or Shepherd’s Dial flowers. These were then placed in a silk bag which was worn around the neck. Then every morning and night the bag had to be held over the wart/s whilst saying: “Herb Pimpernel, I have thee found, Growing, on Christ Jesus ground. The same gift, Lord Jesus have thee, When his blood He shed to spare thee. Herb Grass this evil pass, And God bless all who wear thee, Amen.”
