Home Remedies for Children with Chicken Pox

| Modified on Dec 24, 2017
Chickenpox is a viral disease caused by the Varicella Zoster. It is said to affect everyone at least once in a lifetime and is a very contagious infection that can quickly spread from one child to another.

Thankfully, Earth Clinic's readers have reported a number of simple but effective natural cures for treating chicken pox in children, including baths with apple cider vinegar, baking soda or epsom salts. Immune boosting supplements like vitamin C or D are recommended daily. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that helps eliminate infection and toxic material in the body. It also stimulates the function of your immune system. Vitamin D is said to prevent the spread of chicken pox.

Continue reading below to see what our readers have recommended. Please let us know what natural home remedies you used to cure your child of chicken pox!




Apple Cider Vinegar

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Posted by Kelly (Murrieta, Ca) on 03/16/2013
★★★★★

My daughter just broke out in Chickenpox this morning (there was an outbreak in her school). She is 8 years old. I put her in a bath and poured Apple Cider Vinegar into it. It completely took her itch away. Highly recommend!

Replied by Francisca
(Surrey)
07/10/2017

So how do I use it pls. My daughter had chicken pox now and it has really make her weak


Baking Soda

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Posted by Lew (Melbourne, Australia) on 02/22/2009
★★★★★

Half a cup of baking soda in a bath was great in alleviating the children's itch when they had chicken pox - or dab on as a paste.


Baking Soda
Posted by Debbie (Auckland, New Zealand) on 11/14/2008
★★★★★

I have used this with my son and suggested it to friends who found it work too. The person with chicken pox should bath in water with 4 table spoons of bicarbinate of soda in a quarter bath of water. Whilst not a cure, it seems to help the itching and dry up the spots.


Borax Baths

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Posted by Carla (Greenville, NC) on 12/08/2008
★★★★★

I became a fan of borax when my son was 2 years old and had the chicken pox. His doctor told me to put him in a bath with borax and it would help with his itching. It was wonderful. He would sleep for hours after his borax fix. I used about 1 cup of borax in a tub of water deep enough to cover him. Now, I am trying to cut back my water usage. To do that I put a few oz. of borax in the bottom of a dixie cup and fill it with water. I pour it over my hair and rinse. Instead of using a cream rinse, I use a leave in spray rinse from my hair dresser. It helps save my well water, and my hair has never been so beautiful and soft. TRY IT!!!


Calcium Bentonite Clay

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Posted by Janice (Seminole, Florida) on 04/28/2008
★★★★★

My grandson is eleven years old and came visiting Saturday with a very bad case of chicken pox. He was extremely uncomfortable and itching himself allot, I hydrated a batch of calcium bentonite clay and smeared it all over his pox marks. I gave him a jar of it to take with him and told him to apply it whenever he starting itching. He had immediate relief. My son took him to the doctor's office monday morning and the doctor wanted to know what he had used to heal him so fast. He is all healed that fast and no scarring at all!

Replied by Chie
(Gt, Cayman Islands)
06/27/2013

How long do I keep this on my skin? I just had a chicken pox and am thinking of making a paste. Do I wash it off after 20 mins? Perhaps take an oatmeal bath after?

Replied by Andrea C
(Cardiff, Wales)
06/27/2013

CALAMINE LOTION!!! YIPEE!!!! It's nonsense you only get it once, I got it 4 times!!! Thank you my dear Family!!! Lol xxx I caught it off younger Family members, then all by myself??? I think not!! It is the herpes virus. It will hide in your body, you need too kill the virus off.. It is also responsible for Shingles, genital herpes, cold sores. You can also try aloe vera capsules. They were a life saver for my darling departed MUM.... I was nearly dead in hospital, my MUM seeing me like that, triggered off 'shock', which then activated her Shingles. Nothing the doctors prescribed helped. But she swore by the aloe vera capsules, they healed her. Hope this helps. Love Andrea C xxxx


Epsom Salts, Table Salt

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Posted by Natasha (George Town, Grand Cayman) on 03/22/2009
★★★★☆

My son broke out with the chicken pox. My mom gave me an old remedy of baking soda, cersie and regular table salt. I needed something more and knowing that epsom salt works for everything including mosquito bites, sprained ankles and dog bites I decided to put him in a warm bath with cersie, epsom salt and a little bit of regular table salt. He is not itching now. I am also trying Neosporin on the bumps on his face for the Vitamin E capabilities. I'll definately do the epsom salt soak again later tonight. Hopefully the concoction works in a matter of days instead of the predicted 21 days.


Honey

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Posted by Stephanie (Salt Lake City, Utah) on 05/26/2008
★★★★★

I can't say enough about the benefits of raw honey. My ten and four year olds woke up this morning with chicken pox. I couldn't leave them here alone and run to the store for anything to help the itching, so I mixed raw honey and cinnamon in a little bowl and dabbed it on thier blisters. My four year old had been crying because she was so itchy, but after dabbing on the honey-she smiled is now resting comfortably. I have other things I am going to do for them to see if it helps the severity of thier symptoms. I'll post results.

Replied by Darntart
(New York, Ny)
09/01/2012
★★★★★

I have a mild form of chicken pox and wake up with super itchy chicken pox marks. Once I put a little bit of manuka honey on the marks, they stop itching!! Love the effects of manuka honey!!


Mama's Treatment

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Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee, Usa) on 02/24/2014
★★★★★

Hi!

My two year old and five year old have just gotten over the chicken pox. I thought I would pass along some things we tried that were helpful.

Daily, I tried to get into them, the following:

Elderberry syrup – 1 Tablespoon 3x a day for little ones. I would give twice as much for teens and adults.

Extra Virgin Coconut Oil – 1 teaspoon 3 x day for little ones. 1 Tablespoon 3x day for teens and adults.

Colloidal Silver - 1 dose three times a day, preferable on an empty stomach.

Vitamin C and D would be good additions, too. I just didnâ€TMt have a good D supplement for little ones and mine were getting C in the elderberry. Still, I wish I had done more vitamin C.

Baking Soda Baths – seem to be really soothing. I notice a great decrease in scratching for several hours after the bath, even on spots that were not underwater. Perhaps this is improved PH?

It appeared that store bought dairy products are not helpful and may be harmful to healing! I ran out of raw milk and raw milk kefir, but one child had a chicken pox in his throat and that sort of thing was very soothing. So, I got a gallon of regular milk from the store and made smoothies with it. Then my two year old took a nap. By the time he got up, he and his 5 year old brother were much worse. It was the biggest change for the worst I had seen at all! The two year oldâ€TMs spots were much angrier looking and the 5 year old just felt awful for the first time! Okay, no more store milk for them when sick!

Sunshine and fresh air are good for everything and I think they are good for chicken pox, too. Unfortunately, days when chicken pox is going around (fall and winter) are not usually warm and sunny. But we had one warm and sunny day during the illness. I took the two year old out for a stroller ride, intentionally leaving his feet, lower legs and head bare to maximize his vitamin D exposure potential. We went out at noon and had a 30 minute walk or so. When I changed him after his nap, his spots looked better! Maybe it is placebo for me, who knows. I know both of our attitudes were better!

Topically I used a number of different things. I used a homemade salve that was olive oil based and had comfrey, plantain and burdock in it. It seemed to sooth the itch. I used straight coconut oil. That also seemed to decrease itching for a time. The plantain salve that I tried seemed to help the itch and decrease the redness of the bumps. That salve had been made from fresh plantain leaves and was likely quite strong. But I didnâ€TMt have a large sample size to really compare results.

Complications of Chicken Pox –

Fever – One of my children had a fever and one did not. The two year old had fever intermittently. The first night his fever was 103.5. He was very hot. He would gulp down the water I gave him during the night. I used oils on his feet to treat the fever. Peppermint oil alone works well. I have a mixture I like that is equal parts of peppermint, ginger, and lemongrass essential oils. This helps with fever and also with nausea. I would consider treating with something over the counter if the fever was prolonged and there was a risk of dehydration. Of course, using those drugs when dehydration is present makes them more dangerous, so proceed with caution.

Pox in throat – very painful. I was spraying Colloidal Silver (10ppm) every time I thought of it into this childâ€TMs throat. If it had been me, I would have tried a salt/cayenne water gargle, but that would be a lot to ask of a 5 year old. If you ever try it, let me know if it helps! My ten year old had a touch of a sore throat this week and ASKED to gargle cayenne, knowing how helpful it is. The sore throat was gone the next day.

Staph infection – we did not deal with this, but it is a complication of chicken pox. Scratching increases the risk, so everything that can be done to minimize the scratching is good. Little ones can wear socks on the hands can help. If pox begin to look infected, taking turmeric internally three times a day will help. (1 teaspoon or 4 casules 3x a day for adults. ? teaspoon or 2 capsules for 9 and up or so, ? teaspoon for 12 months and up, 3x a day (Mix in applesauce or honey.)

Pox near/in eye. My 5 year old had a pox on his eyelid right at the eyelashes. I put salve or coconut oil onto this very often. The pox was right on the lower eyelid near the lashes. Redness spread under the eye and the lower eyelid was swollen. The eyeball was beginning to get bloodshot and had some goo in it, as if it were pinkeye. Perhaps varicella (chicken pox virus) can cause that, or perhaps he had pinkeye also. His sister had pinkeye last week. But he definitely had a pox. Either way, the treatment would be the same. I mixed 1 teaspoon dry chamomile flowers and 1 teaspoon dry eyebright in a mug. I poured a bit of boiling water over it, just to moisten it. When it was cooled to body temperature, or cooler, I put it in a square of cotton and folded the herbs into it and used the poultice over the eye for 10 minutes three times a day. (A chamomile tea bag could be used the same way.) I noticed improvement after the second application. I also put one drop of charcoal tea into each eye after using the poultice. To make the tea, put 1 teaspoon charcoal powder in a cup. Add ? cup water. Mix. Strain out charcoal. The remaining water still has small charcoal particles in it. Drop one drop into the eye 3-4 times a day. Continue at least 24 hours after all symptoms have cleared.

A favorite book of mine is by Edith Schaeffer. It is called, “What is a Family?” It was a really lovely book and my favorite chapter was called, “A Shelter in a time of Storm.” She gave all kinds of ideas for making a sick person more comfortable. I think of that every time my children are sick. It is a special opportunity to love and care for them. I have held and rocked my two year old more in the last week than I have in the last six months. He is usually too busy to be rocked and held. But I have treasured the snuggle time with him. I remember when I went away to college that when I was the most homesick was when I was sick. I had always taken my own motherâ€TMs good care of me when I was sick for granted. It may sound funny that I have “happy memories” of being sick, but I do. I hope my children will, too.

While chicken pox are not fun, having the actual disease is safer in most cases than the vaccine. Vaccines have limited effectiveness and risks that go along with them. I know a number of people that were vaccinated that got chicken pox anyway.

I hope something here will be helpful for others dealing with chicken pox!

~Mama to Many~


Multiple Remedies

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Posted by Shannara (Morrisville, Vermont) on 03/07/2013
★★★★★

I wanted to thank all the posters of the chicken pox remedies here on the site... you have my eternal gratitude.

My son, then 9 years old and unvaccinated, came down with the chicken pox around Halloween 2012. Here's what I did after researching the natural remedies on Earthclinic:

I immediately started him on 1,500 mg vitamin C and 1,000 mg lysine, both 3 x a day.

The lysine tablets were huge, so I ground them up into powder and mixed that into fruit smoothies (2 cups water, 1 banana, 2 cups of frozen berries). He loved the smoothies and they completely cover up the taste of the lysine.

For the first 4-5 days, I made him warm baths with 1 cup of Epsom salt, 2 x a day. For localized itching, I made a paste of bentonite clay and smeared it directly onto the blisters, which stopped the itching immediately.

I also let him drink only water and herbal teas for the week (no soda, fruit juices, etc. ) and gave him only non-acidic foods (no tomatoes, no spicy foods, no sugary foods, no dairy).

That's all... And it was an absolute miracle! From start to finish, there was almost no itching, pain or discomfort. Except for a pretty high fever the first night, which I brought down slightly with cold compresses (remember, fever is your friend -- don't suppress it entirely! ), he felt fine the entire time.

After about 3 days, he was basically back to normal, even though it took a whole week before all the blisters were dried up so he could go back to school.

I'd been really scared of having to deal with an itchy, whiny kid the whole week, but he just breezed through the whole thing, it was absolutely amazing. Thank you, thank you, thank you!


Multiple Remedies
Posted by Ruth (Stavanger, Norway (american, Working In Norway)) on 08/08/2011

My three little ones are just recovering from chicken pox, so I thought I would share what worked best for me. When the chicken pox first started, they took two oatmeal baths a day, to which I also added Borox, Epsom Salts, and/or Baking Soda. I would apply the oatmeal bag several times during the bath. After the bath, I sprayed peroxide all over their bodies. I also tried adding peppermint oil and chamomile oil to the peroxide. It worked great and smelled wonderful! It stings for a couple minutes, but is very effective. After that, I mixed coconut oil with a salve I have and applied it all over. (Herbal Savvy with golden seal and myrrh, Country Comfort Herbals, ordered from Lucky Vitamin. ) I also gave the kids lots of supplements: Vit. C, Magnes., grapefruit seed ext., echinacea, homemade colloidal silver, and peroxide orally.

My kids had LOTS of chicken pox. The ones that had already developed took several days to dry up, but the ones that I caught early either disappeared without even developing, or dried up in a couple days. I also used the honey/ACV/cinnamon mixture at first, which worked well, but the kids hated getting it on and were quite sticky. My sympathies to those of you with chicken pox, and hope this helps!


Multiple Remedies
Posted by Maija (Helsinki, Finland) on 09/08/2010

Even though my 5 year old daughter is vaccinated, she woke up one day with chicken pox. I did some research on Earth clinic and other sites and concluded that chicken pox should be treated like an herpes. Therefore I made up a treatment by mixing a few remedies given for herpes, shingles and chicken pox. First, every time my daughter itched I applied cotton swabs soaked in apple cider vinegar on her sores. I left the cotton on for 5 minutes. After removing and letting the ACV dry, I put a dab of a home made oil mixture on the sores. I made the oil with one tablespoon of coconut oil, one tablespoon of a pharmacy aloe vera chamomile ointment for chicken pox, and a quarter spoon of cayenne pepper. This was constant treatment during the first and second day. I also sponge bathed her in oatmeal water and rinsed her with water that had baking soda in it. In addition, I gave her 1,500 mg of vitamin C and 1,000 mg of lysine two times in one day. By the second evening she was not complaining any more, she slept through the second night without the itching waking her up. By the third day her pox sores were all dried up and she was 100% back to her cheery self. I am treating her scabs now with vitamin E so that they don´t leave any scars. Thanks to Earth clinic community for these wonderful ideas! I have used many remedies from Earth Clinic before, but this is the first time I post because I was so excited to see how this treatment worked so well.


Multiple Remedies
Posted by Rondamommie (Kansas City, Mo, Usa) on 04/12/2010

My 5 year old daughter started manifesting chicken pox Saturday (2 days ago). She has already experienced the fever, nausea, achy muscles, sleeping tons aspect of this condition. On that day I gave her 1200mg (had only 600mg pills on hand..) of Lysine every 3 hours, along with a glass of Hydrogen Per. drops, 10drops/glass, in water every 2 hours, along with appx 100mg of aspirin every 4 hours, black coffee with coconut oil and some raw, organic honey all to attenuate the virus and give her some energy as per Ted's remedy for the Flu, and others ideas....

(I didn't realize until the next day that she had chicken pox as she was better by evening from the sick part of this viral manifestation...)

Now, my question, do I continue withe Lysine, aspirin, hydrogen peroxide regimen until the blisters have disappeared? I have decided for the time being to continue Lysine and Hydrogen Per.......

How about he aspirin since the mainstream media 'says' it will cause "Reyes Syndrome" in kids with chicken pox virus active? Is this accurate, as I am always most doubtful of mainstream "medicine".

Has anyone any experiences that are similar to share with me or understanding of what helps reduce this outbreak the quickest? I am doing well in handling the itching via all the wonderful remedies and suggestions that I have already found here.

In Appreciation, Ronda

Replied by Synergy4
(Fresno, Ca, u.s.)
05/18/2011

NO ASPIRIN!!

Replied by Lisa
(Minneapolis, Mn)
02/27/2013

Never give children aspirin! Reye's Syndrome is very real and not made up by conventional medicine. Just reading that you gave your child this sent chills up my spine; I hope all turned out well. Ibuprofen and Tylenol are safe to give, but are not recommended in chicken pox. The fever helps the healing process.

Replied by Tiffiany
(Alaska)
07/01/2014

Someone already said this but I'm going to second it, NEVER GIVE A CHILD OR TEEN ASPIRIN!!! Reye's Syndrome.


Oatmeal Bath

Posted by Darlene (Otto, Nc, USA) on 08/30/2012

My 5 yr old gradchild recently came down with chicken pox; My daughter took her to the emergency room. The Dr. said: "It could be chicken pox, " "but he wasn't sure... They did not cover that much information on chicken pox in Med. School. " "And he was not exactly sure how to treat it. " (At least he was honest.) Since he wasn't sure... my daughter brought my grandchild to me.

Day one: She was so miserable; she was feverish, her throat hurt and she could not eat, her body was covered with the pox sores, and the itching was so intense she was crying, she could not sleep. I gave her ACV and baking soda in water to drink, I sprayed colloidal silver in her throat-ears-nose, also put peroxide in each ear, and let it bubble very well. I kept her fever under control with baby asprin and cold compresses. (I know alot of people are afraid to use asprin, but I come from a big family-12 children, and my mother always used baby asprin, and never lost a child; we are all in our 40's-60's now; I gave asprin to my child, and she is still alive. Oh, and yes my mom is still alive and kicking, at the age of 83.) I tried the oatmeal baths, and they would work for a little while, but did not completely stop it. I gave her a benadryl tablet, and before long the itching was totally gone; and she was able to sleep.

Day Two: Although the itching and fever was now gone, she had swollen lymp nodes behind both ears, and on both sides of her neck, and both tonsils looked like golf balls covered in little white dots. I gave her ACV and baking soda in water to drink, I sprayed colloidal silver in her throat-ears-nose, also put peroxide in each ear, and let it bubble very well. I continued the oatmeal baths (2 x daily) with some epsom salt added to help dry the pox sores. After her bath I sprayed the pox sores with the colloidal silver, and then applied gentian violet to each of the pox with a Qtip; of course by this point, she felt well enough to want too help... She loved her purple polka dots. Before bed I gave her another benadryl so she could sleep without itching.

Day Three: She is up early, very happy, feels good, puts together puzzels, goes out and jumps on the trampoline. (Jumping on the trampoline helps get the lymp nodes flowing.) I repeat the ACV and baking soda with water, colloidal silver treatment in throat-nose-ears, and peroxide in the ears, oatmeal baths with epsom salt. Another benadryl at night.

Day Four: Her first day of kindergarten, and she did't have to miss. She is so excited... When she got in from school, she wanted to re-apply the gentian violet... So I let her. I sprayed her throat-nose-ears with the colloidal silver. She took a regular bath, and did not take the benadryl tonight.

Day Five: Her pox sores have dried up, and shrunk. Her lymp nodes have shrunk, and are barely noticeable. She and her mother go home.

She did not have any permanent scarring.

If you use the gentian violet, it "will stain the skin... But is not permanent;" it fades gradually. If it gets on clothing, floors, countertops, etc. , it can be permanent. Bleach can usually remove it from most things, other than clothes.

Replied by Lisa
(Minneapolis, Mn)
02/27/2013

Please do not give aspirin to children! If you survived, it does not mean Reye's Syndrome cannot happen to your child or grandchild. Children really DO get Reye's Syndrome; it is no joke. I personally know an adult who had this as a child, and as a result, had to have a part of her skull removed to control the brain swelling. She also acquired AIDS in the process of multiple blood transfusions--obviously a rare side effect, but her suffering has been tremendous. Ibuprofen and Tylenol are much safer options if you want medicine to reduce fever.


Oatmeal Bath
Posted by Cameron (Brisbane, Qld, Australia) on 12/23/2011

Oatmeal baths are an excellent Remedy for the chickenpox.My daughter who has Leukemia (in remission) now has Chicken Pox. Itching stopped immediately I put her in the Oatmeal bath and she sounded a lot happier.

I am now trying Vitamin C and Lysine, had great success with Teds Flu remedy but as she is so young I am not giving her Aspirin. As soon as I saw the red spots I started spraying her with Colloidal Silver, a lot of spots disappeared straight away but some still became blisters, this is day 2 only. I do not know the strength of the Vitamin C, the Naturopath says it is very strong as it is not synthetic but naturally derived and the Lysine I can't find a strength either?


Peppermint Oil

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Posted by Michelle (Smithfield, Queensland, Australia) on 05/18/2009
★★★★★

My daughter was 7 when she contracted chicken pox. The itchiness was preventing her from sleeping, so I made up a solution of pure peppermint oil & water. (You can also use pure lavender oil). To 1 litre of water add 1 drop. Shake vigorously, tip out half the water, top up with water to again make 1 litre and then do it again, so you end up with 1/4 oil to 1 litre of water. This works on the homeopathic principle of attenuation (to weaken/reduce in intensity). I applied it where-ever the spots were, and within minutes the itching had stopped, and she was able to sleep peacefully. I prefer peppermint oil, as it has a soothing & cooling effect, and the spots clear up quickly with no scarring.
Have respect when using this oil, (as it is very potent) and be careful not to get any near your eyes or face, as it burns! (I can tell you this from personal experience!) Flush with plenty of water should this happen. However, reduced down to a quarter of its strength, it makes a formidable ally against chicken pox itching and scratching!



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