Treating nail fungus with folk remedies is widely used in people’s everyday lives for several significant reasons. Firstly, it’s the naturalness of such remedies and their practically one hundred percent absence of side effects (except perhaps for individual intolerance to certain components). In addition, folk remedies can successfully complement traditional pharmaceutical treatments, and often doctors themselves advise combining them. Also, the price factor plays a significant role in their popularity.
There are countless folk recipes aimed at combating fungal diseases, including those in the groin area and ears. In this article, you can read about the most effective and common ones.
Recipes using plants
This is the most popular category of folk remedies for nail fungus, as many modern pharmaceutical drugs contain components of common flora.
• Tea tree oil – one of the most common remedies against mycoses. Tea tree oil for nail fungus is mainly used in the form of compresses and poultices.
Apply a piece of tea tree oil or its part to the affected areas of the nails of the hands or feet, wrap it in a waterproof material (more often ordinary cellophane is used) and put on clean socks. The procedure is carried out in the evening, shortly before bedtime, and the compress is removed in the morning. After applying the compress, be sure to rinse the affected area with water and clean the nail plates, then treat them with iodine.
• Celandine. Another leading folk remedy for fighting mycoses. For nail fungus, celandine can be used both in its pure form and as celandine oil. Moisten a cotton swab with juice from the leaves or celandine oil, apply it to the fungus-affected nail, and bandage it. Such a compress should be kept for 4 to 5 hours. Compresses should be done until complete rehabilitation of the nail plates.
• Kalanchoe. This common houseplant can also help fight fungal infections. Separate a leaf of kalanchoe from its film, apply it to the nail, wrap it with cellophane, and put on socks. Repeat every evening until recovery, in the morning, be sure to treat the nail plate with sterilized manicure tools.
• Golden mustache. Tincture from this plant can be prepared independently, but for time saving, it can be purchased at the pharmacy. Recipe for tincture: pour 50 joints of “golden mustache” with half a liter of vodka or pure alcohol, infuse for 14 days. Then one part of the tincture needs to be diluted with three parts of water. Rub into the affected skin 2-3 times a day.
• Mint. Crushed mint leaves mixed with salt and spread the resulting slurry between the toes for one hour. The compress is applied once or twice a day until recovery.
• Indian onion or Bird’s milk. The juice of this plant helps with nail fungus and interdigital mycosis. This juice should be carefully rubbed into the infected areas of the skin 1-2 times a day until recovery.
• Euphorbia. Half a glass of dry plant collection should be diluted with a liter of boiling water and insisted for half an hour in a water bath. Use the infusion for 7-10 days.
• Pine cones and needles. Pour 250 grams of crushed needles or cones with alcohol (not less than 70%) and leave in a dark place for two weeks. On average, such compresses should be done for about two weeks.
• Thyme. In a liter of boiling water, dilute 3-4 tablespoons of dried herbs, leave to infuse for an hour. Moisten a soft cloth or bandage with the resulting solution and wrap the affected area. The compress should be kept for two hours twice a week.
• Rowan. Fresh rowan leaves help to get rid of harmful fungal spores in the spring-summer period. Crushed leaves are applied to the affected skin area and fixed with soft fabric (bandage). Compresses are made every day for 30 days.
• Iris. The roots of this plant are sold at the pharmacy. Grind the root, add 100 ml of boiling water, strain. Take orally 2-3 times a day.
• Lilac. Another “spring” antifungal recipe. Add a glass of lilac flowers to a glass of medical alcohol, leave for 15 days. Apply the infusion to the areas of the skin affected by the fungus.
• Pear. Crushed pear leaves have a healing effect similar to antibiotics. Dilute 1 teaspoon of crushed leaves in 250 grams of warm water and slightly heat on the stove. After the solution has cooled, compresses can be applied to the affected areas.
These are just a few examples of folk remedies for treating nail fungus. Remember to consult with a healthcare professional before using any home remedies, especially if you have underlying health conditions or are pregnant.
• Garlic. Crush 1-2 cloves and add a pinch of salt, then strain. Apply the resulting infusion to the affected skin 2-3 times a day.
• Burdock. Rub a fresh leaf of this plant (do not wash it under running water), slightly soften the veins on the inside of the leaf (so that the plant juice is released) and apply it to the affected area, then bandage it and leave it for several hours. Perform the procedure for three weeks.
• Dock. Squeeze the juice from the leaves, soak a cotton ball or other absorbent material in it, and apply it to the infected skin area until complete recovery.
• Herbal mixture: calendula, oak bark, blackberry, verbena, horsetail herb. Pour approximately equal amounts of ingredients with 200 grams of water, put on the stove and boil for 20 minutes. Let the solution infuse for 2-3 hours, you can take it orally or use it for compresses. For oral use – one tablespoon 3-4 times a day. Apply compresses before bedtime.
Home remedies for nail fungus using pharmaceutical preparations
Despite the fact that the main ingredients of such folk recipes are sold in an ordinary pharmacy, they nevertheless have a number of features that distinguish them from specialized antifungal ointments. Firstly, the price is significantly lower, and secondly, “folk” remedies are just one of the components of the recipe, and the method of their application was developed decades ago. Below is a list of the most popular and economical methods of treating mycoses.
• Propolis. Treatment of nail fungus with propolis, along with “herbal” recipes, is a very effective and popular recipe in folk medicine. Moisten a cotton ball with a 20% propolis tincture and apply it to the affected skin areas or nail plates. Apply until the healthy nail grows back.
• Eucalyptus oil. Good antifungal ointment can be obtained from eucalyptus tree oil. Mix 30-40 grams of oil with 15 grams of honey and add half a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Let the mixture infuse for three days in a cold dark place. Apply to the affected skin area once a day until the disease symptoms disappear.
• Hydrogen peroxide. Before applying the solution, it is necessary to steam the nail plates affected by the fungus, and only then carefully apply the solution with a cotton ball. Wipe the skin twice a day until the signs of the disease disappear.
• Salicylic ointment. Treat damaged areas of the skin and nail plates with a 35% solution of this ointment before bed, then wrap with plastic wrap and put on socks. Repeat the procedure until complete recovery.
• Rosemary oil. Rosemary also helps well with nail fungus on hands and feet. The oil is suitable for treating hands, feet, and the body. Apply before bedtime until the signs of the fungus disappear.
• Iodine. Treatment of nail fungus with iodine is one of the simplest but effective ways to fight mycotic diseases. Apply 5% iodine solution carefully to infected skin areas at least twice a day. The duration of the procedure is 20 days. However, when using the preparation, a strong burning sensation may occur. In this case, the number of treatments should be reduced to once a day.
• Glycerin, iodine, and vinegar solution. Mix in the following proportions: one tablespoon of glycerin, iodine, vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of boiled water. Apply the resulting solution to the affected skin overnight.
• Birch tar. Sold in any pharmacy, before use, it is recommended to wash your feet well with household soap. Method of application: soak a cotton ball in tar and apply it to the affected areas, then wrap the foot with a bandage and put on a clean sock. You can also use special tar soap for nail fungus.
Popular antifungal recipes “from the pantry”
This category of folk remedies against mycoses can be found right on the kitchen shelves of your home. Treatment of nail fungus with such folk remedies is almost as popular as traditional medicines. The most popular products and recipes from them:
• Coffee. A very popular remedy for fighting mycosis, and therefore one of the most effective. Brew strong grain coffee and let it cool slightly, then briefly dip your hands or feet in the drink. Coffee helps against nail fungus almost immediately: itching disappears, the skin becomes smoother and healthier in appearance.
• Vinegar. Treatment of nail fungus with vinegar is done as follows: soak your feet for a few minutes in apple or wine vinegar, after thoroughly washing them. Most often, vinegar treatment is prescribed for foot fungus.
• Lemon. Steam the feet well, then soak a cotton ball in lemon juice and make a compress for no more than an hour.
• Salt. Sea salt for nail fungus is used in the form of daily foot baths (hands can also be steamed). Recipe: dissolve 100 grams of sea salt and 4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in 5 liters of boiling water, lower the feet into the resulting solution for half an hour.
• Vodka. Add a teaspoon of lemon juice and half a teaspoon of potassium permanganate to a quarter glass of vodka, mix, leave for 3-5 days. Treat the infected skin areas and nail plates twice a day with the infusion.
• Ointment from eggshell, vinegar, and oil. Pour vinegar into an empty egg, place it in a dark place, after the shell dissolves, remove the film, and add cream butter to the resulting mixture. Treat the skin and nails twice a day until recovery.
