Onychomycosis (nail fungus) is one of the most common infections on our planet. He watches us in the bath house, in the swimming pool, in the beauty salon during the pedicure procedure, on the beach and while fitting in the shoe store. The disease develops rapidly and soon affects not only the nail plate, but also the surrounding skin. It is important not to miss the onset of the disease, when it is still possible to treat nail fungus with folk remedies.
Therapy of fungal diseases in general, and onychomycosis in particular, still remains one of the most complex and not fully resolved problems in medicine. Every third inhabitant of our planet suffers from this disease (according to WHO).
Disease symptoms
It is impossible not to see this disease even in the early stages of development. This greatly facilitates the diagnosis and allows the treatment of pathology to begin on time. First of all, the color of the nail begins to change: from pale pink it turns yellow, brown, and sometimes black. Other typical symptoms of this disease include:
- itchy skin around the nails;
- grooves, spots or inclusions on the nail plate;
- pain;
- peeling nails;
- smelly;
- departure of the plate from the nail bed;
- A white coating appears under the nail plate on the soft tissue.
How does infection occur?
Nail fungus may occur in people with a weakened immune system and with age-related skin changes. The risk of infection is significantly increased in patients with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and thyroid gland. At the first signs of infection, you should immediately see a doctor to establish a diagnosis and start treatment. Otherwise, the infection will spread to other areas. All family members of an infected person are at risk. During the treatment period, you must stop walking on the floor barefoot. It is necessary to observe simple hygiene rules when bathing (rinse the bathroom well after yourself, use personal towels).
Is it possible to get rid of nail fungus using folk remedies?
This is a very common question. Yes, in the early stages of this disease it is not difficult to do. The condition is worse with advanced forms, when the disease can seriously harm health:
- weaken the immune system;
- cause an allergic reaction;
- causing exacerbation of chronic diseases.
Witch doctors and healers know how to treat toenail fungus with folk remedies. Of course, it is not possible to solve the problem quickly (in a few days), but there will still be a positive result. Traditional medicine is divided into two groups:
- for internal use - tea, tincture, decoctions;
- for external use - solutions, compresses, ointments.
By combining these methods, you can get rid of disease and restore health. We will explain below how to treat nail fungus at home using folk remedies.
Preparations based on celandine
This plant is well-known not only to experts in the field of herbal medicine, but also to ordinary city dwellers: many have seen small bushes covered with small yellow flowers near the house and along the roadside in the spring. But not everyone knows that the plant has antiseptic and wound healing properties. It is also used to treat nail fungus. Most often, celandine is used in the form of tincture. It is also possible to use pure plant juice.
Fresh Juice
The easiest way to use celandine is to lubricate the damaged nail plate and cuticle with plant juice three times a day. Treatment continues for a week.
Vodka colored
Wash and dry the celandine herb well, cut it and place it in a glass container. Fill the raw materials with vodka (1: 2). Close the jar tightly and put it in a dark place for two weeks. Tinted is taken according to the following scheme: for the first three days – 3 drops, diluted in ½ glass of water. Then every day the dose increases by 1 drop. When it reaches 20 drops, it is also gradually reduced to three.
Celandine and calendula
How else can you cure toenail fungus? Folk remedies, for example celandine and calendula, are very effective in combating this pathology. To a teaspoon of celandine juice, add two drops of calendula and oregano tincture. Add 4 tablespoons to the resulting mixture. l. water. The composition is applied to the affected nail plate three times a day.
Vinegar in the treatment of fungus
Healers claim that vinegar can help cure nail fungus. People's recovery based on it can be different. Next, let's look at some popular recipes.
Vinegar essence
Treat the affected nail plate with 70% acetic acid. However, this relatively aggressive method is not suitable for people with heart and blood vessel disorders, allergic reactions to this substance, and hypertension.
Eggs and vinegar
Perhaps this is the most common folk method of treating nail fungus, allowing you to quickly get rid of the pathology. To make the remedy, you need apple cider vinegar and chicken eggs, preferably homemade. Pour vinegar into a 200 ml glass jar, put an egg in it and put it in a dark place. When the egg has completely dissolved, remove the remaining film, pour the resulting mixture into another glass container, add a teaspoon of butter (small spoon) and mix thoroughly.
Steam your feet, apply the product to the affected area, cover with a bandage folded several times, wrap in plastic wrap and secure. After 12-14 hours, the nails will be lifted and soft. It must be cut with disinfected scissors. The procedure is repeated until the symptoms of the disease disappear.
ointment
Mix one part glycerin, o-phthalic acid dimethyl ester, olive oil with two parts acetic acid (70%). Ointment is applied to the affected nail for 8-10 hours. It is recommended to carry out the procedure before going to bed.
Foot bath
Table vinegar (200 ml) is added to water heated to 50 °C. The level should reach the ankle. Your feet float in this solution for a quarter of an hour. This procedure is carried out three times a week.
The use of iodine
Many people are interested in how to quickly treat toenail fungus with folk remedies. At the beginning of the article, we said that positive results can only be achieved in the early stages of the disease. Onychomycosis can be treated using regular iodine. This is an affordable but painful procedure that is best done on weekends.
Steam well and dry your feet. Lubricate the infected nail plate with iodine, immersing it in the crack until it stops being absorbed. After some time, you will feel a strong burning sensation that you need to experience. If the discomfort is unbearable, lower your feet into a basin of cold water. At the beginning of the disease, one procedure is enough to cure.
Baking powder
Traditional methods are often used in the treatment of onychomycosis. How to treat nail fungus with baking soda? The powder is used for warm baths at the rate of two spoons per three liters of water. To make the procedure more effective, add half a spoon (teaspoon) of laundry soap, grated, to the water. This procedure lasts at least a quarter of an hour. Once done, your feet should not be wiped: let them dry naturally. Then you need to wear cotton socks. For complete healing, such a procedure should be carried out every three days for a month.
Essential oil
Many people say that if the disease is advanced, it is quite difficult to cure toenail fungus with folk remedies. Healers believe that essential oils cope well with this task. They are compared in terms of their effectiveness with expensive antifungal drugs. In addition to the antifungal effect, the oil has many beneficial properties:
- cleaning;
- regenerate;
- anti-inflammatory;
- disinfect.
Essential oils not only destroy fungal cells, but also restore the normal condition of the nail plate. These drugs for the treatment of nail fungus are used in various procedures:
- Compress.Heat the tea tree oil to 30°C and dilute it with two teaspoons of warm water. Soak a cotton pad in the resulting mixture and place it on the nail plate for an hour. After the procedure, it will be soft and elastic, which will allow it to be cut.
- Take a shower.Pour three liters of hot water into the basin, drop ylang-ylang essential oil, add rosemary or lavender (10 drops). Soak clean feet in the solution for a quarter of an hour. After the procedure, wrap your feet with a warm towel for a quarter of an hour.
- Use in pure form. If there is no allergic reaction to the oil, you can use it to lubricate the nail plate, previously steamed in hot water with 72% laundry soap. Soak a cotton ball in oil and lubricate the affected nail. It should not be washed.
Propolis colored
There are many traditional methods for treating nail fungus. A universal and safe remedy is propolis, or more precisely, its alcoholic tincture. This medicine has fungicidal, wound healing and bacteriostatic properties.
With onychomycosis, propolis does not allow pathogens to multiply. Based on reviews, itching and inflammation disappear after just a few procedures. Gradually, the affected nail is replaced by a healthy one. There are several ways to treat pathology with propolis:
- A piece of propolis is applied to the affected nail, previously steamed in a solution of potassium permanganate, for half an hour. This procedure should be carried out twice a day for a month.
- Wet a cotton pad with an alcohol solution (20%) of propolis and apply it to the nail plate, covering it with dry cotton wool on top. At the end of the procedure, wrap your finger. The bandage can be removed after a day and the soft nail can be removed.
tea mushroom
The healing properties of this unique drug are used in the treatment of many infectious diseases. You can use this folk remedy to treat nail fungus. Use it as follows:
- separate a thin layer from the fungus, soak in water for an hour, then apply a piece to each affected nail;
- cover the compress with plastic wrap and place it on a woolen sock;
- Leave the compress overnight.
The procedure, during which burning and itching may be felt, is repeated every two days until the symptoms of the disease disappear.
garlic
Many patients are interested in folk remedies that can treat nail fungus. Many medicines are always available in every home. For example, garlic, which is no less effective than special antifungal drugs.
- Pour a glass of apple cider vinegar over a clove of garlic in a glass container with a lid and put it in a dark place for two weeks. The finished composition is applied to the nail affected by the fungus in the evening, a gauze bandage is applied on top and left until the morning. Treatment continues until the pathological symptoms disappear.
- Squeeze juice from five cloves of garlic. It should be diluted in 30 ml of boiled water. This product is used to lubricate sick nails, which must first be steamed and dried.
Hydrogen peroxide
How to quickly treat nail fungus with folk remedies? Traditional healers claim that there are methods that help get rid of the disease in a very short time. This includes preparations based on hydrogen peroxide. It can be used in different ways and in different combinations:
- A mixture of several products.Dissolve 1/2 cup baking soda, rubbed with vinegar, 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide and 1/2 cup magnesium sulfate in four glasses of water. Stick a cotton ball soaked in this mixture to the affected nail with a band-aid. The bandage remains on the affected area for 10 hours. Then it is replaced with a new one. Treatment continues for 10 days.
- Peroxide and vinegar.Mix equal parts peroxide and 6% vinegar. Dip your fingers in this mixture and hold until it sizzles. Then the feet are washed with warm water, and tea tree oil mixed in equal parts with Vaseline is used on dry nails. This procedure should be carried out every day for a week.
Anesthetic based on procaine
Yes, this is not a folk remedy, but it would be wrong not to mention it in this article. A cotton swab is moistened with anesthetic and tied to the affected nail. Some patients claim that this simple method can get rid of fungus in just two procedures.
Herbs
How else can you treat nail fungus? Folk remedies based on herbs and medicinal plants have disinfectant and anti-inflammatory effects.
Recipe:
- Mix equal parts of wormwood, burdock leaves and chamomile flowers. Pour a tablespoon (tablespoon) of the mixture with a glass of boiling water. After 20 minutes, when the composition has cooled a little, soak your fingers in it for 15-20 minutes.
- Chamomile flowers, oak bark and calendula should be taken in equal proportions. Pour boiling water (one liter) into three spoons of the mixture. Leave the mixture for half an hour. Then add a spoonful of sea salt into the sauce. Put your feet in it. The procedure continues for a quarter of an hour.
- Blackberry leaves, verbena grass, horsetail, calendula flowers and oak bark in equal parts are crushed and mixed. Pour boiling water (200 ml) into a spoonful (teaspoon) of the mixture. Place the container with the herbal mixture in a water bath for a quarter of an hour. Strain, cool and moisten a cotton pad with the resulting decoction. They are used in the form of a lotion on sore nails at night.
- Gently beat the burdock leaves with a spoon so that the juice comes out. Sheets are placed on the nail plate, fingers are wrapped and socks are worn. Bandages should be changed every 12 hours. Continue treatment for 10 days.
- Kalanchoe leaves and golden whiskers must be ground until liquid. The mass is applied to the infected surface and fixed with a bandage. In the morning, remove the bandage and wash your feet with warm water. Treatment is carried out until the symptoms disappear.
- Pour 150 ml of vodka with 10-15 g of violet flowers. The raw material is infused for two weeks in a dark place. Wipe the damaged nail plate with the prepared tincture twice a day for a week.
Fungi in advanced form
If the nail is completely yellowish, does not fit tightly to the nail bed, crumbles, red nail folds, or pain, this means that the nail fungus is advanced. Treating this form of pathology with folk remedies is impractical and ineffective. In this case, alternative medicine is only used in addition to drug treatment.
Affected nails are washed with tar soap at night. Sprinkle salt on it and wrap it with a sterile bandage. In the morning, remove the bandage and wash your feet with warm water. Repeat the procedure for at least a week.
Disease prevention
If you are an opponent of traditional medicine or for some reason cannot buy pharmaceutical drugs, you can try to overcome this disease with folk remedies. In this case, it is necessary to treat nail fungus when the first symptoms of the disease are detected.
Prevention of this pathology is no less important. The causative agent of onychomycosis is inert to conventional disinfection. Powders, soaps and detergents do not affect the viability of spores. In this regard, nail fungus is a dangerous disease; treating it at home is quite difficult, and preventive measures are often ineffective.
However, it is necessary to observe the basic preventive rules:
- Do not use other people's hygiene products. This rule must also be observed within the family, because, based on medical statistics, more than 60% of infection cases occur at home.
- Treat the bathroom and carpets with a disinfectant solution.
- Use a 5% chloramine solution to treat bedding and washcloths used by the patient.
- Socks or socks should be changed every day. Fungal spores migrate to the fabric, and you can only get rid of them by boiling, and this is not always possible.
- After visiting the pool, treat your nails and feet with a 40% hexamethylenetetramine solution.
- Dry or sweaty skin is an ideal place for infections to breed. Doctors have proven the high effectiveness of boric acid, hexamethylenetetramine, and talc in helping to overcome dryness or excessive sweating on the feet.
If the treatment of fungus with alternative drugs does not give positive results, you should consult a doctor who knows exactly how to treat nails with the help of drugs.
Alternative treatment for nail fungus: patient reviews and doctors' opinions
Many people claim that they can completely get rid of this pathology using only folk remedies, the recipes of which are given in this material. True, they all claim that they managed to achieve positive results, because the treatment was started after the first symptoms of the disease were detected.
The doctor was not so optimistic. They believe that treating nail fungus with folk remedies is not always safe. The fact is that many of them are quite aggressive, and doctors more than once had to deal with the consequences of their uncontrolled use - burns, inflammation, etc.
Therefore, doctors recommend that if you suspect fungus, consult a doctor, do a scraping, identify the susceptibility of the causative agent to various drugs, and then start treatment. If in your case the doctor considers it possible to treat nail fungus using traditional methods, he will include effective drugs as part of complex therapy.