Onychomycosis (nail fungus) is one of the most common infections on our planet. He observes us in the bathhouse, in the swimming pool, in the beauty salon during the pedicure, on the beach and during the fitting in a shoe shop. The disease develops rapidly and very soon affects not only the nails, but also the skin areas surrounding them. It is important not to miss the beginning of the disease, when it is still possible to treat nail fungus with folk remedies.
The treatment of fungal diseases in general, and onychomycosis in particular, still remains one of the most complex and not entirely resolved problems in medicine. Every third inhabitant of our planet suffers from this disease (according to WHO).
Symptoms of the disease
It is impossible not to notice this disease even in the early stages of development. This greatly facilitates the diagnosis and allows you to start treatment of the pathology in a timely manner. First of all, the color of the nail begins to change: from pale pink it turns into yellow, brown, and sometimes black. Other typical symptoms of this disease include:
- itchy skin around the nail;
- grooves, spots or inclusions on the nail plate;
- ache;
- peeling of the nail;
- putrid odor;
- departure of the plaque from the nail bed;
- Under the nail plate on the soft tissues appears a white coating.
How does the infection happen?
Nail mycosis is possible in people with a weakened immune system and age-related skin changes. The risk of contracting an infection increases significantly in patients suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and thyroid. At the first signs of infection, you should immediately consult a doctor to establish a diagnosis and begin treatment. Otherwise the infection will spread to other areas. All family members of an infected person are at risk. During the treatment period it is necessary to stop walking on the floor barefoot. It is necessary to scrupulously follow simple hygiene rules when taking a shower (rinse the bath well, use a personal towel).
Is it possible to get rid of nail fungus using folk remedies?
This is a very common question. Yes, in the early stages of the disease this is not difficult to do. The situation is much worse with the advanced form, when the disease can seriously harm your health:
- weaken the immune system;
- cause an allergic reaction;
- cause exacerbation of chronic diseases.
Sorcerers and healers know how to treat toenail fungus with folk remedies. Naturally, it will not be possible to solve the problem quickly (in a couple of days), but the result will still be positive. Traditional medicines are divided into two groups:
- for internal use – herbal teas, tinctures, decoctions;
- for external use - solutions, compresses, ointments.
By combining these methods, you can get rid of the disease and restore health. Below we will describe how to treat nail fungus at home using folk remedies.
Preparations based on celandine
This plant is well known not only to specialists in the field of phytotherapy, but also to ordinary citizens: many have seen small bushes covered with small yellow flowers near houses and along roadsides in spring. But not everyone knows that the plant has disinfectant and healing properties. It is also used to treat nail fungus. Most often, celandine is used in the form of a tincture. You can also use pure vegetable juice.
Fresh juice
The easiest way to use celandine is to lubricate the damaged nail plate and cuticle with the juice of the plant three times a day. The treatment continues for a week.
Vodka tincture
Wash and dry the celandine well, chop it and place it in a glass container. Fill the raw material with vodka (1: 2). Close the jar tightly and place it in a dark place for two weeks. The tincture is taken according to the following scheme: for the first three days – 3 drops, diluting them in ½ glass of water. Then every day the dosage is increased by 1 drop. When it reaches 20 drops, it is also gradually reduced to three.
Celandine and marigold
How else can you treat 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. waterfall. The composition is applied to the affected nail plate three times a day.
Vinegar in the treatment of mushrooms
Healers claim that vinegar can help cure nail fungus. Folk remedies 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 rather aggressive method is not suitable for people with heart and vascular disorders, who suffer from allergic reactions to this substance and hypertension.
Egg and vinegar
Perhaps this is the most common folk method of treating nail fungus, allowing you to quickly get rid of the pathology. To prepare the medicine you will need apple cider vinegar and a chicken egg, preferably homemade. Pour the vinegar into a 200ml glass jar, place the egg in it and place in a dark place. When the egg has completely dissolved, remove the film remaining afterward, pour the resulting mixture into another glass container, add a teaspoon of butter (teaspoon) and mix well.
Steam the legs, apply the product to the affected areas, cover with a bandage folded several times, wrap with cling film and fix. After 12-14 hours, the nail will lift and soften. It must be cut with pre-disinfected scissors. The procedures are 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%). The ointment is applied to the affected nails for 8-10 hours. It is recommended to carry out the procedure before bedtime.
Foot baths
Table vinegar (200 ml) is added to water heated to 50 °C. Its level should reach the ankles. Your feet float in this solution for a quarter of an hour. The procedure is performed three times a week.
Uses 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 a positive result can be obtained only in the initial stage of the disease. Onychomycosis can be treated using regular iodine. This is an inexpensive but painful procedure that is preferably performed on weekends.
Steam well and dry your feet. Lubricate the infected nails with iodine, bury them in the cracks until it stops being absorbed. After a while you will feel a strong burning sensation which you should bear. If the discomfort is unbearable, immerse your feet in a basin of cold water. At the beginning of the disease, one procedure is enough to cure.
Sodium bicarbonate
Traditional methods are often used in the treatment of onychomycosis. How to treat nail fungus with baking soda? The powder is used for hot baths at the rate of two tablespoons per three liters of water. To make the procedure more effective, add half a tablespoon (teaspoon) of grated laundry soap to the water. The procedure lasts at least a quarter of an hour. When finished, your feet do not need to be cleaned - let them dry naturally. So you have to wear cotton socks. For complete cure, such procedures should be performed every three days for a month.
Essential oils
Many people say that if the disease is in an advanced stage, it is quite difficult to cure toenail fungus with folk remedies. Healers believe that essential oils can cope with this task. They are compared in terms of the level of impact with expensive antifungal drugs. In addition to the antifungal effect, oils have numerous beneficial properties:
- cleaning;
- regenerating;
- anti-inflammatory;
- bactericidal.
Essential oils not only destroy fungal cells, but also restore the normal condition of the nail plate. These remedies for treating nail fungus are used in various procedures:
- Compresses.Heat the tea tree oil to 30°C and dilute it with two teaspoons of warm water. Dip a cotton pad in the resulting mixture and place it on the nail plate for an hour. After the procedure it will become soft and elastic, which will allow it to be cut.
- Bathrooms.Pour three liters of hot water into a basin, pour in 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 in a warm towel for a quarter of an hour.
- Use in its pure form.If there are no allergic reactions to the oil, you can use it to lubricate the nail plate, pre-steamed in warm water with 72% laundry soap. Dip a cotton ball in the oil and lubricate the affected nails. It should not be washed off.
Propolis tincture
There are many traditional methods for treating nail fungus. A universal and safe remedy is propolis, or more precisely, its alcoholic tincture. The drug has fungicidal, wound healing and bacteriostatic properties.
With onychomycosis, propolis does not allow the multiplication of the pathogen. Judging by the reviews, itching and inflammation disappear after 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, pre-steamed in a solution of potassium permanganate, for half an hour. The procedure should be done twice a day for a month.
- Moisten a cotton pad with an alcoholic solution (20%) of propolis and apply it to the nail plate, covering it on top with a dry cotton pad. At the end of the procedure, bandage your finger. The bandage can be removed after a day and the softened nail can be removed.
Tea mushroom
The healing properties of this unique remedy 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 it in water for an hour, then apply a small piece to each affected nail;
- cover the compress with cling film and wear a wool 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 what folk remedies can treat nail fungus. Many of the remedies 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 place it in a dark place for two weeks. The finished composition is applied in the evening to the nails affected by the fungus, a gauze bandage is applied on top and left until the morning. Treatment continues until the symptoms of the disease disappear.
- Squeeze the juice from five cloves of garlic. It should be diluted in 30 ml of boiled water. This product is used to lubricate sore 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. These include preparations based on hydrogen peroxide. It can be used in different ways and in different combinations:
- A mixture of different products.Dissolve 1/2 cup of soda, slaked with vinegar, 1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide and 1/2 cup of magnesium sulfate in four glasses of water. Fix a cotton ball soaked in this mixture on the affected nail with a plaster. The bandage remains on the affected area for 10 hours. Then it is replaced with a new one. The treatment continues for 10 days.
- Hydrogen peroxide and vinegar.Mix equal parts peroxide and 6% vinegar. Dip your fingers in this mixture and hold it until it sizzles. Then the feet are washed with warm water, and tea tree oil mixed in equal parts with petroleum jelly is applied to dry nails. This procedure should be done every day for a week.
Procaine-based anesthetic
Yes, this is not exactly a folk remedy, but it would be wrong not to mention it in this article. Cotton swabs are moistened with anesthetic and fixed on the affected nails. Some patients claim that this simple method can eliminate fungus in just two procedures.
Herbs
How else can you treat nail fungus? Folk remedies based on herbs and medicinal plants have a disinfectant and anti-inflammatory effect.
Recipes:
- 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 slightly, dip 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 tablespoons of the mixture. Leave the mixture to rest for half an hour. Then add a spoonful of sea salt to the broth. Put your feet in it. The procedure continues for a quarter of an hour.
- Blackberry leaves, verbena herb, horsetail, marigold flowers and oak bark in equal parts are crushed and mixed. Pour boiling water (200 ml) into a tablespoon (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 the cotton pads with the resulting decoction. They are applied in the form of lotions to sore nails at night.
- Gently beat the burdock leaf with a spoon so that the juice comes out. Pieces of the sheet are placed on the nail plate, the finger is bandaged and a sock is put on. The dressing should be changed every 12 hours. Continue treatment for 10 days.
- Kalanchoe and golden mustache leaves should be ground to a pasty state. 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 lilac flowers. Raw materials are infused for two weeks in a dark place. Wipe the damaged nail plate with the prepared tincture twice a day for a week.
Mushroom in advanced form
If the nail is completely yellowed, does not adhere perfectly to the nail bed, crumbles, the nail folds are red or injured, it means that the nail fungus is in an advanced stage. Treating this form of pathology with folk remedies is impractical and ineffective. In this case, alternative medicine is used only as an adjunct to drug treatment.
The affected nails are washed with tar soap overnight. Sprinkle with salt and bandage with a sterile bandage. In the morning, remove the bandage and wash your feet with warm water. Repeat the procedures for at least a week.
Disease prevention
If you are an opponent of traditional medicine or for some reason you cannot purchase drugs, you can try to cope with the 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 agents of onychomycosis are inert to conventional disinfectants. Powders, soaps and detergents do not affect the viability of the spores. In this regard, nail fungus is a dangerous disease, treating them at home is quite difficult, and preventive measures are often ineffective.
However, you need to follow the basic preventive rules:
- Do not use other people's hygiene products. This rule must also be respected within the family circle, since, judging by medical statistics, more than 60% of cases of infection occur at home.
- Treat the bathroom and carpets with disinfectant solutions.
- Use a 5% chloramine solution to treat bedding and wipes used by the patient.
- Stockings or socks should be changed every day. Fungal spores migrate into the fabric, and you can only get rid of them by boiling them, and this is not always possible.
- After visiting the pool, treat your nails and feet with 40% hexamethylenetetramine solution.
- Dry or sweaty skin is a great place for infections to breed. Doctors have proven the high effectiveness of boric acid, hexamethylenetetramine and talc in helping to cope with excessive dryness or sweating of the feet.
If the treatment of fungus with alternative medicine does not give a positive result, 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 managed to completely get rid of this pathology using only folk remedies, the recipes of which are given in this material. True, everyone claims that they managed to achieve a positive result, because the treatment was started after the first symptoms of the disease were detected.
Doctors are 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 have more than once had to deal with the consequences of their uncontrolled use: burns, inflammation, etc.
Therefore, doctors recommend that if a fungus is suspected, consult a doctor, perform a curettage, identify the susceptibility of the causative agent to various drugs, and then start treatment. If in your case the doctor believes it is possible to treat nail fungus with traditional methods, he will include effective remedies as part of complex therapy.