Onychomycosis (nail fungus) is one of the most common infections on our planet. She watches us in the bathroom, in the pool, in the beauty salon during pedicures, on the beach and during fitting in a shoe store. The disease develops quickly and very soon affects not only the nail plates, but also the areas of the skin around 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 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).
Symptoms of the disease
It is impossible not to notice this disease even in the earliest stages of development. This greatly facilitates the diagnosis and allows timely treatment of the pathology. 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:
- itching of the skin around the nail;
- furrows, spots or inclusions on the nail plate;
- soreness;
- peeling of the nail;
- putrid smell;
- exit of the plate from the nail bed;
- A white coating appears under the nail plate on the soft tissues.
How does the infection occur?
Nail fungus is possible in people with a weakened immune system and with age-related skin changes. The risk of contracting an infection increases significantly in patients suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and thyroid gland. At the first signs of infection, you should immediately consult a doctor to make 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 should stop walking barefoot on the floor. It is necessary to strictly observe simple rules of hygiene when taking a shower (rinse the bathroom well after yourself, 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 in an advanced form, when the disease can seriously harm health:
- weaken the immune system;
- cause an allergic reaction;
- provokes exacerbation of chronic diseases.
Doctors and healers know how to treat toenail fungus with folk remedies. Of course, it will not be possible to fix the problem quickly (in a few days), but there will still be a positive result. Traditional medicines are divided into two groups:
- for internal use – 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.
Gelatin-based preparations
This plant is well known not only to specialists in the field of herbal medicine, but also to ordinary city dwellers: many have seen small bushes covered with small yellow flowers near houses and along roads in the 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. It is also possible to use the pure juice of the plant.
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 lasts one week.
Tincture of vodka
Wash and dry the celandine herb well, cut it and place it in a glass container. Fill the raw material with vodka (1: 2). Close the jar tightly and put it in a dark place for two weeks. The tincture is taken according to the following scheme: the first three days - 3 drops diluted in ½ cup of water. After that, every day the dose is increased by 1 drop. When it reaches 20 drops, it is also gradually reduced to three.
Celandine and marigold
How else can you cure toenail fungus? Folk remedies, for example, celandine and calendula, are very effective in combating this pathology. Add two drops of calendula and oregano tincture to one teaspoon of celandine juice. Add 4 tablespoons of water to the resulting mixture. 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 treat nail fungus. Folk remedies based on it can be different. Next, let's look at a few popular recipes.
Vinegar essence
Treat the affected nail plate with 70% acetic acid. However, this rather aggressive method is not suitable for people with damage to the heart and blood vessels, suffering from allergic reactions to this substance and hypertension.
Egg and vinegar
Perhaps this is the most common folk method of treating nail fungus, which allows you to quickly get rid of the pathology. To make the remedy, you will need apple cider vinegar and a chicken egg, preferably homemade. Pour vinegar into a 200 ml glass jar, put the egg in it and put in a dark place. When the egg is completely dissolved, remove the film left behind, pour the resulting mixture into another glass container, add a teaspoon of butter (teaspoon) and mix well.
Steam your feet, apply the product to the affected areas, cover with a bandage several times, wrap with plastic wrap and secure. 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 perform the procedure before going to bed.
Foot baths
Table vinegar (200 ml) is added to water heated to 50 °C. Its level should reach the ankles. Your feet swim in this solution for a quarter of an hour. The procedure is carried out 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 achieved only in the initial stage of the disease. Onychomycosis can be treated with ordinary iodine. This is an affordable but painful procedure that is preferably done on weekends.
Steam well and dry your feet. Lubricate the infected nails with iodine, bury it in the cracks until it stops being absorbed. After some time, you will feel a strong burning that you have to endure. If the discomfort is unbearable, lower your feet into a basin of cold water. At the beginning of the disease, one procedure is enough for a cure.
Baking soda
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 in the amount of two tablespoons per three liters of water. To make the procedure more effective, add half a spoonful (teaspoon) of grated laundry soap to the water. The procedure lasts at least a quarter of an hour. After finishing, your feet should not be wiped: let them dry naturally. Then you need to put on cotton socks. For complete healing, such procedures should be performed every three days for a month.
Essential oils
Many people say that if the disease is advanced, it is quite difficult to treat toenail fungus with folk remedies. Healers believe that essential oils cope well with this task. They compare in level of impact with expensive antifungal drugs. In addition to the antifungal effect, the oils have many useful properties:
- cleaning;
- regenerating;
- anti-inflammatory;
- bactericidal.
Essential oils not only destroy fungal cells, but also restore the normal condition of the nail plate. These nail fungus treatments are used in a variety of procedures:
- Compresses.Heat the tea tree oil to 30°C and dilute it with two tablespoons of warm water. Soak a cotton swab 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 trimmed.
- Bathrooms.Pour three liters of hot water into a 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 in a warm towel for a quarter of an hour.
- Use in pure form.If there are no allergic reactions 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 the oil and apply it to the affected nails. It should not be washed off.
Propolis tincture
There are many traditional methods of treating nail fungus. A universal and safe remedy is propolis, or more precisely, its alcohol tincture. The drug has fungicidal, wound healing and bacteriostatic properties.
In onychomycosis, propolis prevents the pathogen from multiplying. Judging by the reviews, itching and inflammation disappear after only 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 evaporated in a solution of potassium permanganate, for half an hour. The procedure should be carried out twice a day for a month.
- Moisten a cotton swab 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, 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 agent 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 sponge, soak it in water for an hour, then apply a piece to each affected nail;
- cover the compress with plastic wrap and put on a woolen sock;
- Leave the compress all night.
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 medicines are always available in every home. For example, garlic, which is no less effective than special antifungal drugs.
- Pour a clove of garlic with a cup of apple cider vinegar in a glass container with a lid and put it in a dark place for two weeks. The finished composition is applied to the nails affected by the fungus in the evening, gauze is placed on top and left until morning. Treatment continues until the symptoms of the pathology 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 inflamed 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 several products.Dissolve 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide, and 1/2 cup magnesium sulfate in four cups of water. Attach 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. The treatment lasts 10 days.
- Peroxide and vinegar.Mix equal parts peroxide and 6% vinegar. Dip your fingers in this mixture and keep it until it sizzles. The feet are then washed with warm water, and tea tree oil mixed in equal parts with Vaseline is applied to the dry nails. This procedure should be done every day for a week.
An anesthetic based on procaine
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 attached to the affected nails. Some patients claim that this simple method can get rid of the fungus in just two procedures.
Herbs
How else can you treat nail fungus? Folk remedies based on herbs and medicinal plants have a disinfecting and anti-inflammatory effect.
Receptions:
- Mix equal parts wormwood, burdock leaves and chamomile flowers. Pour one tablespoon (tablespoon) of the mixture with a cup 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. Three spoons of the mixture are poured with boiling water (one liter). Let the mixture stand for half an hour. Then add a tablespoon of sea salt to the broth. Put your feet in it. The procedure lasts a quarter of an hour.
- Blackberry leaves, verbena grass, horsetail, calendula flowers and oak bark in equal parts are pounded and mixed. One spoon (teaspoon) of the mixture is poured with boiling water (200 ml). Place the container with the herbal mixture in a water bath for a quarter of an hour. Strain, cool and moisten cotton swabs with the resulting decoction. They are applied in the form of lotions to sore nails at night.
- Gently break the burdock leaves with a spoon so that the juice comes out. Pieces of the leaf 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 paste. 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. The 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.
Fungi in advanced form
If the nail is completely yellow, does not fit tightly to the nail bed, crumbles, the nail folds are red or injured, this means that the nail fungus has advanced. Treatment of this form of pathology with folk remedies is impractical and ineffective. In this case, alternative medicine is used only as a supplement to drug treatment.
The affected nails are washed with tar soap at night. Sprinkle salt on top and wrap 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 buy pharmaceutical 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, treatment at home is quite difficult, and preventive measures are often ineffective.
However, it is necessary to observe the basic preventive rules:
- Do not use foreign hygiene products. This rule should also be observed in 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 towels used by the patient.
- Socks or stockings should be changed daily. 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% solution of hexamethylenetetramine.
- Dry or sweaty skin is an ideal breeding ground for infection. Doctors have proven the high effectiveness of boric acid, hexamethylenetetramine and talc to deal with excessive dryness or sweating of the feet.
If the treatment of the 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 of nail fungus: reviews of patients and opinions of doctors
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. It is true that they all claim that they were able to achieve a positive result, because the treatment began after the first symptoms of the disease were detected.
Doctors are not so optimistic. They believe that the treatment of nail fungus with folk remedies is not always safe. The fact is that many of them are quite aggressive, and doctors have repeatedly faced the consequences of their uncontrolled use - burns, inflammation, etc.
That is why doctors recommend that if you suspect a fungus, consult a doctor, make a scraping, identify the sensitivity of the causative agent to various drugs, and then start treatment. If in your case the doctor considers that it is possible to treat nail fungus with traditional methods, he will include effective means as part of complex therapy.