9 Simple Home Remedies to Cure Toenail Fungus
Medically known as Proximal subungual onychomycosis, nail fungus is the fungal penetration of the newly formed nail plate through proximal nail fold. Nail fungus is more found more commonly in patients who are immunocompromised. It is the most common disease found to be developed in adults, especially in people suffering from diabetes. Fungal nail infection is divided into 5 main subtypes which are: Distal lateral subungual onychomycosis, white superficial onychomycosis, proximal subungual onychomycosis, Endonyx onychomycosis, and candida onychomycosis.
Following are the simple home remedies for nail fungus treatment.
- Vaporizing ointment
vaporizing ointment such as Vicks VapoRub is a topical ointment.
Designed mainly for cough suppression, its active ingredients such as camphor and eucalyptus oil may help in treating nail fungus because of its positive clinical effect. Apply small amounts of Vicks VapoRub to the affected area at least once a day. Olive leaf extract
Oleuropein, an active substance found in olive leaf extract has antifungal, antimicrobial and immune-boosting abilities. If you are not able to find olive leaf extract in your local store, apply olive oil as it also contains oleuropein. You can even ingest olive leaf extract in the form of a capsule. Take three olive leaf extract capsules with meals, twice daily and drink plenty of water through this course.
Oleuropein, an active substance found in olive leaf extract has antifungal, antimicrobial and immune-boosting abilities. If you are not able to find olive leaf extract in your local store, apply olive oil as it also contains oleuropein. You can even ingest olive leaf extract in the form of a capsule. Take three olive leaf extract capsules with meals, twice daily and drink plenty of water through this course.
Vinegar is another simple home remedy for nail fungus. Soak the affected foot in one-part vinegar and two parts warm water for up to 20 minutes daily.
Garlic is known to have some antifungal and antimicrobial capabilities. Nail fungus can be treated with garlic by placing crushed or chopped garlic cloves on the affected nail for about half an hour daily. If you feel the smell of garlic is too much for the treatment, try treating it inside out by consuming garlic capsules, or ingesting a whole clove of garlic.
Apple cider vinegar is one of the best home remedies for nail fungus. It can be used topically as well as internally. Mix one part salt, one part apple cider vinegar and six parts hot water. Keep the temperature of the water warm enough that it does not damage your skin. Soak your nail in this solution twice daily for about half an hour to kill the nail fungus. To ingest, mix 2 tablespoons of organic apple cider vinegar in 8 ounces of water, and add a teaspoon of honey to sweeten the solution.
These two ingredients might be easily available in your local departmental store. Nail fungus needs an acidic environment to flourish. Since baking soda is alkaline in nature, it actually prevents the further infection of fungus on the nail by creating an inhabitable environment for it. Sodium borate or simply, borax is a naturally occurring mineral. Borax is a powerful fungicide, combining these two can be an effective home remedy for nail fungus even faster. Mix equal parts of borax powder and baking soda with water just enough to form a paste-like consistency. Gently rub the mixture on the infected nail. Doing this twice daily continue at least 2 more weeks after the fungus has appeared to clear up.
Lavender oil has anti-fungal properties that make it an effective remedy for mild fungal nail infection. Smear and rub a few drops of lavender oil to the infected nail every night before you go to sleep. To make sure it does not rub off, cover your infected nail with a woolen cloth. The nail might look healthy, but it still might be hiding traces of fungus. Hence it is advisable to continue topical treatments for at least few weeks even after the infection appears to be gone.
Commonly found in any household, it is a simple home remedy for nail fungus. Coconut oil has the ability to penetrate the durable cell wall of candida and other fungi. Since the fungi cells do not have a protective coating, the cells of the nail fungus dissolve, as a result, destroying the infection. Apply a thin layer of coconut oil to the infected area and let it soak for around 15 minutes. Coconut oil is beneficial for skin health, so there is no limit to how often you use this treatment.
Cornmeal is an interesting home remedy for nail fungus. This is because corn meal naturally hosts a form of fungus that is harmless to the body, but harmful and deadly to the nail fungus. Mix 2 tablespoons of cornmeal in about 2 cups of water. Allow the cornmeal to soak in the water for at least an hour. Submerge the infected nail for half an hour. While there is no limit in the frequency of usage as the cornmeal fungus is harmless to the body, this treatment can be repeated as often as you like.
Make sure that you are not allergic to any of the above-mentioned home remedies for nail fungus.
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