Onychomycosis (nail fungus) is one of the most common infections on our planet. He takes care of us in the spa, the pool, during the pedicure procedure in the beauty salon, on the beach and during the fitting in the shoe store. The disease develops rapidly and very soon affects not only the nail plates, but also the skin areas surrounding them. It is important not to miss the onset of the disease, when it is still possible to treat nail fungus with folk remedies.
Treatment of fungal diseases in general, and onychomycosis in particular, 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
This disease cannot be overlooked even in the earliest stages of development. This greatly facilitates the diagnosis and allows the treatment of the pathology to be started in time. First, the color of the nail changes: from pale pink to yellow, brown, and sometimes black. Other typical symptoms of the disease are:
- itchy skin around the nail;
- grooves, spots or inclusions on the nail plate;
- pain;
- peeling of the nail;
- putrid smell;
- leaving the plate from the nail bed;
- Under the nail plate, a white coating appears on the soft tissues.
How does infection occur?
Nail fungus is possible in cases of weakened immune system and age-related skin changes. The risk of infection is significantly increased in patients with gastrointestinal and thyroid diseases. At the first signs of infection, see a doctor immediately for diagnosis and treatment. Otherwise, the infection will spread to other areas. All family members of an infected person are at risk. You should stop walking barefoot on the floor during the treatment. When taking a shower, simple hygiene rules must be strictly followed (rinse the bathroom well after yourself, use a personal towel).
Is it possible to get rid of nail fungus with folk remedies?
This is a very common question. Yes, it is not difficult to do this in the early stages of the disease. The situation is much worse in an advanced form, when the disease can seriously damage health:
- weakens the immune system;
- causes an allergic reaction;
- provokes the aggravation of chronic diseases.
Witch doctors and healers know how to treat nail fungus with folk remedies. Of course, it is not possible to fix the problem quickly (within a few days), but there will still be a positive result. Traditional medicine can be 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 describe how to treat nail fungus at home with folk remedies.
Preparations based on celandine
This plant is known not only to specialists in herbal medicine, but also to ordinary city dwellers: many people 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 antiseptic and wound healing properties. It is also used to treat nail fungus. Most often, celandine is used in the form of a tincture. Pure vegetable juice can also be used.
Fresh juice
The easiest way to use celandine is to apply the juice of the plant to the damaged nail plate and cuticle three times a day. Treatment continues for a week.
Vodka tincture
Wash and dry the celandine herb well, cut it into small pieces and put it in a glass jar. Fill the raw material with vodka (1: 2). Close the container tightly and put it in a dark place for two weeks. The tincture should be taken according to the following scheme: in the first three days - 3 drops, diluted in ½ glass of water. Then every day the dose is increased by 1 drop. When you reach 20 drops, it gradually drops to three.
Celandine and Calendula
How else can nail fungus be cured? Folk remedies such as celandine and calendula are very effective in combating pathology. Add two drops of calendula and oregano tincture to one teaspoon of celandine. Add 4 tablespoons to the resulting mixture. l. water. The preparation is applied three times a day to the affected nail plate.
Vinegar in the treatment of fungus
Healers claim that vinegar can help cure nail fungus. Folk remedies based on this 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 cardiovascular disorders, allergic reactions to this substance and high blood pressure.
Egg and vinegar
Perhaps this is the most common folk method for the treatment of nail fungus, which allows 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 vinegar into a 200 ml glass jar, put the 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 (teaspoon) and mix thoroughly.
Steam your feet, apply the product to the affected areas, cover with a bandage folded several times, wrap with plastic film and secure. After 12-14 hours, the nail rises and becomes soft. 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. We recommend that you perform the procedure before going to bed.
Foot baths
Table vinegar (200 ml) is added to the water heated to 50 °C. Its level reaches the ankle. Your feet float in this solution for a quarter of an hour. The procedure is carried out three times a week.
The use of iodine
Many people are interested in how to quickly treat nail fungus with folk remedies. At the beginning of the article, we said that a positive result can be achieved only in the initial stages of the disease. Onychomycosis can be treated with ordinary iodine. It is an affordable but painful procedure that is preferably performed on a weekend.
Steam well and dry your feet. Lubricate the infected nail plates with iodine, bury it in the cracks until it stops being absorbed. After a while, you will feel a strong burning sensation that you will have to endure. If the discomfort is unbearable, lower your feet into cold water. At the beginning of the disease, one procedure is enough for recovery.
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, two tablespoons per three liters of water. In order to make the procedure more effective, add half a spoon (teaspoon) of laundry soap, grated, to the water. The procedure takes at least a quarter of an hour. After finishing, do not wipe your feet: let them dry naturally. Then put on cotton socks. For complete recovery, 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 cure nail fungus with folk remedies. Healers believe that essential oils cope well with this task. In terms of their effectiveness, they are compared to expensive antifungal drugs. In addition to the antifungal effect, the oils have many beneficial properties:
- cleaning;
- regenerating;
- anti-inflammatory;
- bacterial.
Essential oils not only destroy fungal cells, but also restore the normal condition of the nail plate. These nail fungus remedies are used in a variety of procedures:
- It compresses.Heat the tea tree oil to 30 °C and dilute it with two teaspoons of warm water. Soak a cotton ball in the resulting mixture and place it on the nail plate for an hour. After the procedure, it will be soft and flexible, which will allow you to cut it.
- Baths.Pour three liters of hot water into a basin, add 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 it in its pure form.If there is no allergic reaction to the oil, it can be used to lubricate the nail plate, which has previously been steamed in hot water with 72% laundry soap. Dip a cotton swab in the oil and apply it to the affected nails. Do not wash.
Propolis tincture
There are many traditional methods of treating nail fungus. Propolis, or more precisely its alcohol tincture, is a universal and safe remedy. The drug has fungicidal, wound healing and bacteriostatic properties.
In the case of onychomycosis, propolis does not allow the pathogen to multiply. Based on the reviews, itching and inflammation disappear after a few procedures. The affected nail is gradually replaced by a healthy nail. There are several ways to treat pathology with propolis:
- A piece of propolis is applied to the affected nail, which was previously steamed in a potassium permanganate solution, for half an hour. The procedure should be done twice a day for a month.
- Moisten a cotton pad with an alcoholic (20%) propolis solution and apply it to the nail plate, covering it with dry cotton wool on top. At the end of the procedure, tie your finger. The bandage can be removed after a day and the softened nail can also 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 as follows:
- separate a thin layer from the fungus, soak it in water for an hour, then apply a piece to each affected nail;
- cover the poultice with plastic film and put on woolen socks;
- Leave the poultice overnight.
The procedure, during which a burning sensation and itching is felt, is repeated every two days until the symptoms of the disease disappear.
Garlic
Many patients are interested in what folk remedies can be used to treat nail fungus. Many 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 jar with a lid and place in a dark place for two weeks. The finished preparation is applied to the nails affected by the fungus in the evening, a gauze bandage 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 must 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 several products.Dissolve 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide, and 1/2 cup magnesium sulfate in four glasses of water. Attach a cotton ball soaked in this mixture to the affected nail using a Band-Aid. The bandage remains on the affected area for 10 hours. It is then 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 keep it until it sizzles. Then wash the feet with warm water and apply tea tree oil mixed with vaseline in equal proportions to the 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. A cotton swab is moistened with anesthetic and attached to the affected nail. Some patients claim that this simple method can get rid of the fungus in just two procedures.
Herbs
How else can nail fungus be treated? Folk remedies based on herbs and medicinal plants have antiseptic and anti-inflammatory effects.
Recipes:
- Mix equal parts 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 down a little, 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 spoons of the mixture. Let the mixture stand for half an hour. Then add a tablespoon of sea salt to the broth. Place your foot in it. The procedure continues for a quarter of an hour.
- Blackberry leaves, verbena grass, horsetail, calendula and oak bark are crushed and mixed in equal proportions. Pour boiling water (200 ml) into a spoon (teaspoon) of the mixture. Place the container with the herbal mixture in a water bath for a quarter of an hour. Filter, cool and moisten the cotton pads with the resulting concoction. It is applied in the form of creams at night to painful nails.
- Carefully beat the burdock leaf with a spoon so that the juice comes out. The pieces of the sheet are placed on the nail plate, the finger is bandaged and socks are put on. The bandage must be changed every 12 hours. Continue treatment for 10 days.
- Kalanchoe leaves and golden mustache should be ground to a pulp. The mass is applied to the infected surface and secured with a bandage. In the morning, remove the bandage and wash your feet with warm water. The treatment is carried out until the symptoms disappear.
- Pour 150 ml of vodka with 10-15 g of purple 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.
Mushroom in advanced form
If the nail is completely yellow, does not fit tightly to the nail bed, crumbles, the nail folds are red or damaged, this means that the nail fungus has progressed. 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 at night with tar soap. Sprinkle the top with salt and cover 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 medicine, you can try to cope with the disease with folk remedies. In this case, nail fungus should be treated when the first symptoms of the disease are detected.
Prevention of this pathology is no less important. The causative agents of onychomycosis are indifferent to conventional disinfectants. Powders, soaps and detergents do not affect the viability of spores. In this regard, nail fungus is a dangerous disease, its treatment at home is quite difficult, and preventive measures are often ineffective.
However, you must follow the basic preventive rules:
- Do not use other people's hygiene products. This rule must also be observed within the family circle, since, judging by medical statistics, more than 60% of infections 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 must be changed daily. Fungal spores migrate into the fabric and can only be gotten rid of 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 that boric acid, hexamethylene tetramine and talc help to cope with excessive dryness or sweating of the feet with great efficiency.
If the treatment of the fungus with alternative medicine does not give a positive result, consult a doctor who knows exactly how to treat nails with the help of drugs.
Alternative treatment for nail fungus: patient reviews and medical opinion
Many claim that they were able to completely get rid of this pathology only with folk remedies, the recipes of which are given in this material. True, they all claim that they managed to achieve a positive result because they started the treatment after noticing the first symptoms of the disease.
Doctors are not so optimistic. It is believed 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 more than once had to deal with the consequences of their uncontrolled use - burns, inflammation, etc.
Therefore, doctors recommend that if you suspect a fungus, consult a doctor, do a scraping, identify the pathogen's sensitivity to various drugs, and then start treatment. If, in your case, the doctor considers it possible to treat nail fungus with traditional methods, he will include effective remedies as part of the complex therapy.