Foot fungus is a disease, the signs of which are noticed in about 20% of people. Ringworm is easy to catch by stepping barefoot on the wet floor of a swimming pool or in a sports locker room, but it's not as easy to cure. You need to start therapy quickly as the first symptoms appear. To do this, use any popular foot fungus remedy in combination with medications prescribed by your doctor.
How to Get Rid of Foot Fungus with Folk Remedies
There are many ways to remove foot fungus with folk remedies. The most famous are birch tar, garlic and onion, soda and salt, celandine and vinegar. All of them are able to alleviate the condition with onychomycosis and, with regular use, help in the cure.
birch tar
A well-known folk remedy for foot fungus. Tar contains up to 15% of tannins, phenols, alkaloids, essential oils and a small amount of carcinogens. It is not known when tar was first used for medicinal purposes, but traditional medicine has long known how to treat fungi using this sticky and pungent birch distillation.
When applied to the feet, tar acts on several problems at the same time. It softens keratinized areas, relieves inflammation and creates unfavorable conditions for infection.
The simplest folk remedy based on it is tar soap. It is suitable for different procedures:
- Soap paste lotions. Rub in the washing powder, dilute with water to a semi-liquid consistency, apply to affected legs, fix with a plaster and leave for 3 hours.
- Baths. Rub in the soap and measure out 3 tbsp. me. Fill a basin with hot water and dilute the washing powder. Cook your legs for a quarter of an hour.
- Friction. Grind a little powdered tar soap, measure out 1 tsp. Add 2 tbsp. me. water and 1 tsp. soda. Apply the mixture to the fungus-affected nail before bed, rinse the rest in the morning. Repeat daily.
If there is no soap but pure tar is available, an ointment can be made from it. According to the popular recipe, you can take badger fat or any neutral cream as a base. Equal parts of base and tar are mixed and used to lubricate the affected areas on the legs. After two hours, rinse your skin to remove excess ointment.
You can enhance the popular recipe with sulfur powder. Take 2 parts tar, 1 part sulfur, 1 part cream or badger fat. The composition must be heated and well mixed. Apply the finished ointment to the toenails and cover with a plaster.
Antifungal vegetables - garlic and onion
Onion and garlic are the most effective foods for yeast infections. They cleanse the skin, strengthen the body's immune defenses and work seamlessly together. In folk medicine they are used for a wide range of ailments.
Garlic is rich in phytoncides, allicin (a substance with a strong fungicidal effect), essential oils. Onions are rich in phytoncides and essential oils, flavonoids.
For foot fungus, apply the vegetables externally alone or in a mixture:
- Garlic juice. Crush the cloves, squeeze the juice and apply to the feet twice a day with any applicator, but not with your fingers.
- Onion and garlic juice. Chop 4 cloves of garlic and pour over 1 tbsp. me. onion juice. Apply and keep the makeup on the feet with a compress or bandage for half an hour.
- Onion compresses. Chop the onion, mix with the petroleum jelly in equal proportions. Apply to the skin of the legs daily for 10-15 days.
- Garlic appliqués. There is no time to squeeze out the garlic juice - just cut a clove in half, sprinkle with salt and rub the affected skin in half.
- Garlic lotion. Prepare the garlic porridge and squeeze the juice. Mix 1 part juice with 1 part water and 1 part isopropyl alcohol. Apply the resulting lotion to the affected area on your legs.
Essencial oils
In the recipes recommended by folk medicine for foot fungus, several essential oils are frequently mentioned - cloves, cinnamon, thyme, cassia oil, geranium, oregano and lemongrass.
But the most sought after is the tea tree essential oil. It is a powerful antiseptic with high concentration. Use it with care so as not to cause burns, redness or skin irritation.
There are several versions of using folk remedies - you can rub it in plain oil or dissolve it in baths.
To prepare a healing bath, use the following proportions: 1 liter of water, 1 teaspoon. soda, 1 tbsp. me. salt, 15 drops of oil, 1 tbsp. me. Honey. If you need more mixing, multiply the amount of all components. Baths are performed for 20 minutes, every day without breaks over a course of 1-3 months.
Herbs for bathing
Herbal baths are gentle folk remedies against foot fungus. Just make sure you don't have an allergic reaction to the plants that make up the composition.
A simple folk recipe includes burdock leaves, yarrow, plantain and wormwood. Mix the herbs in equal proportions, eg 2 tbsp. me. Pour boiling water over the raw material, allow it to cool a little, fill the bowl with broth and dip your feet. After a few days of daily vaporization, the condition will improve.
A good effect is obtained by an oak bark decoction. Prepare it at the rate of 4 tbsp. me. dry raw material per 1 liter of water. Add 2 drops of peppermint essential oil and 10 drops of tea tree oil, stir and let cool. After an hour, mix the broth, 3 liters of hot water and 2 tbsp. me. soda. You can keep your feet in this mixture for 30 minutes. Make time for this in your daily schedule. The course usually lasts 2 weeks.
soda and salt
Popular recipes based on salt and soda are extremely easy to prepare. Take a basin for the bath, pour in hot water, add a few tablespoons of baking soda and the same amount of salt (normal, marine or iodized), stir. If you have non-iodized salt, add a few drops of iodine. Cook your feet daily until symptoms go away.
Baking soda is good for foot pads. Prepare a liter of water, a teaspoon of baking soda, soak the socks, squeeze a little. They need to be worn on your feet for a long time, so put shoe covers/plastic bags over them or just wrap your feet in plastic wrap. Leave this compress on your feet for 2 hours. Repeat daily for 1, 5 months.
Rowan
An underrated folk remedy for the treatment of ringworm. According to the recipe, fresh rowan leaves must be crushed so that the juice appears and applied to the feet. It is advisable to wrap the top with a burdock leaf, but it is not possible to iron. Next, you need to wrap the leg with a bandage and leave the compress for a day. Then switch to fresh. To be treated for 7-10 days.
tea mushroom
Another popular foot fungus recipe includes kombucha. Medusomycete contains usnic acid and yeast, which have a weak antifungal effect.
The mushroom can be improved with an infusion that builds up over three months.
This concentrated remedy will help against nail fungus. Prepare the infusion: boil for 40 minutes and strain. Moisten cotton with broth, apply and set overnight. In the morning, remove the diseased part of the nail and treat with iodine.
Another popular recipe for treating fungus recommends cutting a part of the mushroom, chopping it into puree, and rubbing it into the feet and nails twice a day.
celandine
The poisonous plant has a complex disinfecting, anti-inflammatory and soothing effect on the skin. Celandine Oil is widely used in the treatment of skin conditions and is a popular remedy for nail fungus.
Treatment with celandine does not require complex manipulations. Simply steam your feet in a soda bath and lubricate the affected areas with vegetable oil.
The oil is suitable for medical compresses. To do this, apply it on a cotton swab, fix it on the affected area and fix it for half an hour. Do this twice a day for 3-4 weeks.
kalanchoe
Among the methods of treating foot fungus with folk remedies, indoor aloe vera is often mentioned. Grind 2-3 leaves of the plant, pour boiling water and leave for 3 hours. Moisten cotton or gauze in the resulting solution and treat the affected area once a day. Aloe smoothes the skin and accelerates healing. Works best for nail fungus.
Vinegar
Vinegar, popular in traditional recipes, creates a destructive environment for the fungus, but it can also corrode the skin on your legs. Use it with care, in small concentrations and only if there are no ulcers or erosions:
- Soak in a solution of wine or apple cider vinegar (1 part vinegar to 6 parts water) for 15 minutes every other day until healthy nails grow back.
- Dip socks in vinegar and put on overnight, repeat daily until symptoms disappear.
- Lubricate affected areas with a mixture of equal amounts of vinegar essence and carrot juice (1 tablespoon each) daily until health is restored.
Use vinegar on shoes that come in contact with the affected skin on your feet. Take 70% acetic acid, moisten a cotton swab, wipe the inner surface, leave in your shoes for 48 hours, placing the shoes in a tightly closed bag. Then ventilate.
Don't forget your socks and tights - it's better to boil them, not just wash them.
Simple Home First Aid Kit Remedies
In addition to expensive fungicidal preparations, there are many simple pharmaceutical remedies that can be used if the fungus on your legs hasn't started out so bad. Knowing how to deal with the fungus with these medications, you can use the folk remedies available.
Boric acid
Antiseptic that causes coagulation and denaturation of proteins from pathogenic microorganisms. In popular recipes, the remedy is only used locally and best of all it helps with the nail plate fungus.
Cook your feet in a bath of soap and baking soda, remove the rough fabric with a pumice stone, file and trim your nails. Then apply boric alcohol to the affected areas. Repeat the procedure daily. Use a disinfectant for socks, tights and shoes.
Hydrogen peroxide
Peroxide can be used as compresses. According to popular recipes, it is necessary to apply a pharmaceutical preparation on gauze, apply to the affected skin during half an hour. Repeat every night and morning for a week.
The peroxide will prevent the fungus from spreading to other areas.
Iodine
Even without knowing how to cure foot fungus, you will probably remember this antiseptic, known to everyone since childhood. This drug is used as part of the popular treatment for ringworm. Can be used to make trays and lotions.
Prepare 5 liters of water and add 3 tbsp. me. iodine. Soak your feet in a concentrated bath for 20 minutes and dry. Repeat every other day.
For lotions, dilute an equal amount of iodine and alcohol, dip a cotton swab into the mixture, and lightly apply to the skin of your feet. Apply at bedtime daily for 5-10 days until symptoms subside.
Iodine is not used for intolerance to this element and for any diseases of the thyroid gland.
Drops with essential oils
A medicine prescribed for colds. But it is also effective against some fungi. Those who have tried the folk method on themselves recommend applying the product daily to the affected area of skin and nails after spraying. The substances in the drug's composition have antiseptic properties, destroy fungi, viruses and bacteria, and help in the complex treatment of mycoses in the legs.
This is not a complete list of folk remedies for treating nail fungus. But whatever your choice, consult your doctor before using. In the case of a neglected fungus, weakened immunity, and other aggravating factors, popular recipes may be ineffective. But, with properly selected drug therapy, these drugs will make an excellent addition to the complex treatment.