Table of Contents
Cure Nail Fungus
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Our readers offer information and opinions on Earth Clinic, not as a substitute for professional medical prevention, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult with your physician, pharmacist, or health care provider before taking any home remedies or supplements or following any treatment suggested by anyone on this site. Only your health care provider, personal physician, or pharmacist can provide you with advice on what is safe and effective for your unique needs or diagnose your particular medical history.
8 YEA
1 WARNING!
[YEA] 03/10/2007: Julie from Bradford, England writes: "I have just bought some lemongrass oil to try and cure my fungal nail problem. The oil says not to be used undiluted on the skin. Do I need to dilute it for nails or can I apply it neat?"
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[YEA] 01/31/2007: Christina from Lake Grove writes: "I was wondering if the posters who are using lemongrass oil could provide a little more information. Is it just lemongrass oil, or is the lemongrass oil mixed with something else? How often do you apply it?"
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[YEA] 01/09/2007: AJ from Los Angeles, CA writes: "I have tried three application of lemongrass oil and I am making WONDERFUL progress. I have had serious to moderate toe nail infections for the past 3 years. Nothing I have tried has worked until now. I have applied lemongrass oil to all infected nails. The infected portion of each nail turn black within 24 hours of application. New nail that is healthy looking is just peeking in from the base and I am I very excited. I think this remedy with an essential oil will work for some. Also, the oil smells great!"
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[YEA] 12/28/2006: Maddi writes: "LEMONGRASS ESSENTIAL OIL CURES TOE FUNGUS. RECOMMENDED BY MY NIECE WHO IS A PODIATRIST. BETTER STILL, MIX IT WITH TEATREE OIL AND DROPPER-APPLY INSIDE THE NAIL. ALSO SCORE THE TOP OF THE NAIL WITH EMERY BOARD AND APPLY DIRECTLY TOWARDS THE BASE OF THE NAIL. THE FUNGUS GOES BLACK IN MINUTES SO IT MUST BE WORKING."
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5 YEA
[YEA] 12/13/2008: Ingrid from Ft Lauderdale, FL writes: "I had a toe fungus on my big toe. Went to the foot doctor who had me on an antibiotic for 6 months with no results. I then spent 6 months using tree tea oil 2Xs per day, again no result. Finally soaked a cotton ball 2xS per day for 10 minutes with original Listerine--3 days later NO MORE FUNGUS! ALL GONE!!"
[YEA] 03/13/2009: Julian from Phoenix, Arizona replies: "Take a soft bristle tooth brush, soak in listerine, and brush nails daily before bed. File down thick nfected nails, make sure to disinfect brush and file."
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[YEA] 10/24/2008: Megan from Jacksonville, FL writes: "I tried soaking my feet in Listerine after seeing a posting about toe nail fungus. It not only works on toe nails, but will get rid of athlete's foot issues very quickly. And this is much easier than pressing onion, etc. I love this site! I found it looking for Ted's Mange Cure, which is fabulous. Thanks!"
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[YEA] 07/30/2008: Michelle Fitzpatrick from Jacksonville, Florida-USA writes: "I worked for a spa that used no harsh chemicals in their mani/pedi's. I learned that spraying listerine mouthwash on your feet will disinfect them. Keeps fungus away. I also learned that rubbing alchohol is a good and sanitary cleaner for your tub so you can prevent and kill fungus and bacteria from re-occuring.
p.s. Rubbing alchohol can be used all over house as cleaner & disinfectant!!"
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[YEA] 11/22/2007: Sally from Annapolis, MD writes: "I've had severe toe fungus for 20 or more years. I got a bottle of Listerine (it had been mentioned on your site when I looked at it a few months back) and thought what the heck, I'll try it. I got makeup remover pads (not the cotton balls) and soak it in Listerine in the morning, positioned it over my big toe (the worse one) and keep it in place while I put my sock on. In just 3-4 weeks about the bottom 1/3 - 1/2 of the nail is clear I'm going to start using it on all of my nails on that foot. In the spirit of adventure, I'm going to try something else - peroxide or bleach on the left foot. My husband has used Penlac for years and periodically they have had to remove his nail."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 10/13/2007: Barbara from Orlando, USA writes: "I have cured a very stubborn nail fungus using a half and half mixture of original Listerine and white vinegar. I had previously tried just vinegar, tee tree oil, clorox, a prescription,Vick's and hydrogen peroxide. I believe it was the mixture of mouthwash and vinegar that finally did the trick. Plus, I applied it to my toe (drenched it) with a Q-tip at least 4 to 6 times a day. I made up a new solution in a covered jar every week. It has taken almost a year for the nail to grow out and I never failed to apply the mixture every day. I learned that missing a day or so allows the fungus to return. I tried to avoid toenail polish. If I did need to go to a social function I applied polish just before I left the house and took the polish off as soon as possible. Fungus loves polish! I just had to pass this on as I have been very frustrated wasting time for years on other remedies."
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2 YEA
[YEA] 04/07/2007: Ann from Middlesbrough, UK writes: "On 9/19/2006, I wrote about my use of Manuka Oil. As 6 months have passed, I thought I should update you with my progress. I have fungus on 2 toenails, the large toenail and the middle one but both are affected differently. The large toenail was separated from the nail bed from about a third across. I would cut the hollow part off but it would always grow back in the same way. The middle nail was thick and yellow on one side. I could not cut the affected part off so would file it flat. That was basically how I dealt with it. I have been using tea tree oil and manuka oil on alternate days. Instead of using an eyedropper, I cut off the cotton buds on a Q tip resulting in a narrow plastic straw and use this as a dropper. I am pleased to report some success. The big toe nail has grown properly and is no longer separated from the nail bed. It may be a coincidence but when I ran over my foot with an airline trolley, I bruised the big toe nail quite badly but only the hollow part filled up with blood. When the bruised part grew out it was no longer separated. (I do not suggest that you hammer your nails. That would be silly.) I have not been so successful with the other nail. I had been consistently filing it down with an emery board and applying manuka oil. I know that it is a long process but find it difficult to see how progress can be recognised within a few days. I stopped filing the nail but continued with the application every day. The nail grew but grew back thickened and yellow. I am now using coconut oil, tea tree oil and manuka oil and every now and again I put a few drops of surgical spirit on it. This is war! I think that I have not made much progress with this nail because I have been wearing boots and shoes for the past 6 months. For the next 6 months, I intend to wear open toed sandals until the Autumn kicks in. I hope to update you then, meanwhile I think I shall get some lemongrass oil. It must be very satisfying to see the fungus turn black, yeah! turn black and die you fungus!"
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[YEA] 09/19/2006: Ann from Middlesbrough, UK writes: "I have been using Manuka Oil for 3 weeks. Manuka Oil is New Zealand's equivalent to Australia's Tea Tree Oil. I was using Tree Oil before that and the nails seemed to be improving slowly and steadily however I read on the web that Manuka Oil is 10 times more potent than Tea Tree Oil for fungal problems. It is too early to say if Manuka Oil is a miracle cure and matters were not helped when I ran over the affected toes with a heavy airline trolley. The bruised nails are growing out and the areas affected by the fungus seem to be shrinking. I use an emery board to file the nails so that they are thinner and more likely to absorb the oil down to the nail bed. I have had fungal nails for at least 5 years but have only seriously started to tackle the problem a few months ago. Prior to that I hid the problem under layers of nail polish which, of course, just made them worse."
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3 YEA
[YEA] 12/07/2006: Alice from Sierra Vista, AZ writes: "I have used vinegar and monostat plus a wide range of expensive over the counter "cures" for toenail fungus. I'm thinking of using the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. Most of these things "sort of worked" but only mildly and slowly. I'd get a patch of clear nail at the base, and a lessening of the under-nail build up, only to have the fungus rush in and take over the whole nail again if I missed any treatments. I used Listerine-type mouthwash only by accident, because both big toes and one smaller toe became infected and I was too poor to visit the doctor. I was only hoping to control the infection long enough to be able to get medical help. Imagine my amazement when I found not only the infection cured in just a day or so, but also the fungus problem both in the nail and beneath the nail make dramatic improvements. I am angry because the medical establishment should be aware of this and other cures which are readily available to the public at a cost which almost every person in this nation CAN afford. I am angry because I would not have had the nail fungus get to the point it has, except due to the medical profession and the pharmaceutical industry, I have been deliberately led to believe nail fungus was almost impossible to cure, and therefore any "home remedies" would have next to no effect in curing fungus, so I did not even try try until I accidentally got monostat on a "mole" and saw it instantly begin to "cure" the mole. I reasoned it might also help fungus. It did help, but nothing like the dramatic effect I've had with the mouthwash. Because of the misleading by our medical and pharmaceutical industry, I thought the progress I saw was the best I could hope for. The medical and pharmaceutical industry expect and demand to be paid immense amounts of money, so they can live like kings. To do this they apparently are either willing to lie or at best incredibly negligent, at a huge cost to the rest of us, in life and in health, as well as in money. My mother died with feet so badly infected with fungus and the subsequent infection, it was horrible. Had she known she could have cured the fungus problem with something as cheap and simple as mouthwash, she might be alive today. I know she believed toenail fungus to be extremely difficult or impossible to cure. It would have been nice to cure mine before my big toenail was totally destroyed. I'm hoping it will come back, but at least I have a real CURE. Plus I bet the other cures given here will also work. Meanwhile doctors collect vast sums of money to give people pills which destroy livers and cost a fortune. When they could simply advise them to use mouthwash! Isn't that what quacks are supposed to be guilty of?"
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[YEA] 11/19/2006: Willard from Wapwallopen, PA writes: "I have been using Listerine on toe nails with good results. I tried many other things for the fungus. It is going to side 3/4 of fungus is gone now It be all gone but forget to put on every day. I would like people to try it and would like to know if it helped anyone else. Both of my big toe nails are 3/4 clear from the side not from the bottom."
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[YEA] 11/16/2006: Charlette from Plano, TX writes: "Soak feet once a week in an antibacterial wash. Found cure on Diva's Home Remedies. I purchased a large cheap bottle of mouthwash mixed half with water in foot tub. After a couple of weeks the fungus will disappear. Do not purchase dark colored mouthwash as this puts a tinted color on skin. I'm sure if you had a fingernail fungus you can put mouthwash in a cup and soak finger once a week and be cured."
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3 NAY
[NAY] 09/13/2009: Michele from Orlando, Fl writes: "I have read all the posts and am trying to rid my fingernails (both thumbs and index fingers) of long term fungal infection. I have used all over the counter remedies, been to my dermatologist who prescribed oral terbinafine for 6 months, which helped a little, but it stopped working when the Dr. stopped the oral med due to possible liver side effects. I make every effort to keep nails clean and dry, trimmed back to apply the topical remedies and still I have off white discolored sections from the end of the nail in half moon shapes toward the matrix of the nail. I clean out the nails with sterile tools but cannot seem to find a cure. Will the Vicks treatment work on fingernails? I read most people had success with toe nails. How do I treat the nails during the work day where I am in an office environment? Help!"
09/14/2009: Joyce from Joelton, Tn replies: "Hi Michele,
Have your tried painting with iodine at nail bed and I would also try putting some underneath the nail end where it joins the finger. Once daily should do it and once you get those nails back in shape, don't be putting any nail polish on your healthy nails, not even the clear, strengthening type. Potassium iodide (SSKI or Lugol's solution will also work."
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[NAY] 09/06/2009: Noelle from Minneapolis, Minnesota writes: "Hope someone can help me out. Since June I've been using one of Ted's remedies for toenail fungus: H202 ACV, let that dry, then Chlorox mixed one cap in 5 oz of water, let dry, then Tea Tree Oil, cover with socks. I already tried 1) Listerine, 2)Listerine & Vinegar, 3) Vicks 4) Tea Tree Oil. I started having some success only after I switched to spraying my toes with 3% H202 and distilled vinegar and upped the amount of Tea Tree oil in my vaseline to more than 50%. As I kept adding more Tea Tree oil, the nails looked better & better. Chlorox got the black streaks out of my toenails. When I occasionally bathe, shower or soak in Borax, the skin around the toes would come off in little sheets with nice new skin underneath. I had a nice line of demarcation where clear white nail was growing in.
But I noticed slight peeling of the skin around the toes when I sprayed the H202 mix.
Well, I suspect I may have made the tea tree solution too strong, because within a couple of days of upping Tea Tree/Vaseline mix, I noticed some painful tiny bubbles around the cuticle of the first & 2nd toes of the right foot. I applied the tea tree oil the next night & morning after spraying my toes and it got worse. I stopped all treatment for a week and did not wear socks to bed, waiting for what I thought was an irritation to cool down. Since I did not want to lose the progress I made, after a week I started using the H202 Vinegar and the tea tree combo again on the left foot only. The skin got irritated and itchy, but the only thing that would stop the itch was the tea tree oil. By this past Tuesday, I was waking up at 3am with the 1st two toes on each foot itching & burning. On Wednesday, I showed my chiropractor the feet to check if any medication I was taking could be causing this; she said she thought it was unrelated, but said when bubbles appear on the toes it was fungus migrating from other parts of the body.
By Thursday morning, I had many more bubbles on my left foot. I went to the movies Thursday afternoon and the foot was driving me crazy -- itchy and tender. When I got home I had a large blister between my 3rd & 4th toes, which I soaked in Espom Salts & Borax, which popped it. I covered the small crater with Aloe & Calendula gel & went to bed. I stayed in on Friday, applied Aloe, which seemed to cool it down. I applied Aloe before I went to work on Saturday morning. By 11 am I could feel lots of tiny blisters forming. When I got home there were lots of tiny blisters on the 1st & 2nd toes of the left foot. I soaked foot in sea salt, which soothed, and applied Aloe, which also soothed. I went out again; when I got home at 8:00pm I had a huge blister between the big toe & 2nd toe. I swear, it looked like a small condom! I soaked it Epsom Salt & Borax, but it would not drain.
I got up this morning, applied salt directly on the blister for 20 minutes, washed it off, bandaged it with Turmeric & Neosporin, then got dressed for church. As I was leaving the blister burst. The skin inside the blister was full of these little bubbles! As of this moment the first two toes are covered with these blisters and there are three more of the big honkers forming as we speak (one on the second toe, two on the big toe.) By the way, I am chugging Turmeric/Cayenne/Pepper/Coconut Oil in V8, and ACV & baking soda, like there's been a run on the market and I can't get any more! I'm also downing Garlic & Olive Leaf. I've lost all the progress I made over the past three months. The big toenail is now yellow and flaky, the toe itself is misshapen from the blisters/infection, and second toe is darkening again.
And all of this happened on my vacation!!! Does anyone have any suggestions? How do I get rid of this? Or at least get this under control. I go back to work on Tuesday; we're not allowed to wear open toed shoes!"
09/10/2009: Dora from Volente, Texas replies: "soak your toes in peroxide, fill a bowl up and soak your toes in it."
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[NAY] 08/19/2009: Janneil from Tunapuna, Trinidad And Tobago writes: "well my case is defintley one of desperation, i believe it started off with me hitting my toe [big toe]it had swollen up and after a few days it came back to normal then, after a few weeks this little end of dicoloured nail appeared i took no heed to it and 5-6months later i still have it but it has nearly taken over half my nail it is yellowish white my nails always tend to go extremely fast so it keeps growing out pinkish but gets reinfected as the fungus travels down to the new nail. my remidies were boric acid and vaseline,then 2nail fungus removers one which was fungi cure this one worked a little but the fungus is still here and constantly for 2months now teat ree oil, it absoulutly did nothing ,it has been so difficult for me i dont ever wear nail polish but just to hide it i started, my mom told me to stop it because it may make it worse so today it was confirmed that it does make it worse.i will now try some of your methods the clorox tea tree oil thing and see what happens then i will try the ACV the results seem promising i will also keep the site of my updates, thank you"
08/19/2009: Misty from Choctaw, Ok replies: "I read that olive leaf extract cured toenail fungus. My mom is taking it for the same thing because the prescription medicine doesn't seem to be working. It's too early to say if it is working, but it's worth a shot."
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04/19/2009: Sally from Toronto, ON writes: "My BF who has been neglecting the toe nail fungus for a couple of years has finally come to the realization that it's not only affecting his toes but possibly his health as well. I read all the posts of others' experiences then went to the natural health store. After a lengthy discussion with the store assistant (who had experienced a mild case of toe nail fungus herself), I bought the following based on her recommendation and the posts I read. My BF started the treatment yesterday:
Probiotics - 1 capsule 2 x/day with meals to re-balance the body's intestinal flora
silica gel - 1 Tbsp per day to strengthen the new nails to come (BF has v. brittle, thin nails)
ACV - sipping approx 2 tsp in 1 lg glass water 3x per day
I have also told BF he needs to cut out the sugars, acidic foods as much as possible. Our diet is pretty healthy, but with the fungus, I think it wouldn't hurt to be more mindful.
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Soak feet 2x per day (morning and night) in hot water bath for 10 mins and wash w/ natural anti-bacterial soap. Dry feet and apply cotton pad soaked w/ 50/50 ACV & hydrogen peroxide. Remove after 15 mins. and apply iodine drops and then neem oil (I was told it's stronger than tea tree). We're going to change the procedure in the evening and tape a cotton soaked pad w/ the 50/50 ACV & hydrogen peroxide on the toes overnight.
There was no pinching or fizzing the first night the ACV/hydrogen peroxide was applied as a few people mentioned in their posts.
The ACV used was not Bragg's but an unpasteurized, unfiltered one from a local Ontario apple orchard.
Will report back on the results in a week."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 01/24/2007: Jim from San Matero, CA writes: "Best cure I found for toenail fungus was camping on a river with a very hot natural mineral Springs that I walked in each day cured fungus I had been trying to cure for a year with over the counter. My Dr. says do not use the prescription on tv for any reason as only works on 60%, and causes liver damage in about 1/4 of healthy individuals using the products...said it was very risky even with blood tests."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 08/06/2007: Otti from Tampa, Florida writes: "I discovered an awesome natural remedy for any yeast infections and fungus - neem tree see oil. It even works on plants, not just my boyfriend's toe nail fungus. However, the seed oil smells worse than garlic but it is so very strong and powerful. Mixing it with an essential oil can help with that smell. Other neem tree extracts can cure viral infections as well and can be taken orally. I have used the seed oil on my cold sore (mixed with carmex because of the smell) and it stopped the herpes outbreak immediately."
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06/19/2006: Ted from Bangkok, Thailand writes: "It has been known in academic circles for sometime that vitamin B3 in the form of niacinamide (non-flushing) is relatively toxic to yeast. A scientist found several years ago and concluded (wrongly) that taking vitamin B3 niacinamide will shorten your life span or longevity, through suppressing the SIR2 silencing gene, which is responsible for longevity.
As a result of this little misinformation, people stopped taking niacinamide and candida and yeast infections skyrocketed. Now the reason for the mistake was relatively simple, the scientist was apparently doing a study on longevity on yeast cells. Apparently in higher animals, fruit flies included, the effect of adding niacinamide resulted in longer life of 15%, as well as human embryo cells.
Therefore, if you have candida, yeast infection, or possibly even a UTI (urinary tract infection), taking niacinamide between 100-500 mg/day could solve this mystery that doctors have a hard time suppressing. In fact, you can expand this idea into applying the use of niacinamide NOT NIACIN, as a means of controlling fungus, since fungus is a relatively close cousin of the yeast also.
This is interesting, since in medicine the two most hardest organism to kill is actually fungus and yeast. It is almost a death sentence if you have this and getting rid of it may mean endless nightmare. Who knows, perhaps dissolving niacinamide with vinegar will be helpful in relieving your toe nail fungus infections.
Therefore a possibility exists from the point of view of biological terrain, candida, yeast and fungus infection is a form of niacinamide deficiency."
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7 YEA
[YEA] 02/11/2009: Cheryl from Manteca, California writes: "Oil of Oregano cure for fungus rash: Oil of Oregano (Oreganoworld.com has the undiluted, pure oil for $19 oz-I bought this one-very inexpensive) cured what seemed to be fungus-possibly Candida type rash. I suffered with the rash for 14 months, no prescription creams, powders or otc creams helped me. I was at my wits end-the dermatologist took a biopsy-said it was 'like athletes foot/fungus type rash' and prescribed Lamisil pills and cream for 2 months-this did not work. I heard about Oil of Oregano from a radio talk show-Coast to Coast-and, gave it a try. It worked in 3 days-I took it internally and mixed it with extra virgin coconut oil on the skin-it went away. Amazing miracle to me."
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[YEA] 03/05/2008: Michelle from West Palm Beach, Florida writes: "I couldn't find this one so here goes. Best for kids, as it helps whatever is causing the fever, especially virus. Two drops of Oreganol Oil, on each foot rub it in and fever will break in a matter of five (5) minutes. I have four kids and have used this on ALL of them. It has absolutely always worked.
You can rub a few drops on chest for congestion or sinus trouble too. I have used two drops behind ear (rub all around area) for curing ear infections, ear pain, etc.
You can't beat it for cuts, they will never get infected! Best for little finger cuts as they are hard to keep clean! Also cures toenail fungus, especially seriously infected ones, drop several drops around nail bed, under nail, and around affected toe, with in hours, the pain is gone! Three times a day and the toe infection will be gone in a few days. My friend 6'11" male, was about to go to the ER when I told him to try this, he could barely walk! It was easy to walk in a matter of hours and completely cured in a few days! Three times a day several drops. Epsom salt soaks help to draw out infection and help pain too.
Earth Clinic is my Favorite for everything!"
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[YEA] 12/12/2007: Charles from Hillsdale, New York writes: "Remedy Update on previous posts It is now about a year since last post. Have continued to wear sandals and keep feet very clean, and I cut nails way back. Not using anything else at this point Toenail fungus is not visible even when I look closely!"
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[YEA] 01/08/2007: Charles from Hillsdale, NY writes: "Oil of Oregano and wearing sandals cured my nail fungus. My injured toenail grew yellow fungus! I found that oil of oregano stopped progression. After reading all info I could find about this, I realized that it always states nail fungus thrives in "dark, moist conditions" So I now wear sandals open air at all times ( not at some work of course) and now the fungus is hardly visible; I don't bother to take oil of oregano that often, now, either This easy step definitely reduces easily the effects of toenail fungus, but I do not know if it actually cures it I hope this info is helpful!"
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