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Natural Remedies for Nail Fungus: What Works, Why Nails Thicken, and How to Heal Them

| Modified on Jul 15, 2026
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The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
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Castor Oil
Posted by Rob (Kentucky) on 07/15/2026
 ★★★★★

CASTOR OIL for NAIL FUNGUS

A 20-year-old woman from the West Indies had what must be classified as a mixed bacterial-fungus infection under the nail of the right forefinger. For four years, it had grown more and more serious, until the nail became very thick, the end of the finger tender, and a greenish-yellow exudate, which had a foul odor, came from the nail. For nearly four months, the girl's mother placed a pad of cotton soaked with castor oil around the tip of the finger and bandaged it in place every night. The infection disappeared, the nail grew in normally, and now she claims it is the strongest and best nail she has.

This mother, whose daughter responded so well to the use of castor oil on her finger, used the same treatment for a bunion on her big toe – rubbing it with castor oil three times a day and sleeping with a pad placed over it at night. In three weeks, the swelling was gone. Whenever it starts to flare up again, she treats it the same way with the same results. She may have the gout, rather than a bunion, but she is controlling it in a very simplified and economical manner.

Note: A mixture of 1:1 Ratio of Castor oil and Tea Tree Oil will increase the anti-fungal effect. When castor oil is used externally (rubbed into the skin), castor oil is able to penetrate deeper than any other essential plant oil (up to10cm). Rubbing castor oil on the skin can relieve pain, reduce inflammation, detoxify the body and boost lymphatic circulation.

Source: September, 1974, Volume 9, No. 5, page 218, by the Edgar Cayce Foundation, Virginia Beach, VA. https://cayce.com/cayce-case-reports/castor-oil-stories-ear-nail-problems/

Castor Oil
Posted by Mary (Port Orchard, WA) on 11/30/2020
 ★★★★★

I hurt my foot and as a last resort applied Edgar Cayces castor oil remedy. I put castor oil on flannel enough to cause the flannel to be wet but not dripping. I then wrapped my foot. Had left it on for 3 or 4 days when I needed to go to my acupuncture appointment. As he was applying the needles he exclaimed my toe fungus was gone. All except one small spot. I then asked my Dr if my toe fungus was gone a week later and he also said one small spot. My toe nails are beautiful white and healthy looking. I now have done both feet. I am still wearing the castor oil for the pain in my foot. I did use organic castor oil. And I am lucky enough to be able to wear the castor oil about 20 hours a day.

Castor Oil
Posted by Gman (Alabama) on 10/20/2018 6 posts
 ★★★★★

Castor oil is so easy to use and works better than anything I have ever used. Just apply it to your toenails and toes. It penetrates the skin and the nails.

Castor Oil
Posted by Gman (Alabama) on 09/17/2018 6 posts
 ★★★★★

Castor Oil is the best thing to cure nail fungus. I've tried so many other cures and none of them worked. Castor Oil penetrates deep into the skin and is useful for skin problems, such as cysts. It's amazing to see all the useful problems it can be used for. It's oily but it cures.

Castor Oil
Posted by Twinkytoze (Nerja, Spain) on 06/09/2018
 ★★★★★

A long dark winter in heavy socks and vinyl boots gave me a case of toenail fungus.

I was reading through the remedies here, and something that occurred to me was that fungus needs three things in order to flourish: moisture, darkness and oxygen. I figured if I can remove two of those conditions then I would be all set.

Night before last I slathered my toe in castor oil, wrapped it in a bandage, and went to bed. I felt tingling under the nail early in the morning, and then when I looked at it, the patch of discoloration and inflammation had reduced by about 30% in area.

I put on sandals, hit the area with 415nm blue light (acne pen) for about 12 minutes, then applied more castor oil. Went around barefoot all day, with castor oil all over the toe. I went to bed last night with another plaster and woke up this AM with about 50% reduction in area and discoloration of the nail.

Castor oil appears to work very well in starving the fungus of oxygen because it is very sticky and viscous, but also it gets into all the crevices where the fungus might retreat to in order to seek an oxygen source.

Fungus is very clever and very patient. If it detects that conditions aren't ideal for it to flourish, it will retreat into spore form and wait for conditions to improve. Spores can survive for years, which is why you have to keep on with a course of treatment for a long time, and why the infection can crop up again.

This is also why blue light exposure can help because it interrupts the sequencing of the DNA of the organism.

So far so good. If I hit a snag I will report back, but for now it looks like this thing is on the run.

Castor Oil
Posted by Gregory (Dfw, Tx) on 05/17/2012
 ★★★★★

For nail fungus, smother it out with cold pressed castor oil (just protect your linens and clothes, it can turn them yellow. Very large bandaids work to sleep in.

I have used this for everything from lacerations, dog bites - dog to dog, dog to human, face discolorations, interal for immune boosting, cosmetic oil, etc. Palma Di Christi is another name for it. Bacteria and fungus cannot grow in it because it is so viscous. And it's soothing.

Castor Oil
Posted by Patricia (Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands) on 08/02/2009
 ★★★★★

I noticed a question about using caster oil with nail fungus. I have a story you might find interesting. I had read about its anti-fungal action, and when I began to notice some nail damage, I began applying caster oil twice a day. As I was about to travel and I worried about getting more damage, I went to my podiatrist. He looked at my nail and said that he was sure it was a fungal infection but that he would take a sample for testing. When I returned a month later, he checked back on the test, and was shocked to note that there was no fungus there at all. He wanted to know if I were sure that I had damaged my nail --in other words, he began to look for another reason for the nail problem. There was no other problem and no fungus! caster oil works for nail fungus prevention and most likely treatment.

Castor Oil
Posted by Ann (Algonquin, IL) on 04/17/2008
 ★★★★★

Editor's Choice

I have successfully used castor oil to treat toenail fungus. My baby toenail was completely taken over by fungus. It had a black line running through it as well (another sign of fungus). I did this treatment twice per day until the nail grew out: First, I put two drops of vinegar on the nail. Then I placed a bit of cotton soaked in castor oil directly on the nail and kept it in place with a bandage. The nail is completely healthy. It's been almost two years since the treatment.


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