Natural Remedies for Nail Fungus: Home Treatments

Cornmeal

Posted by Allen (Fort Worth, Texas) on 03/24/2007
★★★★★

Toe nail fungus that I experienced was cured by soaking my feet in a yellow cormeal solution. you need a footbath and a small bag of yellow corn meal. Empty bag into footbath and add enough water to cover cornmel. Let cornmeal soak for i hour. after one hour add about one and a half inches of water and soak your feet for two hours..I had yellow nails and nails fell off with fungus. I was cured after three treatments two weeks apart..good luck

Lemongrass Essential Oil

Posted by Joan (Stony Brook, US) on 03/24/2007
★★★★★

I tried lemongrass on my toe fungus, and yes, it turned black overnight. My question is, what next? I used it full strength with no ill effect so far. Do I continue to use it, if so, how often and for how long? Thanks so much.

Tea Tree, Lavender, Rosemary Oils

Posted by Susan (USA) on 03/17/2007
★★★★★

Lynn from Danby, VT writes: "Perfect cure for toe fungus, and it rids your shoes and sox of any crud as well. A third of each of these:
tea tree oil
lavender oil
red rosemary oil

Cotton ball dab all over. Pull on sox and shoes..and, voila! It's gone in a shake. Also smells wonderful. I used to put a dab in all of our trash brown bags when we were selling our house. Everyone asked what smelled so wonderful!

Tea Tree, Lavender, Rosemary Oils

Posted by Val (Grand Prairie, TX) on 08/12/2014

Where can I buy the red rosemary oil? I can find the rosemary oil, but not RED rosemary oil. Hope to hear from you soon.

Thanks, Val

Natural Mineral Springs

Posted by Jim (San Matero, CA) on 01/24/2007
★★★★★

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.

Oregano Oil

Posted by Charles (Hillsdale, New York) on 01/08/2007
★★★★★

I would like to add this note to my previous note: I did not/do not have severe toenail fungus. My input should be used for mild cases, to keep from becoming severe Because the oil of oregano did NOT seen to completely eliminate fungus, only "kept it at bay" Same with wearing sandals--it keeps the fungus "at bay" A quick look at toenail today shows clean new growth under small spot of toenail fungus on big toe that used to be 3/4 covered--I'd say 1/8 covered now; next toenail down was damaged; this one still looks like there is fungus but not as bad as it used to be; perhaps half gone; I attribute this reduction to the constant sandal wearing as well as good exercise and diet as I stopped oil of oregano last year and only occasionally use it now So I will try antiseptic mouthwash and get back to you about results. Thank you!

Ted's Remedies

Posted by Kasey (London, UK) on 12/11/2006
★★★★★

I had toenail fungus on several of my toes last winter and the nails were starting to flake. I tried Ted's remedy and after voila! It didn't take months and it worked like a charm. Thanks Ted!

Distilled Vinegar

Posted by Nedra (Berkeley, CA) on 12/03/2006
★★★★★

I just discovered yr site seeking sore throat gargle. Cayenne seems to have some positive effects, so thank you. I followed the recommendation of Walt Stoll, M.D. in Saving Yourself from the Disease-Care Crisis to treat my toenail fungus. It worked absolutely when I followed his instructions to the letter. Now even my physician assistant son recommends this to his patients with onychomycosis:

"If an individual with onychomycosis (toenail fungus) will fill a dropper bottle with the cheapest distilled vinegar from the grocery store (do not use good vinegar that has not been distilled) and put 2 drops of the vinegar at the growing base of the affected nail every night and morning, within a few months, normal nail will begin to show at the base of the nail.

"Remember, the normal nail will have to grow the infected nail off the body. If the treatment is missed, for even one dose, the nail that grew that day may not be resistant to the fungus and the fungus can jump from the infected nail that is still present into the healthy (but not resistant) nail. If that happens, infected nail will be seen at the base in a few months (when it has grown out enough to be seen) and the treatment will have to be continued until THAT infected nail tissue is grown off the body. In essence, the treatment time would have to be started anew."

Pretty simple. Works every time. Cure yourself and make yourself an instant hero with this one.

Distilled Vinegar

Posted by Fleur (Australia) on 10/28/2020

I'm a bit confused about which vinegar to use. In Australia our vinegar in grocery stores doesn't say if it's distilled or not. When I googled it, it seems like distilled vinegar is weaker than white vinegar. And distilled is suitable for cooking, because it has been purified.

In the above quote, he talks as if distilled vinegar is cheaper than regular white vinegar. But here, vinegar suitable for cooking (which I assume is the distilled version) is more expensive than regular white vinegar...

Distilled Vinegar

Posted by Earl (San Jose, CA) on 12/02/2006
★★★★★

Toenail Fungus: There are two steps to this that worked for me.

1) Used distilled white vinegar. Soak feet a few minutes to get rid of fungus on feet.

2) If you have a toenail fungus as well, one drop on each cuticle twice a day until the nail grows out entirely. Approx. 6-9 months. If you miss a day the new growth will have the fungus and you may have to start again until that grows out. Just make it a habit, I found that the odd missed treatment was ok. H2O2 works as well, I just found the vinegar cheaper and easier to manage.

Much better than the drugs prescribed for toenail fungus that can damage your liver or kidneys. That's why you have to do bloodwork every month or no prescription renewal.

Sea Salt

Posted by Antonious (West Cov, CALI USA) on 02/21/2009

how do you use it? would soaking the feet in water with salt work?

Mouthwash

Posted by Charlette (Plano, TX) on 11/16/2006
★★★★★

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.

Vicks

Posted by Connie (New Haven, Connecticut) on 03/20/2012

My podiatrist cut off the infected part of my big toenails which had disconnected from the bed and told me to keep my feet dry and apply Vicks (or cheaper store brand) to my toes twice a day. At night I put on white socks and as I am a barefoot person anyway, I did not need socks in the day. It did not take long for the new nails to fill in and they were healhy. It has been over seven years now but lately, sinceI have taking to walking with sneakers and my feet sweat, I noticed the same thing beginning to happen. For the last two days I have been using the Vicks and have not seen results yet but believe they will be the same.

Vicks

Posted by Eric (Houston) on 10/10/2006
★☆☆☆☆

Vics = nothing, but bleach toenail fungus if it could penetrate the nail (See below). I have fungus -- 3 toes on one foot, and two on another and I tried the vapor rub fairly diligently with no success for several months. I gave up and wasn't putting anything on it for a while then the big toe nail got bumped on a couch and came completely off, so I tried some bleach on all toes for several months. The big toe is about 80% grown in looking healthy, while the others nails don't look any better. I concluded that the bleach absolutely works, but doesn't penetrate the nails well. So I think the next step will be to file off as much of the other nails as I possibly can and see what that does.

Manuka Oil

Posted by Ann (Middlesbrough, UK) on 09/19/2006
★★★★★

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.

Honey and Garlic

Posted by Nadine (NY) on 09/01/2006
★★★★★

i read this in a book at the health store so i tried it take honey and garlic use them alternately on your toenail. start out with either honey or garlic and put it on your toenail and bandage the next time you change the bandage put the opposite on so if you start with garlic, the next time put just the honey and keep alternating it till the fungus is gone. do not mix the honey and garlic together. yes the honey is a little gooey, but it has some very nice properties in it that work.

Cinnamon Oil

Posted by Amanda (Vernon, BC) on 09/01/2006
★★★★★

I had read somewhere that fungus could not grow in the presence of cinnamon oil (found in any aromatherapy store), so instead of going to the doctor for an expensive and harmful prescription I decided to try it. I applied it to the cuticle of my nail morning and night and the nail grew out perfectly healthy. My mom had the same problem and when she saw my results she decided to try it too and got the same results.

Cinnamon Oil

Posted by Jennifer (Oklahoma) on 08/23/2018

I wonder if she used a carrier oil? Cinnamon is known to burn.

Urine Therapy

Posted by Kevin (Salt Lake City, Utah) on 07/05/2006
★★★★★

I tried every remedy on the internet i could find. I read about urine therapy on the same and tried it immediately. After two months of drinking 3 cups every morning of my own urine you should see the brand new fungus free toenails that have grown in, absolutely free. I hope this message gets sent to other sufferers because it is the best cure that does work almost immediately, I believe I started seeing results within the first 3 days. Just look up urine therapy on google if you are still skeptical. Thank you.

Urine Therapy

Posted by Tassi (Ca) on 12/26/2014
★☆☆☆☆

I tried Urine therapy and got zip. Yes, internal plus soaked in it, feet, hands, body, whatever, washed head and hair with it for a couple of weeks. Did nothing for the fungus. Well, maybe it slowed it down a little bit, the soaking part, but surely no cure, and what a mess. Wet things do not seem to really help -- but neither does anything. See my previous NAY under Oregano oil for a list of useless remedies (for me at least). Since then besides urine I have tried: Urea 40% (a moisturizer, it helped a little but has lots of chemical additives and my toes started to ache and be red and sore so I quit); bee propolis (I thought this was working as a topical, but it actually made it worse -- and the internal that I took gave me a big cold sore.); Everclear (a very strong alcohol, as a topical, but not strong enough to do much for my fingernail fungus); Pythium oligandrum aka "cannibal fungus, " from Czechoslovakia (it seemed to be working on one hand but when I tried it on the other it made the original fungus worse -- I have not totally given up on maybe trying it on my feet, but am discouraged and wary); Topical hydrogen peroxide isn't even working like it used to. That is it so far. Oh yeah, diatomaceous earth, internal -- I have been taking it 1 T twice a day for almost 60 days and fungus is only getting worse, nails are not even growing any faster like they say DE will do.

Urine Therapy

Posted by Tassi (Berkeley, Ca) on 12/27/2014

Hi Becky, when you say the "borax protocol" do you mean the internal, take say 1/8 tsp in a quart of water over the day? Or is there some soaking involved in what you plan?

Urine Therapy

Posted by Becky (New York, Ny) on 12/28/2014

Hi Tassi,

Yes, the internal borax protocol. 1/8 teaspoon in a liter (not a quart) of water a day. A few years ago I tried soaking in peroxide and borax, but it didn't do much. Join me! Side effects of headache and slight brain fog on the first day of the borax protocol, nothing after that.

Ted's Remedies

Posted by Andrew (Long Beach, CA) on 06/24/2006
★★★★★

I have continued to try Ted's method, but instead of soaking my feet using ACV, I switched putting only two drops on each toe of White Distilled Vinegar and H2O2. White Distilled Vinegar appears much better for external use and more effective as it also has the same PH as ACV. After laying off for a few months, I started again at the beginning of this month. Since that time, I see some progress. The base of the aflicted toenails are beginning to look pink and health. It is a small amount, but shows some progress from a month ago. I'm also seeing the top of the nail look much cleaner as it looks clear. The brighr brownish yellow color originally there has lightened and looks whiter in with vertical or diagonal ridges becoming more visable. Although I have not precisely used Ted's method and modified it, by switching to WDV and using drops rather than soaking, I found the method appears to be working. I also think Clorox does a great job in helping. Because my toe nails had been yellow for a few years, I think my toenails will take longer to cure and my nails will have to grow out which may take 3-4 months.