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.
Cayenne
Posted by Vince (Philadelphia, PA) on 09/21/2006
★★★★★
I had Athlete's Foot between 2 toes that sit against each other. I had it off and on for years. It was hard to dry them after a shower, and when in a rush, I don't think I did it that well, and then sitting against each other, I would probably really have to, and sweating probably cause it also. I only applied cayenne in salt water one time, and it has been gone for years. Usually it has to stay in place for a while on skin surfaces, so I soak the gauze on a bandaid, but since my toes touch, I didn't have to.
Cayenne
Posted by Beamslider (Sf, Ca) on 06/03/2012
★★★★★
Used it two days in a row between toes and the Cayenne has made drastic improvements. Seems to work.
Ketoderm, Black Walnut Oil
Posted by Catherine (Tahiti)
★★★★★
I tried doctors prescription of ketoderm, ciclopiroxolamine, econazole and numerous other things. I also tried the ACV and garlic oil rubbed on the skin. Lime rubbed on skin and left for 20 minutes. Also vera gel, colloidal silver, black walnut oil and iodine. I believe that the ketoderm works but my problem is that from all the drying products my skin would look worse so the aloe vera gel counteracted that and I've used the black walnut oil three times and it is working rapidly. I used the paragone liquid that I use to kill internal parasites on my skin topically. It has red clover and some other stuff in it but works great. I've been to three doctors and have had this for 3 months. It does go away with convectional medicine but will return the minute you stop treatment. I looked for every type of holistic cure and I think the problem with some like ACV is that they would make little wounds on my skin that would burn when I applied it. the doctors prescribed medicine did the same. I also eat raw garlic and drink a little bit of ACV each day. I also take noni which is a tahitian drink they sell at Costco. I stopped eating cheese and cut down on starch. I was using coconut oil last week but it didn't seem to do anything.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Dena L. (New Orleans, Louisiana ) on 06/04/2022
★★★★☆
My feet had a fungus. I sprayed my shoes with Lysol spray and washed my feet with peppermint castle soap which is by opengate. It's similar to Dr. Bonner soap. I took baths in hydrogen peroxide and soak my feet in it daily. I applied tea tree oil daily. I noticed my feet nails got lighter and my feet felt better. You have to do this daily and constantly to see results. Spray all your shoes to avoid reinfection.
Vicks
Posted by Old Hippie Chick (Florida) on 04/29/2020
★★★★★
I had a mildly painful, annoying athlete's foot problem on a couple of my toes. First I tried Terabine Antifungal. It did not work. Then I tried Apple Cider Vinegar. It burned. Perhaps it killed some fungus; I do not know. Then I tried Vicks Vapo Rub (generic substitute). ChaChing! The improvement was rapid and my skin healed beautifully. I would recommend slathering it for a week or so (twice a day). Also wear sandals if you can to give your foot air.
Panoxyl 5 Cream
Posted by Joe (Nairobi) on 12/19/2017
★★★★★
Re: Treating Athlete's Foot
I remember I once used Panoxyl 5 cream when way back in the 90s. I haven't gotten it nowadays. Worked perfect. Caution! It will bleach your bed linen so sleep with socks.. share of it works for you.
Phythium Oligandrum
Posted by I Need Help_SC (USA - South Carolina) on 01/05/2022
★★★★★
On the owndoc.com website, they have a PDF about the Phythium oligandrum parasitic fungus, and they describe how to use to treat fungal infections of the skin. I found one part really useful to consider, so I'm highlighting it here:
Soak a paper towel in the solution, spread it out over the infected area, then use plastic wrap to thoroughly wrap it around your body. This keeps the liquid-soaked paper towel wet and in place. They say to go to bed with this.
I find this mode of delivery of the solution to the infection helpful to consider for other treatments beyond phythium oligandrum - could use paper towel and plastic wrap with Raw ACV, borax solution, on and on the possible liquid treatments that the paper towel + plastic wrap could be used for!
Fresh Aloe Vera
Posted by Lady Mars (Lithia, Fl) on 03/08/2014
★★★★★
Had a persistent fungus infection (athlete's foot) which I get rarely, but have always treated successfully. This time, standard OTC and home remedies weren't working very well. Would calm the drive-me-out-of-my-little-mind itching for a while, but not really getting rid of the fungus. I grow aloe to treat fire ant bites (rub leaf goo on bite and prevents blistering and cools stinging. Works on mosquitoes also.)
Aloe worked better on athlete's foot than anything I ever tried before, including prescription stuff or 'female' creams. Did it once yesterday morning, goo dried or soaked into skin, not sure which. This morning swelling all gone and redness almost gone. Had NO itch for 24 hours since using once. Did once more today and I think that will take care of it.
No clue if aloe gel or cream would work as well, but my best guess would be probably not. Don't see how any gel could have more of the good aloe stuff than the plant. Aloe is so useful, I'd recommend that anyone with a sunny windowsill grow a couple plants. They will not tolerate a hard freeze, but will be happy outside in any temp. above freezing. Easy to divide, get more, give some away. They're a tough plant, but grow faster with decent soil and enough water.
The aloe drinks they sell everywhere now are also really good for upset stomach. My husband has severe gouty athritis among other problems and takes too many meds. For him, he thinks the aloe drinks help reduce the pain a little in his joints. I sometimes make him an aloe smoothie with a couple leaves and whatever I have on hand.
Aloe vera is one of my favorite natural remedies, powerful, safe and cheap. What's not to like?
Garlic
Posted by Green (Canada) on 12/06/2013
★★★★★
Hi There, I ha Athletes foot for 2 months until I discovered garlic. Tried ACV and drugstore foot sprays & powders to no avail. I finally made a paste by crushing and mushing up garlic cloves, adding s little olive, and mushing some more to make a nice paste. I rub it into my feet well 2-3 times a day and put clean socks over top each day. I make up enough for one or two days at a time --usually 2 to 3 medium/large garlic cloves per day. I rub it in well to all areas of my foot. This method is finally working; after 3 days, it is so much better. Good luck.
Green Tea Leaves
Posted by Astre (Sweden) on 08/08/2013
★★★★★
Green tea leaves for athlete's foot (vesicular tinea pedis)
I have the vesicular infection, with small blisters that itch and burn. The blister fluid is infectious so one must not scratch the infection. Skin becomes red, itchy and scaly when blisters become engorged and burst. I have tried mutiple tubes of anti fungal cortisol creams in childhood and it treated but never completely cure it. Then I discovered green tea leaves as a remedy!
This is what I do: Chew up a few leaves (dried and not brewed) with front teeth, with minimal saliva so it becomes a thick leafy paste. Spit out carefully on index finger and apply as a layer on the infected skin. I apply thick enough to cover and often slightly larger area than the infected skin, just to make sure I got it covered! I tape over with 3M Micropore tape, it is impt for the infected skin to breathe!
The itch and burn is soothed immediately. Change paste (which dries up to little leaf bits) and tape at least everyday, or more often )when it starts to itch-burn again).
If this treatment is done promptly on day 1, it takes a few days to eradicate. For chronic infection, it took me a week or so in childhood (can't really remember, but I know I used cortisol creams for months! ) to heal completely. I applied the leaf paste for another day or two even after symptoms have completely disappeared, just to be sure... Chronic infections take a long time to treat and can bite back with a vengeance if not eradicated completely!
Not sure if tea leaf freshness and quality matter, but I always some good whole-leaf green tea in my kitchen, kept fresh in an air-tight jar. In childhood I used whole green tea leaves that had been around for over 10 years (in air tight container neverthless) and it worked. I say, try this with any whole green tea leaves, will probably work!
If you try some from a tea bag, let me know! Also, if you try other types of tea leaves, leave a msg!
Herbal Parasite Cleanse
Posted by Em. (Sydney, Nsw, Australia) on 06/16/2013
★★★★★
After trying many things to banish this persistent complaint I found quiet by accident when completing a parasite program that my Athletes Foot complaint disappeared in 24 hours when taking this Australian product. The ingredients include fresh green hulls of Australian grown black walnut (not imported black hulls), Australian grown wormwood leaf, and Clove buds.
When I treated the complaint with various other remedies, such as diluted pool chlorine, Iodine, MMS, ACV etc, it did seem to control it, but it later appeared under the skin and this was what alerted me to the fact that this is in the blood.
I have waited for this complaint to reappear before posting this message as I wanted to verify that it was the antiparasite herbs that disposed of the complaint. I have made a direct correlation to this complaint appearing with a rise in stress levels. It has happened 3 times now and in each case the complaint disappeared after 3 doses, one before each meal. Each time the complaint had disappeared in the following 24 hours
Good luck to those seeking a cure for Athlete's Foot.
EM.
Potassium Permanganate
Posted by Scopus (Haltwhistle, Northumberland, England) on 01/20/2013
★★★★★
I have suffered on and off from athlete's foot between the little toes all of my life. For many years I kept it at bay by rubbing surgical spirit on it daily.
For some reason it came back with a vengeance about 8 months ago. I tried all the normal creams that the doctor could give, including Lamasil, and also Grisiofulvin spray. While they mostly kept the infection at bay to a greater or lesser extent, it would end up with thick, smooth white skin between the toes, with the fungus still alive underneath.
For a while I tried neat cider vinegar applied directly and while this exfoliated the thick skin quite successfully, it did not cure the condition. Then eventually I started to paint the infected area with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate (a very effective, old fashioned remedy that doctors in the UK are no longer licensed to prescribe) and after 2 weeks the athlete's foot has gone totally from one foot and has nearly gone from the other.
Garlic
Posted by Teresa (Chula Vista, Ca ) on 12/02/2016
★★★★★
I been fighting nail fungus try many drugs store remedies and Doctor's prescribed. Nothing has worked I ever got the pills but after reading the side effects they are still unopened. My nail fungus as spread to all my nail on one foot and to two on the other. And now I have a serious case of AF too. I have been using the vinegar soak follow by a baking soda soak then, air dry then spray of Colloifal Silver sir dry again. Then fungus killing essential oils. But instead of fresh garlic I opted for garlic powder as a foot powder. It has worked for my AF and it looks like its working on my Nail fungus too. Finally think I will kill it. I will now try what you said drinking the fresh garlic and ACV with cellery. Can you please post your recipe. Thanks.
Absorbine
Posted by Jim (hey) on 09/10/2023
Michigan Foot Doctors said walk on the beach every day in the sand and it will exfoliate and the salt water helps. Just go every day for an hours. As long as it takes.
Essential Oils
Posted by Delila (Tel Aviv, Israel) on 05/21/2012
★★★★★
I have suffered for years from smelly, itchy dry athletes foot and have had many sleepless nights itching and scratching feet to the point of bleeding. After using this treatment, my feet no longer smell or itch!! Before beginning make sure everything is ready and prepared and its best done after taking a shower or bath as its easier to remove the dead skin. Put some newspaper on the floor so as not to mess up the place. If you also suffer from fungus toes clip and file off as much of the diseased nail as possible with a nail file and then file off as much dry skin as you can with a good quality callous stone from all the dry rough areas of the feet.
Now for the treatment take 2 drops of eucalyptus oil, 2 drops of peppermint oil and 2 drops of teatree oil and mix with a small amount of almond oil and thoroughly massage feet for a few minutes concentrating especially between the toes and the very dry rough areas. Then take some tissue and rub vigourously feet to remove residue oil and to remove and smooth out all the dry skin. Once again take the callous stone and file off and remove any dry skin that you feel until the feet are smooth. You will see great improvement within days but repeat this treatment until completely healed and then every now and then for maintenance!!!
Salt Water
Posted by Jimbo (Glendale, Calif. Usa) on 04/30/2012
★★★★★
For: athletes foot. if you live near the pacific ocean (any ocean). Walk along the sandy beach and let the ocean waves wash up on shore over your feet. The natural salt water will heal your athletes foot. (30 minutes or more, if you have the time. It will cost you nothing. I had A/F as a kid and the salt water cured it every single time.
Go for it! and heal your feet.
Urine
Posted by Farmer Rose (Athens, Ga, Usa) on 12/06/2011
★★★★★
I haven't had althlete's foot since I was a child & I am 40 now so I was very surprised to find it creeping back in...!!! But I do a lot of hard manual labor in boots all day & let my shower get too dirty one time & there you go. So, I cleaned my shower and bleached all my floor mats, & put a bowl in my shower. When ever I got in I would pee in the bowl and add Hydrogen Peroxide to it. I like to take long showers, so while I was in there, I soaked one foot as I bathed and then the other & so on. After bathing, I dried the fungus area and put Calendula cream on it & put powder in my shoes. I ate lots of garlic, took a few epsom salt baths, stopped drinking alcohol & eating sugar/wheat and changed my socks several time a day. What plagued me my whole childhood, was gone in a week!!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Liz (Indianapolis, Indiana) on 11/30/2011
★★★★★
Re: ACV for althete's foot, I used a spray bottle of undiluted ACV from the regular grocery store 3-4 times a day and had complete relief of the cracking and peeling skin within a week. It's now 4 months later and the skin of my foot is still perfectly clear.
Unfortunately, the ACV did not help with my toenails. It also did not help the red cracked and peeling skin behind my ear. Still hoping for a solution as simple and fast for those as the ACV was for the skin of my foot.
Cheeseweed
Posted by Darlene (Kewaskum, Usa) on 09/28/2011
★★★★★
Regarding athlete's foot: try locating a weed, locally called cheeseweed and found on farmsteads [scientific name: malva neglecta; it looks like a low growing viney geranium with little blue or purple blossoms and round nutlike fruit that is edible], place a handful in water and bring to a boil; simmer for a while to extract nutrients; when cool enough to touch, dip a cloth into the 'juice', squeeze out, hold onto any location that is infected until cool; repeat this as often as possible until compote is cooled, you can repeat the process as often as you want. You can also place the foot or hand in the 'juice' until it has cooled; repeat as desired.
This 'juice' has been effective in drawing infection out of insect stings or slivers, clearing up athlete's foot, even drew blood poisioning out of my father's arm when it had nearly reached his shoulder. It is not a one time process; must be done repeatedly over days (you can reheat and reuse the original compote until it's really slimy) to achieve the end, but you should notice improvement after a few applications.
Alcohol
Posted by Jeliberry123 (Auckland) on 07/04/2012
I have been soaking the affected area in salt for 10 minutes then immediately after that soak it in warm water with 5 teabags using 1 litre if you can I soak it in there for 20 minutes ormore depending on the severity. Then if you have ACV soak your feet/ affected area for 10- 15 minutes twice a day, this was my way to get rid of this annoying medical problem that has been frustrating me for months on end, it may not be long after all I have been seeing cases of 20 years plus hope this works for all thhe people in the same boat. Thanks
Apple Cider Vinegar, Garlic
Posted by Debbie (Melbourne, Australia ) on 09/05/2011
Hiker, I had a fungal condition on my toe. I didn't use anything topically, only ingested ACV with honey and baking soda once or twice daily. It took three months for the toenail to fully grow out the fungus. I kept cutting the nail as it grew and the new nail had no fungus. It has been over a year and a half and my nails are still clear. It is a slow but worthwhile process.
