Nail Fungus
Natural Remedies

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

| Modified on Dec 20, 2025
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.
Baking Soda
Posted by Natrelief (Seattle, OR) on 03/12/2022
★★★★★

I have been battling toe fungus on 3 toes for years. Vinegar, borax and now baking soda soaks have all slowly helped. I feel like I'm finally on the home stretch and my nails are looking healthy again.. thanks to baking soda. I wish I'd thought of this at the start! I am still soaking for 20 min daily. I alternate between straight vinegar, borax in water, or baking soda in water. All have helped. But what has really seemed to help is putting a little baking soda in the toe of my sock! I'm sure that not wearing socks and getting sun on my feet will help when the weather gets warm, but during the cold months, baking soda in your sock keeps them in an inhospitable environment for fungi all day long. I also give them a little dusting of it before I go to bed. I hope this helps! I will never get another pedicure. Now, I really prize the look of healthy natural toe nails!


Baking Soda
Posted by Craig (Albany, Oregon) on 02/21/2018
★★★★★

For nail fungus, I found that making a baking soda paste and letting it sit on your toes for 10 minutes each day does the trick. Make sure that you clean your toes afterward.

I also found that washing your toes before bed each night really speeds up the process.

In the past (per Earth Clinic) I tried vinegar and tee tree oil, but experienced no results.


Baking Soda
Posted by Deborah (Michigan) on 08/10/2017
★★★★★

I have suffered from toenail fungus on a toe that got injured, years back, and I have erratically tried the medication from the drugstore, and a doctor prescribed some for me that can damage your liver, et cetera. I will not take anything like that that hurts my liver, so I had to find alternative ways to do it. For a while I soaked my feet in warm water and dish soap to soften the nails and then I purchased one of the battery operated nail files and filed the diseased nail down. Eventually I got rid of most of the unsightly nail, and change my socks twice a day. It was amazing how much the filing took care of it, and then air was able to get it the rest of the nail bed and the healthier nails. I have noticed that is a little tiny bit in the one corner that I don't want to encourage to go on so I purchased a heavy duty nail file and keep it filed down, and now I put a paste of baking soda on it and let it sit on it. It looks better! So I'm pretty excited about that. I'm thinking I'll also try the apple cider vinegar. Thank you for your great article I've been looking for this help for a long time. It's encouraging to know I'm not alone in this.


Baking Soda
Posted by Whisper (Timmins, Ontario Canada) on 05/21/2009
★★★★★

Fungus and Cancer:

I've used baking soda and maple syrup to cure fungus that I had on my big toe. In a matter of 3 days of taking one batch of this every day I saw the difference.

What I did, in a small pot I put 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 3 tsp of maple syrup I heated it up on medium (setting at 5) then reduced to 3 to allow it to boil for 5 minutes in all. Do not try to double the recipe otherwise you take away the effectiveness. Before it cools down too much I transfer onto a sandwich bag (not sure if this is wise, but that's what I've used so far) and I've put it in the freezer for about 3 to 4 minutes to let it cool and once cooled it comes off the plastic very easily, now don't let it sit in freezer too long otherwise it'll get real hard. Check it often and when it comes off then its ready to make into small pieces, I find its like making toffee, I twist it so that it looks equal lengthtwise and then take the scissors and cut into small sizes, once that is done I then take half of what I've cut and swallow them down with water. Some have eaten it straight from the pot I can't handle the taste and it seems to work just as well.

I learned this at another site and was wanting to share it since I've gained so much more from this site. APPARENTLY, HEATING it is VERY important. the molecules of the salts and sugars must be bonded by heat. THE FUNGUS OR CANCER loves the sugars of the syrup but then the attached sodium bicarbonate is A LETHAL TROJAN HORSE. I didn't use this for cancer but this information was given along with the fungus.


Baking Soda
Posted by Whisper (Timmins, Ontario Canada) on 05/21/2009
★★★★★

Fungus and Cancer:

I've used baking soda and maple syrup to cure fungus that I had on my big toe. In a matter of 3 days of taking one batch of this every day I saw the difference.

What I did, in a small pot I put 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 3 tsp of maple syrup I heated it up on medium (setting at 5) then reduced to 3 to allow it to boil for 5 minutes in all. Do not try to double the recipe otherwise you take away the effectiveness. Before it cools down too much I transfer onto a sandwich bag (not sure if this is wise, but that's what I've used so far) and I've put it in the freezer for about 3 to 4 minutes to let it cool and once cooled it comes off the plastic very easily, now don't let it sit in freezer too long otherwise it'll get real hard. Check it often and when it comes off then its ready to make into small pieces, I find its like making toffee, I twist it so that it looks equal lengthtwise and then take the scissors and cut into small sizes, once that is done I then take half of what I've cut and swallow them down with water. Some have eaten it straight from the pot I can't handle the taste and it seems to work just as well.

I learned this at another site and was wanting to share it since I've gained so much more from this site. APPARENTLY, HEATING it is VERY important. the molecules of the salts and sugars must be bonded by heat. THE FUNGUS OR CANCER loves the sugars of the syrup but then the attached sodium bicarbonate is A LETHAL TROJAN HORSE. I didn't use this for cancer but this information was given along with the fungus.


Baking Soda
Posted by Jessyka (Memphis, TN, USA) on 02/21/2008
★★★★★

I had the horrid nail fungus many years ago and took Lamasil to clear it up. When my father failed to do the same, the fungus returned years later, both pinky toenails now fully infected. Without the money for the medicine and the will to again risk its side-effects, I lived with it. 11 days ago, I adopted a baking soda regimine for other reasons (cancer preventative). Today, my right pinky nail simply fell off when I was drying after my morning shower. Beneath, a new nail - a perfect nail - was found growing in. Nothing else in my diet or lifestyle has changed other than the baking soda addition to my routine. Most Americans' lifestyles and diets leave our bodies too acidic for good health. Baking soda balances the bodies Ph, creating a more alkaline system. I mix 1 teaspoon in a glass of water at bedtime. Ideally, it's recommended taken in the morning with no food or drink for 1 hour before or after; however, as I'm hypoglycemic, I have to have my Coca-Cola (others have coffee) first thing each morning, so I don't drop dead. Regardless, I've noticed a number of improvements since adopting the baking soda routine (which is terribly easy to do - quick and simple). I'm sleeping better, my skin is clearing up, and, lo and behold, my toenail fungus is obviously dead... in eleven days!!! [Insert delighted giggle here] I couldn't believe it when I discovered the old infected nail barely holding on and falling away with the first touch and a shiny new healthy nail beneath (even if it is small yet). Now, I'm watching the still-infected nail on the left, and yes, it's got a line of "disconnection" appearing. I recommend giving the baking soda a try and do so for more reasons than defeated nail fungus. Go ahead, google "baking soda" and see how much you discover. In some European country (think it was Italy or Germany), a doctor is actually curing cancer with baking soda therapy, even in serious cases where changing the bodies Ph to one more alkaline is making all other treatments (as chemo) doubly effective. Cancer cells cannot thrive or spread in an alkaline environment. And consider this - it's in your kitchen. You cook with it. You eat it. It's non-toxic, has no ill side-effects, costs almost nothing, and even whitens teeth. I can't say everyone will have the astounding all-around results I have so quickly encountered, but I'd have to encourage them to give it a shot. It's too easy to implement not to try. That's one teaspoon baking soda stirred into one glass of water, once a day, preferably in the morning (but it doesn't seem to matter), with no food or drink for an hour before or after. Good luck.



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