Top Natural Cures for Ringworm: Quick & Easy Remedies

Fig Tree Sap

Posted by James Lindon (Greenville, South Carolina USA) on 09/16/2007
★★★★★

re: Natural Cure Ringworm -- I tried the Fig leaf sap as someone suggested and I will tell you it was gone the next day!

Menthol and Wormwood Oil

Posted by Elaine (Lubbock, TX) on 08/10/2007
★★★★★

I have used Absorbine Jr.for years to kill ringworms. Usually only one application does the trick. I think the longest time frame that it has ever taken to get rid of a ringworm has been about 24 hours. This remedy was passed to me by my mother who used it for years on the cat and me. When the cat would get a ringworm, if he saw the bottle of Absorbine Jr. coming, oh my stars and garters, the kitty cat rodeo was on. But to no avail my mother would win, the cat would get treated, and the ringworm would die.

Fig Tree Sap

Posted by Dallas (Dallas, TX) on 04/27/2007
★★★★★

For ringworm or any other fungal infection of the skin, I've always used the milk from a figleaf. You usually only have to do it once or twice. This is good for humans or pets.

Garlic

Posted by Brenda (San Antonio, TX) on 03/03/2007
★★★★★

Take a fresh clove of garlic. Cut it, rub the juicy piece on the ringworm 3 x day. It'll be gone in a couple of days. It does sting a bit, but not for long. Tried it on me and my neighbor kids with great success.

Nail Polish

Posted by Vera (Colorado) on 06/18/2026

The mango peel and sap contain urushiol, a chemical also found in poison ivy, which can cause an eczema-like rash, blisters, and itching around the mouth and on the skin upon contact.

Wash skin with natural soap, wash any clothing that came into contact with the mangos, and use a thin layer of hydrocortisone ointment (OTC) to help the dermatitis heal.

Oregano Oil

Posted by Holy Grail (Nashville Tn) on 01/01/2023
★★★★★

Oregano Oil is the holy grail for ringworm!

I didn't know what it was, a spot appeared on my leg after a pedicure, it spread and it clicked that it was ringworm. I tried apple cider vinegar, bleach, tea tree oil, Lotrimin, miconazole, pure acetone, absorbine plus, a fungal wash from Walmart, borax, and then Oregano oil. I took 60mg capsules orally three times a day and then used it topically three times a day. The oil I purchased was from GNC and it already had a carrier oil in it. I can't tell you how glad I was to find a cure. I will never go back for a pedicure ever again.

Fig Tree Sap

Posted by Allison (Houston, Texas) on 11/21/2021
★☆☆☆☆

Please DO NOT use fig sap! It is a strong proteolytic enzyme that will eat up the flesh. I had tried this on a ringworm on my belly after the vinegar didn't work. The fig sap just ate up the flesh and made it raw and extremely painful but did nothing to get rid the ringworm. Just like the other person said from 2010, it's like a chemical burn, so DON'T try it on yourself or your pets!

ABB, Anti-Yeast

Posted by Vanessa (Lake Ariel, PA) on 01/26/2020

What is ABB?

Apple Cider Vinegar, Turmeric

Posted by Sabrina N. (Roswell, Ga) on 03/21/2018
★★★★★

ACV and turmeric cured my ringworm

After using Lotrimin for ringworm for 2 weeks, I was desperate to try something else as it wasn't working. I came here and saw to use ACV. It was dried up within a day. It was still visible, but it was obvious it was on its way out. It continued to dry and disappear from that point on. I mixed it with turmeric to make a paste. Covered it with a bandaid for one hour. That was it. I didn't have to treat it again.

Apple Cider Vinegar, MMS

Posted by Kk (Los Angeles) on 10/02/2017
★★★★★

Ringworm: ACV has also worked well for me in combination with MMS foot baths. I had it on my feet. Use 20 drops MMS to 20 drops citric acid, wait until it mixes properly (dark brown) and then add it to a bowl you can soak your foot in, once a day for 10-15 minutes. Try to get the water hot, without burning yourself of course. If you have it on your body you can also take a bath (use 30 drops instead). Or you can apply it as a spray (use 10 drops in 1/2 cup water). For very severe cases where nothing seems to be working MMS might just come in very handy. It's very affordable.

ALWAYS use MMS diluted with water, never by itself.

Sunlight

Posted by Jen (Wilmington, De) on 08/03/2017
★★★★★

I read somewhere that ringworm thrives in dark damp places. I put direct sunlight on it...all that was needed was maybe 2-3 mins of direct sunlight over several days. The sooner you do it the quicker it'll heal. The cream really wasn't quick enough at all.

Magnesium Oil

Posted by Dave Of Canada (Victoria, Bc) on 07/05/2016 15 posts
★★★★★

I want to report a method I used that worked on ringworm - magnesium 'oil' - which is actually magnesium chloride salt in water- or brine - but they call it oil because magnesium chloride attracts water so strongly that it never evaporates as you rub it into the skin, so it feels like oil. I have apple cider vinegar, but didn't find this site until later, so I didn't know about it. I had that magnesium oil (not the expensive one) and it cleared it up after one or two applications. (I didn't pay attention) I just used like 5-6 sprays of the stuff, enough to coat the chest. I wish I had payed more attention, as it was so easy and quick!

Oregano Oil

Posted by Jnell (Lumby, Bc, Canada) on 11/23/2015
★★★★★

My family has effectively killed a ringworm "outbreak" in our home in just a few days by applying oil of oregano topically as well as ingesting it 3 times per day. Apply with a cotton ball to the affected area, and ingest three to four drops at a time mixed in a little water or juice.

Black Walnut Tincture

Posted by Lisa (Pa) on 10/20/2015
★★★★★

I have had a bad issue with ringworm on the inside of my middle finger. Swollen, dark red, itchy. I applied ACV as I'd seen on some sites. That pulled the toxins out, but it became furiously puffed up afterward, blistered and then a hard crust formed. I could tell the skin was trying to heal. I thought it was done.

A couple of days later, I had a tiny cut on my face between my eye and nose. The fungus spread to my face, then the inside crook of my arm, then the back of my neck. All these were exposed areas, so I started covering the rest of my body with clothes and socks to protect it.

I didn't try ACV again, because it brought the skin to pustules and I read that once they burst, it spreads like wildfire. I think that's what happened to me. So I figured the slow and patient approach best.

I'm a big proponent of natural remedies, and made myself a balm of coconut oil/olive oil/vit e oil/tea tree oil/lavender essential oil. This was soothing, took the itch away for a period of time, but did not stop the spreading (or subsequent reinfections of the same site).

I am currently on the anti-fungal meds from the doc (works ever so slowly and doesn't seem to get rid of it quickly) and tried the steroid cream he gave. Package said to use that for 7 days only so I've stopped that, but that's not enough time to heal this issue.

I turned to online remedies. I tried Blue Star ointment. That seemed to help for a day, but after that it burned my skin and gave me welts, and I couldn't use it anymore.

What does work for me is:

* Selsun Blue shampoo with the scrubbing beads. Great for the lower scalp and back of the neck. Takes away the itching for some time, and is relieving. You can put it on the other sides too but don't scrub too much, since the beads cut the skin (my right hand is super dry due to this shampoo).

* Lamasil. This took away the itching all day for me, and calmed the areas. It doesn't seem to be killing the fungus though. 1x a day after shower.

* Black Walnut tincture. Day one of this and a lot of the redness was gone. Today is day three and I can see my skin color through the ringworm. I can still see redness under the skin so it's still there, but seems to be slowly fading. 3x a day, or dab on if there are small areas that itch/sting after application.

*Dr. Bronner's castille soap with tea tree oil - I use this to cleanse the site between applications. Foam it up and rinse in cool water. I use it at least 3-4 times a day, even on my face. Pat dry with clean towel, and let area completely air dry for a bit. The apply your black walnut tincture.

Internally, I saw a site that said to drink ACV (1.5 tsp to half glass water). So I'm having that daily, along with a teaspoon of Carlson's cod liver oil (the lemon-flavored one).

I also don't let clothing touch the sites (crook of my arm - roll up sleeve or wear really short sleeve shirt that doesn't touch the site) because clothing seems to irritate it, help it to spread and keep in the moisture. I have been sleeping on the couch with towels laid out under me. I sleep on my back with the crook of the arm facing up, so that the air can get to the site. If I bend my arm, within minutes moisture and warmth builds up, and the site reddens and stings. Wash all towels and clothes daily with plenty of vinegar in the rinse.

I'm definitely not scared/panic-y anymore. I was extremely concerned about it spreading more, or me having it forever. I'm not going to say that it isn't going to happen, but at least I feel a little more at ease, seeing it slowly get better daily.

If you have it bad, I think you have to be patient with the remedy that seems to calmly heal this issue. I don't see how these folks can put something on and in two days it's totally gone. Maybe that works for someone who recognizes it when they get it, and they catch it small. However, for those of us who have had it longer, or have larger areas, patience and diligence seem to be key. It seems that different things work for different folks, so try and find what works for you.

I've also seen that gentian violet works well and quickly. I've not been able to find that yet, but if this continues on me. I'll have to order it and try it.

I hope this helps someone. Thanks to everyone who have shared their stories and methods here.

Bleach Bath

Posted by Ron (Manila, Philippines) on 10/15/2014
★★★★★

I had ringworm on and off for over 40 years. When it started it would appear once or twice a year. As I got older it got worse. In a hot and humid climate, I was getting it every couple of weeks. I found a liquid fungicide that would knock it out pretty well and I tried many home remedies but it always came back. Then around a year ago I heard how a bleach bath would cure 'old timers' disease. So I added 2 cups of ordinary liquid bleach to a hot bath and gave it a try. Don't know if it did anything for the old timer coz I just realized that I haven't had any ringworm now for over a year. I'm surprised no one has tried this before. I think it is a good cure for ringworm.

Aloe Vera

Posted by Al Hudson (Homestead, Fl.) on 08/10/2015

Hi Flagg, Love those old ones that work!! Thanks for the tip. A word of caution for all, grandpa's Black powder could be quite different than gunpowder today...here is a quote from "Gunpowder as a War Remedy" by John H. Clark, 1915..."

The Gunpowder with which we are concerned is the traditional Black Gunpowder, whose three cardinal constituents are sulphur, carbon, and nitre or saltpetre.

Modern smokeless gunpowder is of a different composition.

As sulphur, carbon, and saltpetre are three potent medicines well known to pharmacy and physic, it is not surprising that a combination of the three should also be a medicine of great potency.

There is a certain piquancy in the fact that gunpowder is a remedy for the accidents of warfare ; but some instinct put into the minds of our soldiers of long ago that gunpowder could cure as well as kill.

The Indians of North America and Canada have found in it a remedy for snake-bites.

The shepherds of East Anglia, as already mentioned, use it extensively in treating their flocks and themselves for wounds and blood-poisoning of many kinds, and for protecting themselves against wound infection." ...............As my Great Grandfather might have said...keep you powder dry...till you mix it with the Petrolatum! ( old timer's name for Vaseline) :)

Hydrogen Peroxide

Posted by Anonymous (Mississauga, On) on 06/17/2013
★★★★★

I got a ringworm spot, I believe from a used clothing store. Initially I thought it's psoriasis I suffer from, but it was developing tiny liquid pustules and a dark pink redish ring, well defined round shape and was increasing in size daily.

What I used to treat it was a combination of natural remedies iodine 5%, some VCO, 3 garlic heads taken internally for 3 days, but what I think worked the best was hydrogen peroxide 3%; I freak out a bit after couple of days, painted Iodine and Virgin Coconut Oil was not helping much so I taped over it a face cotton pad with H2o2 overnight which was incredible itchy and painful at the same time but you could see the spot was drying completely.

Menthol and Wormwood Oil

Posted by Candy (Fort Madison, Iowa) on 03/04/2013

was wondering why I don't see any more posts about using absorbine jr. for ringworm.

EC: Hi Candy, Yes we've moved all of those posts to a MENTHOL AND WORMWOOD OIL heading. We love how well this ringworm treatment seems to work, but EC would like to focus on the natural ingredients rather than the specific brand!