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.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Jane (Worcester, Massachsetts/usa) on 08/31/2010
★★★★★
About 10 mos. ago I developed a fungus in one of my large toenails. I never had that before so I didn't know what it was. My nail started turning yellowish brown in color and it spread across most of the nail. I was freaking out. I went to see a podiatrist who told me the bad news and told me this might never go away and could spread to my other nails! He sold me an expensive tube of cream. I saw him a few more times and he basically did nothing to help the problem. I applied the cream for 7 months and saw no improvement. I spent the summer trying to hide my feet and avoiding the beach and pools. I love wearing pretty sandals in the summer. The doctor told me not to try home remedies that I might read about because they don't work. But I didn't listen to him. I decided to try the apple cider vinegar and hydrogen peroxide solution I read about. I mixed it half and half in a small bottle and started applying it on and under my toenail at least twice a day. I keep my toes exposed to the air as much as possible at home and only cover up when I go out. It's been less than a week and it's like a miracle! I noticed improvement the very next day! The fungus has stopped spreading and the new growth looks nice and healthy! Hopefully it continues that way and by next Spring I can wear pretty sandals again and end the embarrassment! So for those of you who are ready to give up.... There is hope! Maybe this will work for you!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Tom (Philly) on 12/30/2016
★★★★☆
I am currently soaking my toe nail fungus in apple cider vinegar, one cup of vinegar uncut. The fungus appear to be growing out with the nail. It's been about two months now. The nail fungus polish from the doctor didn't work.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by John (Los Angeles, Ca) on 11/09/2013
★★★★★
Great success with apple cider vigegar soak for finger fungus! I infected a fingernail two years ago. The fungus was not extensive, but the green and black fungus was alarming! I found this website and tried the ACV soak, every day for thirty minutes. It improved pretty quickly. After a year of daily soaking, the nail looked pretty good - no green or black fungus - maybe just a touch cloudy - nothing anybody notices. It's a good, strong nail. Now, I just soak the nail once a week and all is well. I don't think it is cured - though it may be. I think that the once a week ACV soak keeps the fungus under control. Many, many thanks for this website!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Grace (Alma, Michigan) on 05/16/2012
★★★★★
I read a lot of things about apple cider vinegar healing toenail fungus on line. Some of my toenails had fungus and looked really nasty. After only one month of drinking ACV , 2 table spoons in a 32 oz bottle of water daily my toes are a whole lot better, I actually cut the nails with regular toenail clippers. I am pleasantly amazed at how much nicer my feet look after such a short time. I can see where the nail has grown out at the base it looks normal. I will just keep cutting that fungus out until it is all gone and keep on drinking that ACV! I also saw a Dr on tv say to rub mentholatum rub on the nails and I have been doing that too. Whatever I am doing it is working and I am so happy. Looking forward to wearing sandals again this summer :)
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Neil (Us) on 11/16/2011
★★★★★
Apple cider vinegar seems to stop toenail fungus when consumed internally.
I've had the same toenail fungus on my right big toe for a decade. I'd been drinking ACV in water as an appetite suppressant (which is also pretty effective), and recently while trimming my toenails I noticed that the big patch of discoloration is half of what it always was. I mean this thing hadn't changed at all in 10 years.
I drink about 2 tablespoons in 32 oz of water to stay hydrated throughout the day.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Shula (Woodstock, Ga) on 03/08/2016
I have not started yet, but certainly need to do something. I am over 70 and have had nail fungus for more than 30 years ... many of the nails are thick enough that the toes hurt from pressure by the shoes on the nail, and it is really hard to cut them even with the largest clipper I can find. The description says, however, that the fungus likes alkaline and the ACV lowers the pH of the nail and skin. But then it says that taken internally, it alkalinizes. Now how would it do both? Is something else going on?
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Sam (Scipio, IN) on 11/18/2008
★★★★★
After reading about using apple cider vinegar to cure toenail fungus, I decided to give it a try. Not being a patient person, & wanting it GONE ASAP, I applied ACV relentlessly. I dabbed it on morning & night, as well as soaked a cotton ball with ACV, placed it on the nail, & wrapped a strip of tape around it to keep it on the fungus during the day. Sometimes I wore old socks & poured the ACV directly on the socks over the affected toes. The pressure of my shoes kept the vinegary sock in contact with the fungus all the time. Let me just say this - ACV works! In less than a month, I have a healthy pink toenail.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Nim (Canada) on 08/11/2017
5 years ago I've been prescribed that very dangerous drug to treat my fungus on my both toes. After a month or 40 days (not pretty sure) both sides healed, but my left side came back. Apparently it wasn't fully gone on my left toe, that's why.
Few years later I moved to another province in Canada, and during a visit at the doctor, I asked him to give me a prescription for toe nail fungus. HE WAS NOT HAPPY and told me that he will never prescribe that drug to anyone. It's there where I understood that the drug was dangerous with possible side effects.
I use ACV very very often as a drink (3-4 tablespoons of ACV, honey and spring water at room temp) in the morning.
I read a lot about ACV, and knowing of it's powerful and amazing benefits, I started thinking that it might be helpful to treat my toe fungus. And that's what I'm planning to do. And I'm happy to have found these good and hope giving reviews.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Suzy (Indiana) on 10/29/2015
When I started drinking a shot of apple cider vinegar once in the morning and once at night for a different health problem my toenail fungus went away. I had tried everything, even ACV, applying it on the fungus nothing worked.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Ken (Kearns, Ut) on 03/17/2013
★★★★★
After many years, this finally did the trick.
I cut off as much of the bad nail as I could, even parts of the top of the nail. (This would be especially easy after a good bath or shower, or after soaking the foot for 20 minutes or so. )
Then each night, before I retired for the night, I taped a cotton ball to the top of my toe with scotch tape. I taped all around the toe so it wouldn't fall off. Then I soaked it with white vinegar. I slipped a sandwich baggie over the toe, then slipped a sock over the foot to keep the baggie on the toe. I did this for about a week. After about that time my toe was a little irritated (but not until that long), so I didn't do it for a week or so. Then I did it again for about a week.
I started noticing a difference after 2 or 3 weeks. Sure enough, that did the trick, and it was a lot easier than soaking my foot for 20 minutes. Not only that, I had tried soaking it before, but it was hard to keep up the routine.
I think part of the trick was to cut back as much as possible. Then, the overnight soaking killed the problem. It took a long time for the nail to finish growing out, but my toe is 100% normal now! Ah, finally! I just thought I ought to forward hope and a solution to the suffering.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Debbie (Melbourne, Australia) on 03/25/2011
★★★★★
I had toe nail fungus under my big toe for about six years. In the past I had taken tablets for six months but it didn't clear it up. It was also starting to affect my other big toe. After taking the apple cider vinegar for about three months (with bicarb soda) (2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar with 1/4 tsp bicarb) the toe nail fungus is now totally gone. It took three months but you could see it clearing as the nail grew.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Kate (Minneapolis, Mn) on 03/21/2010
★★★★★
This is a check-in on my ACV toenail fungus cure. I am still soaking my toes twice daily in ACV and it is working! It's taken longer than I thought it would but it definitely works! I started with nine badly affected toenails. Six were completely normal after four months. The last three are slow but definitely getting better. I have no idea why three are taking so much longer. They were among the worst but other bad ones cleared up quicker. I started using ACV last June 2009. I guess it may take a year. It takes a little discipline and patience. But compared to the 23 years I've had it, a year seems quick! ACV works, it's amazing. Thank you so much Earth Clinic!!
p.s. to Phil and to Deirdre at E.C.: I used Grapefruit Seed Extract for a year before starting ACV. I painted it with a fine brush on each toenail morning and night. I started out using it diluted because of the burning you referred to. But soon I applied it carefully full strength and it didn't bother my skin. However this remedy did nothing to change my nails. Maybe it helped to slow it a little from getting worse, but it did not diminish the fungus already there. ACV is the only thing I have tried in 22 years that has made any and a total difference.
Thanks, Kate - Mpls, MN
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Linda (Clyde, Texas) on 02/07/2008
★★★★★
I've used ACV for many problems including fungal infections. When my son came back from Iraq he had a horrible case of athletes foot. I used 1 cup ACV and distilled water as a foot soak and the infection cleared up completely. He only needed to do the foot soak 1 night. Also, I developed that horrible toenail fungus like my mother had...thick yellow nails with a flaky exudate underneath...I started soaking my toenails in ACV straight from the bottle. After a 10 minute soak, I would use a q-tip and get the ACV up under the nail. Within a week, I had healthy growth of my nails. Now they are completely normal. The prescription for this was $600 which I couldn't afford. The ACV was $3.95 and I only had to use a shot glass of it every night for a week to clear up the problem. Once new growth was healthy, I stopped the toe soaks and have not had to use it again.
I've used ACV to get rid of ringworm too. It works as quickly as black walnut hull extract. Just dab it on with a cotton ball, and BLOW as it burns. It may burn, but it works.
Finally, I worked in Iraq for a year and developed a horrible fungus in my sinuses and had to have emergency surgery. The fungus would always come back and I finally cleared the infection by using ACV in my nasal irrigator every day. I put 1 mL of ACV in a WaterPik bowl, with warm water. It burned and made my eyes water, but I could BREATHE! Anytime I have symptoms of that fungal infection, I immediately start using ACV in my nasal wash. Anytime I have the slightest symptom of cold or sore throat, I use a shot glass of plain ACV and the symptoms are gone with 1 dose. Now my BP is getting high, so I know what to do...I never should have gotten off of it. This is a great site by the way. For beauty, I've used a water/ACV mixture to tighten pores and to eliminate dulling from shampoo. My dogs get 1 mL of ACV in their drinking water every day and NEVER have fleas or ticks. I don't have to purchase expensive flea remedies. Just a little ACV will do it, but you have to be consistent with it.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Suzie (Huntington Beach, CA) on 09/17/2007
★★★★★
Well, I am not positive, however, all I can tell you is that after years of fungus on my two big toes... It's now gone!!! You name it I tried it... I thought it was from salon pedicures, then, I thought damage to my nail beds from running and maybe my toes hitting the top of my shoes... Well, needless to say... I just couldn't get the fungus to go away!!! Then my life was changed by this site! I started taking ACV (Apple Cider Vineger) and VCO and I am now fungus free! I was taking the coconut oil orally ( 3 t. a day) and it made me bloated so I didn't take it for more than a month I'd say... However, I did use it as a moisterizer every night after my shower and I would specifically rub it around and under my toe nails... I cannot believe that the fungus is gone!!! Honestly! I share my story every where I go! Nail shops really need this information to pass onto their clients... Fungus makes you feel so dirty... My beautiful toe's have returned! Thank you! Earth clinic and friends!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Mad Al (Great Britain) on 09/05/2018
★★★★★
Toe Nail Fungus. Tried many things for five years with no results, my big toenails were almost completely black. Soaked a cotton pad in ACV and taped it on to the toes and left it on for a few hours. Before bed I soaked the toenails in tea tree oil. After two weeks the black has all gone and the toenils are starting to look normal again after five years, amazing.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Joe (AZ) on 07/08/2021
You can't do that for success! Baking soda (alkaline) cancels the acidity of the ACV! You must use ONLY ACV! Purchase a gallon of ACV from the Food Store or COSTCO etc dilute the ACV only 50% with water and soak your feet. After you remove your feet dry them. Then put bandaids on the effected nails where the white cotton/poly part of bandaid is centered over nail. Then dip you toes back in the soak for 3 seconds dry your feet again and go to bed with bandaids on your feet the additional ACV will soak in further overnight.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Mia (Formerly Of Lyons, Ny) on 09/02/2012
It has been almost a year since using the ACV and it has not come back!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Angela (Te Kauwhata, New Zealand) on 05/06/2009
★★★★★
Having suffered with a horrible, unsightly, fungus ridden big toenail for many years I was delighted to find this site which offered natural remedies to cure the problem. I had previously taken lamisal tablets to rid the problem. This left me with an upset stomach. After weeks of taking the medication I couldn't bare the side effects of it any longer and stopped taking it. The fungus quickly appeared again. After all that I have found Apple Cidar Vinegar was the answer. I mixed around 1/4 cup of ACV with enough water to place my big toe in. I soaked the toe morning and night in this mixture. I then applied Lamisal cream under the toenail. I also heeded someone elses advice not to put nail polish on the toe as it allows the fungus a lovely dark environment to thrive in. To cut a long story short, my perserverance paid off and I am thrilled to say that my big toenail is now completely fungus free. Thank you ACV and Earth Clinic!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Suzann (Titusville, New Jersey) on 03/16/2009
★★★★★
Hi, I am following up with my results as promised on the Earth Clinic website. I wrote on 2/19 that I was going to start treating my "large" toe - with ACV. Well, it has been almost four weeks. I am happy to say, my four small toes are close to being totally cleared up and my large toe (my main concern) has lost the large, crusty, black striped nail and a new toenail bed is under! I was thrilled to see this! My nail fell off and on my toebed was new pink toenail. Now, I will see if my toenail grows back clear and healthy once again. Hope this helps and encourages you to use Apple Cider Vinegar on your "fungus infected toes!" It works!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Peter (Yahoo) on 08/25/2017
I think you should not put it 24hrs all day long. I try and the skin turn red. I think it is enough to leave it overnight.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Mare (Enumclaw, Wa) on 09/01/2015
I have had toenail fungus on my big toes for years. A friend of mine highly recommended organic unpasteurized apple cider vinegar. She said she dabbed it on with a cotton ball twice a day and it was gone in a few weeks. I have been reading up on the benefits of this and one of the things that was stressed the most as far as getting rid of the fungus is that you have to treat it from the inside as well as outside. This means that for the fungus not to come back you should drink the diluted ACV daily, as well as soaking your feet in it.
Anyway, I'm going to start my treatment this week (both inside and out) and I'll post back in a month or so to let you know how it works!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Grace (Alma, Michigan) on 05/24/2012
I wanted to give an up date to my post. My feet look marvelous. I had fungus in all my toe nails. Some really bad and some just starting. It has been over a month that I have been drinking Apple Cider Vinegar diluted in water and putting the vinegar directly on the nail. Only 2 nails look bad at this time. I can see new nail growing in and is about at the half way point now. I will continue to use the Apple Cider Vinegar daily until the fungus is gone and then probably only once or twice a week after that for maintaince. I have cut the nails short and keep them trimmed, the fungus is getting easier and easier to cut away. My nails are no longer thick and dark and the skin around the nail is no longer red and itchy. This is amazing. Thank you so much.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Janice (Richmond Bc, Canada) on 04/01/2011
★★★★☆
I have been drinking ACV with honey for 8 days and have noticed my new toenail growing in normally as the affected nail fungus grows out. It's just a wee small growth so far, but definitely can see the difference. I was surprised to see this today as I have also tried various natural topical treatments without much success. Plus, the toenail was so much easier to trim... softer nail, although my fingernails are strong and growing fast and the ridges are minimizing as well.
I had purchased the Dr Jarvis Book "Folk Medicine and Arthritis" and started the ACV and Honey(and one drop of Iodine every other day) and within a few days, my arthritis is improved by 85% and my lower back has been pain free for the first time in over a year.
And, my allergies seem so much improved too. Not completely, but so much better.
I am so pleased
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Kate (Minneapolis, Minnesota) on 07/28/2009
★★★★☆
Check back:
I wrote in on June 21'09 after starting ACV soaks for my toenail fungus. I have now been diligently soaking my feet twice a day for six weeks. (See my previous post 6/21/09 for ACV/H2O amounts.) After a month I nearly lost hope because I couldn't see any real difference. Then I looked closer when trimming my nails. It was looking slightly different. With renewed hope - like others I'm in this for the fight - I kept up the soaks (my feet are in the bucket as I type this). My toenails are definitely changing, I can hardly believe it. It's happening v e r y s l o w l y. They look like they are starting to grow out normally at the base. The nasty debris/buildup is also diminishing though not entirely gone. No nails falling off however like others report. I am poised to begin Ted's remedies (got all the stuff) which was my next plan if I didn't see any change. Now I'm just continuing the vinegar soaks so I can watch the experiment further. For those of you asking about soaking vs. just applying ACV on the nails: I tried that a couple of years ago. YOU HAVE TO SOAK! I do it minimum 1/2 hr twice a day. I have had a severe case for 22 years! The soaking seems to get the solution into the nail and nail bed which is where the nasty bug is residing. Just applying the solution topically isn't enough; it dries before it can penetrate. I'm not yet done but this is amazing!! I will report back in a few weeks again!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Marilyn (Buena Park, CA) on 12/21/2008
★★★★★
Vinegar soaks (two hours) for nail fungus : I tried soaking my toenails in vinegar and water 50:50 for fifteen minutes at a time after a shower and nothing seemed to be happening. One day while sitting at my computer I decided to soak then rather than take time to soak when I was ready for bed. Two hours went by before I remembered I was soaking my feet, and they were all "pruny". I did it for two hours again two more times in that week, but not on consecutive days, and never again. It has now been about three months, and I now have about 1/8 inch of normal nail growing in. If fifteen minute soaks aren't working, try two-hour soaks! I only did it those three days. Who knows? It may take only one two-hour soak! I don't think the kind of vinegar matters. It's the acid in vinegar that destroys the fungus and all store vinegar is about the same.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Mary (Pennsylvania) on 07/05/2017
How long after your toe appears fungus free should you continue the apple cider vinegar treatments?
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Tonya (Sc) on 02/12/2017
2 tablespoons by mouth? Or soak in water? Thanks so much!
EC: Internally with water.
