Foot fungus is a disease, the signs of which are observed in about 20% of people. Mycosis is easy to catch by stepping barefoot on a damp pool floor or sports locker room, but it is not as easy to treat. You need to start therapy quickly, with the onset of the first symptoms. To do this, use any folk remedy for fungus on the feet in combination with drugs prescribed by your doctor.
How to get rid of fungus on the feet with folk remedies
There are many ways to remove foot fungus with folk remedies. The most famous of them are birch tar, garlic and onion, soda and salt, celandine, vinegar. All of them are able to alleviate the condition with onychomycosis and with regular use help to cure.
Birch tar
Famous folk remedy for fungus on the feet. Tar contains up to 15% tannins, phenols, alkaloids, essential oils, a small amount of carcinogens. It is not known when tar was first used for medicinal purposes, but traditional medicine has long known how to treat fungus using this viscous and sharp birch distillation product.
When applied to the feet, tar acts on several problems simultaneously. It will soften the keratinized areas, relieve inflammation and create unfavorable conditions for infection.
The simplest folk remedy based on it is tar soap. It is suitable for various procedures:
- Soap paste lotions. Rub the soap powder, dilute with water to a semi-liquid consistency, apply on the affected feet, fix with plaster and leave for 3 hours.
- Baths. Rub the soap, measure 3 tbsp. l. Fill a basin with hot water and dilute the soap powder. Steam your legs for a quarter of an hour.
- Friction. Grind a little tar soap powder, measure 1 tsp. Add 2 tbsp. Water and 1 tsp carbonated drinks. Apply the mixture on the nails of the nails affected by the fungus before going to bed, rinse the rest in the morning. Repeat daily.
If there is no soap, but there is pure tar, an ointment can be made from it. According to the folk recipe, you can use badger fat or some neutral cream as a base. Equal parts of the base and tar are mixed and used to lubricate the affected areas of the feet. After two hours, rinse the skin to remove excess ointment.
You can improve the folk recipe with sulfur powder. Take 2 parts tar, 1 part sulfur, 1 part cream or badger. The composition should be heated and mixed thoroughly. Apply the prepared ointment on the toenails and cover with plaster.
Antifungal vegetables - garlic and onions
Onions and garlic are the most effective foods for fungal infections. They cleanse the skin, strengthen the body's immune system and work perfectly in tandem. In folk medicine, they are used in a wide range of diseases.
Garlic is rich in phytoncides, allicin (a substance with a strong fungicidal effect), essential oils. Onions are rich in phytoncides and essential oils, flavonoids.
For foot fungus, apply the vegetables externally alone or in a mixture:
- Garlic juice. Crush the cloves, squeeze the juice and apply on your feet twice a day with each applicator, but not with your toes.
- Onion and garlic juice. Chop 4 cloves of garlic, pour 1 tbsp onion juice. Apply and hold the composition on your feet with a compress or bandage for half an hour.
- Onion compresses. Cut onions, mix with Vaseline in equal proportions. Apply on the skin of the feet daily for 10-15 days.
- Applications with garlic. There is no time to squeeze the garlic juice - just cut a clove in half, sprinkle with salt and rub the affected skin in halves.
- Lotion with garlic. Prepare the garlic mash and squeeze the juice. Mix 1 part juice with 1 part water and 1 part alcohol. Apply the resulting lotion on the affected area of your feet.
Essential oils
Various essential oils are often mentioned in folk medicine recipes for fungus on the feet - cloves, cinnamon, thyme, cassia oil, geranium, oregano and lemongrass.
But the most sought after is the essential oil of tea tree. It is a powerful antiseptic with a high concentration. Use it carefully so as not to cause burns, redness or irritation to the skin.
There are several versions of the use of folk remedies - you can rub in pure oil or dissolve it in baths.
To prepare a healing bath, use the following proportions: 1 liter of water, 1 tsp soda, 1 tbsp salt, 15 drops of oil, 1 tbsp honey. If you need more mixture, multiply the amount of all components. The baths are performed for 20 minutes, every day without gaps for 1-3 months.
Herbs for baths
Herbal baths are soft folk remedies against foot fungus. Just make sure you do not have an allergic reaction to the plants that make up the composition.
A simple folk recipe includes burdock leaves, yarrow, plantain and wormwood. Mix the herbs in equal proportions, for example 2 tbsp. l. Pour the raw material with boiling water, wait until it cools down a bit, fill the basin with broth and dip your feet. After a few days of daily steaming, the condition will improve.
The decoction of oak bark gives a good effect. Prepare it in the amount of 4 tbsp. l. dry raw materials per 1 liter of water. Add 2 drops of peppermint essential oil and 10 drops of tea tree oil, stir and allow to cool. After an hour, combine the broth, 3 liters of hot water and 2 tablespoons of carbonated beverages. You can keep your feet in such a mixture for 30 minutes. Take time for this in your daily schedule. The course usually lasts 2 weeks.
Soda and salt
Folk recipes based on salt and soda are extremely easy to prepare. Take a bath basin, pour hot water, add a few tablespoons of baking soda and the same amount of salt (plain, sea or iodized), stir. If you have non-iodized salt, add a few drops of iodine. Steam your feet daily until the symptoms disappear.
Baking soda is good for foot compresses. Prepare a liter of water, a teaspoon of baking soda, soak socks in it, squeeze a little. They need to be worn on your feet for a long time, so put shoe covers / plastic bags on top or just wrap your feet with cling film. Leave this compress on your feet for 2 hours. Repeat daily for 1, 5 months.
Rowan
Underestimated folk remedy for the treatment of mycoses. According to the recipe, fresh leaves of rowan should be mixed so that the juice appears, and applied to the feet. It is recommended to wrap it on top with a burdock leaf, but you can do without it. Then you need to wrap your legs with a bandage and leave the compress for a day. Then change to fresh. To be treated for 7-10 days.
Tea sponge
Another popular recipe for foot fungus includes kombucha. Medusomycete contains usnic acid and yeast, which have a weak antifungal effect.
The sponge can be improved by using an infusion that accumulates over three months.
Such a concentrated drug will help against toenail fungus. Prepare the infusion: boil for 40 minutes and strain. Moisten the cotton wool with broth, apply and fix overnight. In the morning, remove the affected part of the nail and treat with iodine.
Another popular recipe for treating fungus recommends cutting off part of the sponge, slicing the puree and rubbing into the feet and nails twice a day.
Celery
The poisonous plant has a complex disinfectant, anti-inflammatory and soothing effect on the skin. Celery oil is widely used in the treatment of skin diseases and is a well-known folk remedy for nail fungus.
Treatment with celandine does not require complex manipulations. It is enough to steam your feet in a soda bath and lubricate the affected areas with vegetable oil.
The oil is suitable for medical compresses. To do this, apply it on a cotton swab, attach it to the affected area and fix it for half an hour. Do this twice a day for 3-4 weeks.
Kalanchoe
Among the methods of treating fungus on the feet with folk remedies is often mentioned aloe indoors. Grind 2-3 leaves of the plant, pour boiling water and leave for 3 hours. Moisten cotton wool or gauze in the resulting solution and treat the affected area once a day. Aloe softens the skin and accelerates healing. It works best on toenail fungus.
Vinegar
Vinegar, popular in folk recipes, creates an environment that is destructive to fungi, but can also corrode the skin of the feet. Use it carefully, in small concentrations and only if there are no ulcers or erosions:
- Soak in a solution of wine or apple cider vinegar (1 part vinegar to 6 parts water) for 15 minutes a day until healthy nails grow back.
- Soak the socks in vinegar and put them on your feet overnight, repeat every day until the symptoms disappear.
- Lubricate the affected areas with a mixture of equal amounts of vinegar essence and carrot juice (1 tablespoon) every day until health is restored.
Use vinegar on shoes that come in contact with the affected skin on your feet. Take 70% acetic acid, moisten a swab, wipe the inner surface, leave in your shoes for 48 hours, placing the shoes in a tightly closed bag. Then ventilate.
Don't forget about socks and tights - it's better to boil them, not just wash them.
Simple medicines from the home medicine cabinet
In addition to expensive fungicides, there are many simple pharmaceuticals that can be used if the foot fungus has not yet started so badly. Knowing how to deal with the fungus with such drugs, you can use the available folk remedies.
Boric acid
Antiseptic that causes coagulation and denaturation of proteins of pathogenic microorganisms. In folk recipes, the drug is used only topically and best helps with nail plate fungus.
Boil your feet in a bath with soap and baking soda, peel off the rough fabric with pumice, file and trim your nails. Then apply boric alcohol on the affected areas. Repeat the procedure every day. Use disinfectant for socks, tights and shoes.
Hydrogen peroxide
Peroxide can be used as compresses. According to folk recipes it is necessary to apply a pharmaceutical preparation on gauze, to apply on the affected skin for half an hour. Repeat every night and morning for a week.
The peroxide will prevent the spread of the fungus in other areas.
Iodine
Even without knowing how to cure the fungus on your feet, you will probably remember this antiseptic, known to everyone since childhood. This drug is used as part of the folk treatment of mycoses. Trays and lotions can be made from it.
Prepare 5 liters of water and add 3 tablespoons of iodine. Immerse your feet in such a concentrated bath for 20 minutes, then dry. Repeat every other day.
For lotions, dilute an equal amount of iodine and alcohol, dip a cotton swab in the mixture and apply to the skin of your feet. Apply at bedtime every day for 5-10 days until symptoms subside.
Iodine is not used in case of intolerance to this element and in any diseases of the thyroid gland.
Drops with essential oils
A drug that is prescribed for colds. But it is also effective against some fungi. Those who have tried the folk method on themselves, recommend applying the product daily on the affected area of skin and nails after steaming. The substances in the composition of the drug have antiseptic properties, destroy fungi, viruses and bacteria, help in the complex treatment of mycoses of the feet.
This is not a complete list of folk remedies for nail fungus. But whatever you choose, be sure to consult your doctor before using. In the case of neglected fungus, weakened immunity and other aggravating factors, folk recipes may be ineffective. But with the right drug therapy, such drugs will be a great addition to a complex treatment.