Athlete's Foot
Natural Remedies

Natural Remedies to Treat Athlete's Foot Effectively

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.

Coconut Oil

7 User Reviews
5 star (6) 
  86%
4 star (1) 
  14%

Posted by Dianne (Mansfield, MA) on 07/02/2006
★★★★★

within 2 days of using my athlete's foot has totally cleared. My husband has also had the same results.


Coconut Oil
Posted by Shelly (Medford, OR) on 03/22/2006
★★★★★

I had a stubborn case of athlete's foot for several months. Tried every kind of natural/herbal cure that I could think of, but there was no relief. I read about coconut oil bringing healing to skin rashes, so I decided to try it. After a week of applying the oil, twice a day, the rash is gone. I'm also feeding it to our dog every morning with his food. He LOVES it! He 's a young dog with no apparent health problems, but I look at as a preventative measure and I anticipate that it will also help him with flea and tick problems. It's great to have such wonderful natural remedies!!!


Coconut Oil, Tea Tree Oil

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Sara (The Beach, Ont. Canada) on 11/21/2013
★★★★★

I have been suffering with athletes foot for two years now and I believe a planters wart as well. for the last two weeks I have been soaking my feet in a foot bath of listerine and hot water. And I felt a nice relief from the wart, but since then I have added a mixture of coconut oil and tea tree oil twice a day on my feet and covering them with cotton socks. The difference is nothing short of amazing. I have one spot left and just a small amount of itching and its only due to my feet being dry. I truly hope it helps someone else to try this.

Blessings, Sara


Colloidal Silver

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Gayle (North Dakota) on 04/04/2017 3 posts
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

Colloidal Silver. If you make your own colloidal silver it is very effective for getting rid of foot fungi. I make 50 to 60 ppm. Put it in a shallow glass pan and soak my feet for 15 to 20 min. I save the silver solution and use it a second time then discard. You will need to make many quarts to get the fungi under control. If you do not make your own silver then this would be very cost prohibitive. Look into purchasing your own silver generator. I cured my nasty problem in about a week doing this. You can also spray the silver on your clean dry socks and allow to dry before putting them away, you have just made silver socks. You can spray the silver on your your tub and other areas where the fungi may thrive. Spray your shoes and allow to dry to kill off the fungi and other nasty bacteria. Ingest the 5 to 10ppm colloidal silver to combat it internally as well.


Compost Tea

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by I Need Help_SC (USA - South Carolina) on 12/20/2021
★★★★★

This is a testimony from a friend and former class instructor. He was teaching a permaculture class, and he taught on making compost tea for use in the garden. He said that a very easy method is to fill up a 5 gallon bucket ¾ full of rain water (or other non-chlorinated water), and put multiple fist-fulls of compost and some forest soil/humus in the water. Put your feet in the bucket, and kick them back and forth for 10 minutes. Viola, quick compost tea!

But...he said that he had chronic athlete's foot for 10 years. Nothing touched it, no medicines of any kind, nothing worked. The next day after kicking his feet around in the compost tea for 10 minutes, it was gone. He said that several years later he was in Haiti and got athletes foot from a public shower. Later that week, he made compost tea in the bucket with his bare feet for 10 minutes, and the next day his athlete's foot was gone.

I have ringworm/jock itch on my thighs, nothing on my feet, and I'm not sure how to submerge myself in compost tea, so I've not tried that yet (though I am going to try spraying it on myself or using some sort of towel or brush to apply to myself and let it soak/sit on the skin for 10-20 minutes). But, because I trust this guy, and it might work for someone else, I'm sharing it here.


Dietary Changes

2 User Reviews
5 star (1) 
  50%
4 star (1) 
  50%

Posted by Cheryl (Chicago, IL) on 02/23/2009
★★★★★

Remember that fungus is systemic. When you treat your AF topically, its going to keep recurring because its fungus that circulates all over your body. Try taking garlic capsules, we get them at Costco. Also, everyone with AF or nail fungus should research candidiasis which is a polysystemic fungal infection. Due to overuse of antibiotics (which also kills off good bacteria) and our bad diets (sugar, sugar substitutes, high fructose corn syrup in almost everything-- read food labels and all high glycemic foods), creates perfect environment for candidiasis. Also take probiotics to replace the good bacteria in the GI tract. I recommend changing to the candidiasis diet (no dairy, no sugar or sugar substitutes or any other high glycemic foods), taking garlic tablets, caprylic acid (from the health food store), take high fiber capsules to clean out the colon (fungus lives on our waste) and finally drink a lot of water. Unless you clear the fungus out of your entire system internally, the AF fungus is always going to come back.

Our daughter is diagnosed with candidiasis, our osteopath put her on anti-candidiasis diet. We parents decided to go on the same diet to be supportive, now all three of us are feeling much better. As an unexpected bonus, my AF fungus and nail fungus is dramatically improving after only 3 weeks. Its SYSTEMIC, gotta change your diet to beat it. Here's your diet: eggs, organic meats, fish, low glycemic mostly green vegetables, salad. Once you change your diet, you'll feel so much better, you won't mind this. You will also lose weight. Also seems like what clogs up the system, so no bread or any other food product with yeast. Check canned soup labels, many of them contain yeast.

Replied by Lyle
(Gaborone, Botswana)
05/14/2013
★★★★☆

Yes Cheryl, dietary changes work too. I thought I had cleared the athlete's foot. But when I stopped rubbing the garlic on my feet, it came back after about 3 months.

I then got a herbal tea mix of the these herbs: garlic bulb, barberry and milk thistle. Within two days of taking this, the funugs dried on the skin under my feet. It took about a month for the skin to fall off. After about a month, I ran out of the tea and the fungus attacked again within two weeks. I guess there are lots of spores in my body.

I intend to take this herbal tea for the whole year in a bid to clear the spores from my system. I am much happier with the tea since it doesn't smell. Also, I like prefer tea (compared to rubbing on the body) since I can drink it cold in the summer and warm when its cold, it cleans the body from inside, just what I need. Man, I havent been to the gym in ages now due to this fungus.

I probably need to get rid of my shoes and socks as well so I dont get re-infected.

This herbal tea was formulated to treat Thrush, but it works for both thrush and athlete's foot.

Replied by Len
(Berkeley, Ca)
06/03/2013

How often and how much of the tea were you drinking? Did you change your diet as well??


Distilled Vinegar, Coconut Oil and Vaseline

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Geraldine (Abuja, Nigeria) on 04/11/2021
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

My 15 year old son who is in secondary school, but a boarder, started developing athlete foot, that kind that will tear your heels open and develop boils and pus. The two legs were so much infected. I have bought some drugs and fungal cream from a pharmacy but to no avail. He was even given some anti fungal tabs to take.

But when I came to the earthclinic.com and read the testimonies of other people using vinegar and coconut oil I was excited. Now my son is on Easter holiday, he came back last week. I quickly went to the store, bought ordinary white vinegar, and started soaking his feet in a solution of half water/half vinegar.

After soaking for 30 mins, when it air dried I mixed Vaseline and coconut oil and rub on the feet. Today is the 6th time of doing it and the whole infection has disappeared and his heels are as smooth as ever. I am grateful to God and to earth clinic.com. Earthclinic has been a blessing to me since I found. Thank you so much.


Essential Oils

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

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!!!


Frankincense Oil

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Ethna (Dundalk, Co Louth. Ireland) on 09/01/2009
★★★★★

Massage a small amount of Frankinsense essential oil on your feet. There will be no foot odour for approximately 6 months.


Fresh Aloe Vera

2 User Reviews
5 star (2) 
  100%

Posted by Laurac (Us) on 03/21/2017
★★★★★

Fresh aloe vera for athletes foot.

I scratched my feet so horrible. I wounded them so bad. I wounded the palm of my feet so I could not walk. My feet were so raw exposed and burning. I bought a fresh aloe vera from my grocery store and cut the leaf then smeared it on my wounds. Instant stop to the burn and pain, and the goo forms a protective healing layer. Aloe vera has many properties. It's under rated for athletes foot. Unlike ACV and cayenne it heals without burning like hell! Thanks God for your marvelous plants.


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?

Replied by Mmsg
(Somewhere, Europe)
03/09/2014

Lady Mars, I've tried Aloe from my plant for a good many things and it never worked for anything, from burns to eczema etc. Do I have the wrong plant? It's Aloe Vera with green-grey spikey leaves. I've seen the same plant with speckled leaves, are they better?


Fresh Lime Juice

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Serena G. (Tucson, Az) on 05/09/2017
★★★★★

We had a case of athlete's foot. From my personal experience tea tree was only keeping it from getting worse and coconut oil did not stop it getting worse (spread from one or two toes to all of them, peeling skin but not painful). However I saw on this site about apple cider vinegar. Since we just bought a huge box of limes and couldn't eat them all up I thought I'd try it. I rubbed a 1/2 fresh sliced lime on the toes, top and bottom, squeezing the juice all over it (yummy smelling toes! ) and air drying. After about a week it was completely cleared up. This proved to be a very effective cure for us this time. I will remember it. I imagine lemon would work the same. Thanks for your great site!


Garlic

8 User Reviews
5 star (8) 
  100%

Posted by Idot 13 (Ireland) on 02/12/2022
★★★★★

For athlete's foot, a cure is raw garlic. gently slice and rub it into the feet and it should go very guickly.


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.


Garlic
Posted by Lyle (Gaborone, Botswana) on 01/01/2013
★★★★★

I've had persistent jock itch and occassional athlete's foot outbreak for 24 years. I stumbled upon this site last month and read thru every post on it.

I liked the post on how one lady from England used garlic on her toes overnight to deal with athlete's foot. I went a step further. I grated several cloves of garlic and applied generous amounts of the garlic paste between my toes and around my gonads. Then quickly put on socks and tight undies. Man, this stuff burns like crazy; thot my gonads were gonna fall off altogether!! After two hours of this burning hell I took off all clothes and reduced the paste to a bare minimum. only then could I sleep.

By morning I was burnt good and proper where the garlic paste had contact with the skin. However close inspection revealed that the fungus was dead on the 3 places it had infected my right foot. It was a bit hard, unlike other areas which were tender, painful and swollen. Within 48 hrs patches of skin was coming off both around the gonads and toes.

Just over a month later, I've not had another outbreak, skin's still peeling off on both my feet with no pain. No skin is peeling off from my gonads.

In the meantime, I've been drinking copious amounts of ACV each morning and evening for the past month - at least two tablespoons each time. Also, I've made it a habit to bath both morning and evening.

Some Saturdays, I sunbathe compeletely naked for 20 minutes since the fungus likes damp, dark places.

I also apply a drop or two of tea tree oil | camomile oil | lavender oil or a mixture of all three with Jojoba oil as the carrier oil mix every morning and evening. So far so good.

I am convinced garlic kills the fungus, but my approach could kill somebody. I suggest applying the garlic paste on just the affected foot patches; unless you're very brave. I was very stupid. LOL.

Perhaps try putting garlic cut into strips onto the gonads kept in place under tight undies. It might still burn, but it'll reduce the extent of the burnt area. By the way, the burns left no scars around my gonads. My feet are not scarred either; there are blotches of light skin, but no scarring. So normal colour is coming back gradually.

Now I intend to ingest half a cup of garlic everyday for a month to rid myself of the fungus streaming up and down my veins. Its days are definitely numbered in my body now. Garlic smell is not a problem - celery takes care of all internal body odours very well, as does parsely. I usually blend fresh celery - about 3 stalks - with other fruits and vegetables (a new raw alkaline diet I just started just over a month ago). Celery also has about two dozen different chemical compounds that kill fungi. Garlic kills lots of fungi too. The two make a perfectly potent fungi killing couple!

Replied by Teresa
(Chula Vista, Ca)
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.



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