34 User Reviews
The value of ACV is not so much a direct bath (acid bath) but drinking it. When it is digested it breaks down into a highly alkaline ash that shifts your body Ph to the alkaline side. Fungus is a blood borne issue, if you have ringworm; you have fungus in your blood. This means that even if you clear up a patch of ringworm, you have spores for ringworm throughout your body. This is why ringworm tends to come back.
So, by taking two tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar (NOT white vinegar flavored stuff, get the natural kind) stirred into a tall glass of water twice or more a day you shift your body to alkaline. Fungus will stop growing if your Ph goes higher than 6.5. This will not only stop the spread of the fungus, but it will allow your immune system to get the upper hand.
I would take the Apple Cider Vinegar internally, and tea tree or walnut hull juice externally. I would also add coconut oil to the diet to attack the fungus from the inside.
Also cut back on sugar and Do NOT drink soda pop while dealing with this. Soda pop balances your body Ph quite acid, and adds a lot of sugar to feed the fungus at the same time.
Soda pop to fungus is like gasoline to a fire.
Summary: ACV to balance Ph, tea tree or walnut hull juice for localized treatment, coconut oil for internal treatment and Oregano Oil P73 brand (Mediterranean breed) for internal and external treatment.
Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★★
(New York, US)
03/03/2015
I have ringworms omg this is my first time and I'm freaking out. My doctor gave me terbinafine and my husband bought me an anti fungal cream but nothing is working!!! I literally was crying they have spread all over my body..... I found this site and I'm praying the ACV works I have 2 tbs in a glass of water at morning and again at night. I also rub on the affected area morning and again at night. They are scabbing but how do I know when to stop? It does burn when I apply the ACV but I don't care. I want these things gone! I follow the ACV with an anti fungal cream. Any advice you can give me would help. Thanks, Sandra
(Fountain Inn, Sc)
03/04/2015
(Usa)
03/04/2015
Hi Sandra, A nurse practitioner advised me Miconazole Nitrate Cream works too. Years ago our daughter had one appear after taking swimming lessons at the Y. Until I got a handle on problems with yeast, I had all these little tubes of the cream that I had saved. I purchased the generic brand at a dollar store because it was cheaper. Anyway, it worked great. In addition, just FYI, the NP advised me the cream was also used for athlete's foot...same fungus.
(Ten Mile, Tn.)
03/04/2015
(Tennessee)
03/04/2015
Dear Sandra,
You asked when to stop the treatment you are using...I would use it until it is cleared up and then maybe continue the Vinegar for another week.
If it reoccurs, though, you may want to look into Bill's Thompson's book, Candida: Killing So Sweetly. If you have ringworm all over, it could be a systemic fungal infection.
I would also wash sheets a couple of times a week and use a cup of white vinegar in your rinse cycle for all clothes, towels, and sheets. Use hot water in the wash for whatever is safe to do so.
I hope this is all behind you soon!
Apple Cider Vinegar
I have only dabbed acv on my son's scalp for 2 days now (total 4 times) and can't see the lesion. Though he is on oral meds taking once a week for 12 wks this is the first the lesion is not visible. I have a small dog whom I think is adding to my problem so a few questions... besides applying acv directly to the scalp what dosage can I give to my small kids 4,3,1 and to my dog oh and cat... can I use this in my laundry and what about cleaning my house. will it kill the ringworm spores...
I NEED HELP PLEASE I CANT DEAL WITH THIS ANYMORE!
(Brooklyn, Ny)
05/19/2010
Hi. I've heard ACV is good but I would recommend trying Oil of Oregano or grapefruit seed extract. Both are far more aggressive and potent because they possess STRONG anti-fungal properties. Some say ringworm is caused by a virus - others, a fungus. Its a fungus - and thus, needs to be treated with an anti-fungal agent.
So, I would clean the area w/ hydrogen peroxide (since fungus do not "like" anything oxidizing)....THEN...pat dry w/ a cotton ball. Place a single drop (or two) of either the GSE or Oregano Oil on a q-tip gently pat into the affected area (but never rubbing - u will spread the spores) until all is covered.
AND as a dual attack - have your children husband take a 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp of coconut oil/day (until the patch has cleared). EVCO has great anti-fungal properties and contains a compound called caprylic acid. Caprylic acid is the reason why EVCO is anti-fungal in nature. By having them ingest the EVCO - it will help address any underlying (internal) fungal issues so that it will not return. This way - you are attacking the problem from both ends.
My many blessings to you - and I pray they get better soon!
(Covington, Ga)
09/11/2010
Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★★
Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★★
(Brooklyn, Ny)
12/30/2009
Howard from NY, NY- did the ringworm come back?
My 4 1/2 year old and my 6 yr old have it. I am thinking of trying the ACV on my 6 yr old- it's in her head; and the Black Walnut tincture on my 4 1/2 yr old-it's on his face, in two places. We got Lotrisone for my son, but I am leery about it after reading the side-effects (it contains a steroid).
This is Merryanne in FL,,I have been using the Apple Cider Vinegar on the ringworm itch,,and it can burn/sting real bad on open wounds, and I do not think children can take it,,,a better and also very effective treatment to start with open wounds is Neem oil,,I wish I had remembered this 3 weeks ago for my self, ACV is not painful if it is not an open wound area, I have put neem oil on my self and have had in on for 2 days (it is a very strong spelling oil)while I am off work,,I put it only head, in my ears, behind my ears, everywhere I itched,,will report results in two days..Merryanne in FL
(New Haven, Ct)
12/01/2011
I have had ringworm for a few weeks now on both arms. I have been using a topical perscription antifungal and have used it in the past with success. It was not working quickly this time, so I turned to ACV.
I only applied it to my left arm, which was far more severe than my right, though my left started weeks prior to my right. Strange enough my right has almost fully healed and my left, after having applied ACV topically 4 or 5 times in the last 5 days and drank orally the same amount (2 tablespoons), it looks like the ringworm on my left arm is spreading.
Could it be a mistake to vigorously spread the ACV (with a cotton ball) so much that it actually bleeds? Could that be spreading the pores and doing more harm than good?
TF, my 2 cents. It appears your fungal issue could be fueled by something else or a continual fungus exposure. Antibiotics are notoriously spotlighted for causing fungal infections, but another common pharmaceutical also causes fungus ---the H2 antagonist like Tagamet, Zantac, Pepsid etc. Zantac caused my only ringworm infection. If memory serves me correctly, I used povidone iodine applied with q-tip successfully. Also your immune system may need some extra vit-C, Zinc/vit-A, and some Echinacea/Goldenseal.
(Houston, Tx, Usa)
12/11/2011
I just used apple cider vinegar on ring worm on my arm. I wet a cloth and tied it to my arm for about 40 minutes. When I removed it, there were lots of tiny white raised bumps all over the area that was infected by ringworm. Has anyone else experienced this? I dont think I have an allergy to the apple cider vinegar, because the white bumps are specifically only where the ring worm is. Please let me know if this is normal... I'm a little nervous right now.
(Ne Pa)
09/09/2013
You said in your post, "they said would not only kill ring worm but kill any eggs laying around." This strikes me as funny because any good doctor should know that ringwom is not caused by a worm at all. It's caused by yeast, which is a fungus.... not a worm.
Apple Cider Vinegar
For Krystal from Washington, NC
Hello Krystal, I don't know how you plan to use ACV on that ringworm, but be aware that fumes getting into the eye will cause severe burning or stinging. I don't think there will be any scaring.
Your topography there is pretty much the same as here, so you should have plenty of opportunity to gather black walnuts there now. What you want for this ringworm though, is not the walnut, but the green hull covering the walnut. When you get those green walnuts, the way I used it on my son's scalp years ago, cut shallow slice (about dime size) off one area of the hull. This should be sufficient, but can be cut larger if ringworm is larger. Give it a few seconds to start oozing that brown staining liquid and just rub it gently over the ringworm area, being sure to cover all of it. You only need to repeat this 4 times a day. I kept the cut walnut hull in a plastic bag in the refrigerator between uses. When you think it is depleted of the liquid, slice another area off the same hull. When new cuts don't ooze, start on a new walnut hull. You will probably notice a difference after the first day of using this.
(Ten Mile, Tn Usa)
09/18/2009
Apple Cider Vinegar
Shortly after my move to Michigan I noticed small red, scaly, itchy spots that became worse (raised and itchy) in hot humid weather, along the parameters of my armpits and on my buttocks and stomach that gradually spread in mostly just these areas. It eventually spread to my chest, forearms, wrists and behind the knees as well as my groin area..... in the course of 1-2 years.
It was diagnosed, through a skin sample, to be ringworm. I have mainly used over the counter anti-fungal medications to battle this outbreak such as Tolnaftate cream and a few other creams and sprays.......and "coal tar" dandruff shampoo. After about 2 weeks the ringworm seems to disappear completely. Then.... a few weeks to a few months later the ringworm comes back. Sometimes even worse than before and in different areas (in the same places) and I spend more money to buy more creams and sprays ect. to battle it again. How long it remains gone, I noticed, depends on the temperature and humidity factor. If it is winter time, it sometime stays away for a few months. If it is summer time it can reapper within weeks of thinking it is cured. This ringworm is more like a rash than sores. I see pictures of ringworm on the internet and they, for the most part, all look like one big scabby sore or ping pong ball size lesion that looks like an open wound like psoriasis. I have never experienced this sort of lesion with my ringworm. My ringworm looks more like the discolorated pinkish skin spots that are from 1/4 inch to no bigger than 1/2 inch in size like pityriasis rosea. When I first seen pictures of pityriasis rosea recently I thought it looked more like what I have, but I know I have ringworm because I have been to doctors on a few occasions over the many years and from town to town and they all diagnose it the same (from skin samples).
I just came to this website tonight and read up on the natural remedies and found great interest in all the positive experiences....especially with apple cider vinegar. So I fetched a bottle from the cupboard at 10:30pm and poured on a clean wash cloth until it was soaked and wiped down my entire body. The smell was and still is rank, and my cats are no where to be found. I waited 1 hour and recorded my observances.
1. I still smell bad but it has subsided from nose tinging to just an acidic urine smell.
2. There was no burning sensation when I first applied it but I can now feel a slight burning along my forearms especially and there is slight redness of the skin.
3. There is a considerable difference in appearance or a lightening of the spots especially along my left forearm (where I first applied it). It looks very faint and the rest of the body looks lighter but not as noticable as my forearms.
Some other things I should point out about ringworm that I have noticed over the last 22 years is that when it appears to be gone it may still linger. I can usually tell how much it has gone by holding an area that is affected at an angle to the light so I am looking at it like I am looking through a scope of a gun and it will show it's shape still. Even if it appears gone by looking directly down on it. Also, the ringlets, when looking at an angle, in the light have a grain or fingerprint wavy line look to them different from normal skin texture. This is how I try to determine if I have medicated the ringworm to oblivion but it is not full proof as it keeps reoccuring.
As far as I know, I have never infected anyone else including my wife of 7 years now. We did have some worries with our new born after she was born with spots appearing on her forehead once and another area of her face once but with topical applicatio of anti-fungal cream a few times it disappeared for good.
I wondered for a long time why my daughter could have caught it so easily and my wife didn't and I am wondering if it is because my daughter and I are of the same blood type and this ringworm can survive better with this blood type which is type O negative. I would suspect this has nothing to do with it whatsoever but curiously intrigued with the thought.
I will post in a few weeks (or sooner maybe) to report on my outcome with the ACV.
I am going to keep with the ACV for a few days and even try the vinegar tablets to see if this will finally cure this awful, evil and itchy deformity.
(San Jose, Ca)
02/02/2010
(Gold Coast, Qld Australia)
12/07/2011
I'm an 0- blood type as I'm also married to someone with A and he has yet to catch my ring worm after several months of having it. The main one was even on my left leg and he sleeps on my left side and has yet to get it. We eat the same diet except he eats far more sugar than me and I'm putting peroxide, iodine and tea tree oil. I def. think diet is of utter most importance to make your blood as alkaline as possible. More greens absolutely no sugar. Caffeine and sugar free is the only way if you really wanna get rid of it you gotta clean yourself out and keep your blood alkaline- that's no meats, lots of veggies, raw salad, Vegie juice and apple cider vinegar everyday for the rest of your life! Add lemon and a drop of honey until you get used to it.
(Milwaukee, Wi)
04/25/2013
My husband is also blood type - A and he has not caught this ringworm that I have all over my chest and neck. Would it be okay for us to have intercourse? Sorry. But I would like to know.
I have yet to try ACV. But will definitely give it a try because this infection is driving me insane! I've been awake all night because my infection itches and burns so much!
(Fayetteville, Ar)
04/25/2013
My husband has had very large ringworm patches on his body for many years. He also has had very bad athlete's foot for decades. We have been married for over 20 years and I have never caught either from him and we have never restricted intercourse because of it. I did once catch ringworm on my face from a child I knew with it (before my husband had ringworm), but it resolved quickly with treatment. I think if you keep yourself healthy and your ph in a good range (check this site for lots of information on that) you will be less likely to catch it. BTW, we have tried a number of things for my husband's fungal issues, but he isn't really consistent with treatment or interested in anything that is much trouble.
(Louisiana)
02/15/2015
(Ohio)
05/19/2015
I contracted ringworm from some Cats I took in from a pound last summer they have since been cured of it and I too was over the winter now that it is getting warm again I see a patch reappearing on my arm. Like you these do not look like the ones you find on the internet. I was doing unrelated research earlier on the correlation between low body temperature low blood pressure and low pulse and RH negative blood and after reading what you wrote I am thinking there is a link. I am not only A- but RH negative as well which is pretty rare, only 15% of people are RH negative. I am wondering if for some reason this allows ringworm to live in my blood stream longer. Right now I am scared to death I will reinfect my cats or my dog. I have 9 cats. I am about ready to just dump some bleach on my arm!
(Hope, Bc Canada)
05/20/2015
Devona (Ohio) ---
Devona, I have used turmeric powder exclusively for years for ring worm which is a fungus. Even dousing a cat while sitting in a box. It has always worked. Meds from the vets do not remove it.
You could also warm any kind of milk and boil half a teasp. turmeric for your skin. It works well.
There is also a recipe with lemons, turmeric, cayenne and ginger which I have posted here recently. It is an anti inflammatory treatment whenever using turmeric. I have lots of rescues.
Namaste, Om
Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★☆
Hello Merv,
If that prescription you are going to get doesn't work on that ringworm, when those green walnuts show up on the black walnut trees around you this summer/fall, just pick a few of them off the tree, slice enough off for the hull to ooze that stuff that dyes you brown and rub the sliced area on that ringworm area at least 4 times a day. It will start drying it up by the 2nd day of using them. Keep on using them a few days past all signs of that ringworm being gone to make sure you got it all.
We kept the sliced ones in a plastic bag in the refrigerator in between applicaations. The unsliced ones we just kept refrigerated until needed after the first one was used up.
Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★★
What I did was soak a cottom ball with ACV and place it on the area (with a bandaid if you have to) a couple of times a day for 30 minutes. I did this while on the computer or watching TV. Once done, clean it with H202. Even better if you can leave H2O2 in the area for a while too.
Do this for a few days and the infected skin will peel of. You can stop doing it once everything is good again, but keep an eye on it as it may take a few cycles to get rid of it.
I did it once, and it never came back.
I also take ACV orally, and I think that is key. Skin problems need to be addressed from the inside as well as the outside.
Apple Cider Vinegar
(Boston, Ma)
10/08/2011
Hi my boyfriend is from Belo Horizonte and I recently found out I have ringworm when I told him he told me to drink coconut water because it takes it out of your blood. Have you tried this? Also I'm using apple cider vinegar and vicks vaporub. It seems to be working so far. Figured I'd share what's working for the both of us because he also caught it from us sharing our bed. Good luck!
Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★★
(Chicago, IL)
02/15/2009
★☆☆☆☆
(Ponce, PR)
04/30/2009
I have a cat and I have ringworm before and I have this thing on my chest and back and shoulders almost like ringworm and I also go to the doctor and at first she thinks was ringworm too and give me a cream but it does not give away, so to make the story short it was pityriasis rosea, is a condition on the skin that is in appearance like ringworm but doctors do not know exactly whaat is and they think is a virus because it give away alone but may last months and then disappears and not came back again, my last like three months. It does not have treatment.
Apple Cider Vinegar
★☆☆☆☆
(Baltimore, MD)
03/24/2009
(Wa, US)
07/16/2014
I know this is a very old post but, I've found that there is an immense difference between the raw, organic, ACV such as Braggs and the pasteurized ACV. The pasteurized version does not have the same healing properties as the raw. I don't know which one you used but by the description, I'd guess it was pasteurized.
Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★★
On my follow-up call to the nurse practioner had advised to increase the diameter of the medication site by 1 inch. We continued to use it 2x daily vs. the company's recommended daily use. She was not aware that Ketoconazole was causing an infection. ugh.
So, after one more visit to the nurse, we were given a topical (Mupirocin) and oral antibiotics. Being conservative on oral medication, I resorted to an apple cider vinegar treatement and then covered it with the topical antibiotic. The healing was quick. And there were visible results in 2 days as the entries below also experienced. The stinging was most unpleasant for Mom and kid each night and morning but that only lasted a week.
For those who wish details: We used flat cotton makeup pads, organic apple cider vinegar (be sure to shake well for the "good stuff" to mix in). I spread the ACV to the outer edges of the tiny spots on his arm. Used a seperate pad w/ ACV on the ringworm area. And instead of rubbing it, we set the pad for 1-2 minutes on the center of the ringworm. Also, for the 1st 2-4 days we added a teaspn or tablespoon of ASC to his juice. And, I also changed my son's shirts and pajama shirts daily and washed them in very hot water (the washing machine has a sanitize option) with extra rinse--I worried about reinfection which seems common. Perhaps I went overboard but after 8 weeks of dealing with this, I became quite agressive. There is still a mark where the ringworm was. I am hoping for no return. If it does, I'll add an entry.
(Alexandria, VA)
11/26/2007
(Phyllis, KY)
11/27/2007
ringworm response to Caroline in VA... My 7 yr old had a ringworm and we tried everything in the home remedy line that we could find with no luck-she couldn't take the sting with most remedies. We went to the doctor as they were spreading all over her mid body. She gave her a prescription of Clortrimazole and Betamethasone Dipropionate cream for itching and cure. Applied 2-3 times a day and within a week started drying out and healing. Hope you to find a good cure for your little one-I know how miserable it can make them. God Bless and good luck.
(Hodgenville, Kentucky USA)
02/20/2009
whoever the person is that claimed they aquired a staph infection from ketoconazole is wrong! You contract staph from the bacteria staph. Staph is not a reaction from any medications! I think the person is just had two different types of infections. Most likely the areas affected with ringworm came in contact with the staph bacteria. Some ringworm infections are harder to get rid of than others, just like anything else.
(Boston, Ma)
10/08/2011
You can catch staph from scratching it can cause a bacterial infection which can lead to staph. Many people have staph living dormant in the body but I do agree that the medicine did not cause the infection scratching did. I have ringworm and got otc topical and everyday after my shower I would apply it all over my upper thighs where the rash was. After a few days it did in fact go away no more itching. However 2 wks later it came back and with a vengeance! Ugh I now am rubbing Apple Cider Vinegar all over me 4 times a day which is unflattering cuz I smell like a salt and vinegar potato chip but... I also decided to drink coconut water. It has a natural anti fungal that cures whatever is in your blood and is also quite healthy for you. I hope this helps somebody. Mine is drying up. Also I suggest doing the Apple Cider Vinegar for at least a wk after the red rings have disappeared because they still are in your skin even if you can't see them.
Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★★
Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★★
