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.
Listerine
Posted by Kodiakstar (Broomall, Pa) on 04/13/2013
★★★★★
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Listerine mouth wash for nail fungus. Actually, I've used the store brand of Listerine and it works great for both nail fungus and athletes foot. Both my big toe nails had a fungus infection for many years. I tried everything, but nothing worked until I tried soaking in a Listerine type mouthwash. I soaked my feet in it for 1 hour, 3 days in a row and the ugly yellow fungus color was gone and hasn't returned for over 25 years. Good luck!
Distilled Vinegar
Posted by Renee (Bergen Co., Nj) on 04/12/2013
★★★★★
White Vinegar for Toenail Fungus: Apply white vinegar liberally using a cottonball after every shower or anytime your feet get wet. My husband also applied it at bedtime and again in the morning. Allow it to dry thoroughly (hair dryer is good). Continue for several months until the whole nail has grown out. Otherwise, it will probably come back. He also applied Vaporub on the first night, which had a quick effect, turning it black, but he didn't want to keep using a petroleum product for months.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Jarred (Palo Alto, Ca) on 04/03/2013
★★★★★
To cure nail fungus, simply soak the affected nail in HYDROGEN PEROXIDE. It does not have to be food grade. I cured nail fungus by using a 3% solution from my local drug store.
Ted's Remedies
Posted by Eridani (Rochester, Ny) on 03/23/2013
Maybe you should try spraying the shoes you wear with the h2o2/acv solution or buying a lotrim spray and use that for your shoes too.
Listerine
Posted by Jolene (San Diego, Ca) on 03/19/2013
My husband been suffering with embarrassment from disfigured thick distorted fungal nails for over ten years even though he faithfully applies over the counter creams every night with no results. We came across this post two days ago as a final attempt to treat it before resorting to dangerous oral medication. After reading your encouraging posts we hurried to the drug store to get supplies and try listerine and vicks for fungus ourselves. We took a nail file and filed down the thickest parts of the toenails to make it smoother and thin as possible then filled two Sandwhich baggies with a little bit of the yellow listerine and submerged his toes in it. We duct taped the bags to his feet so they can stay soaked during the duration of a movie. Took them off and let them airdry. For good measure we rubbed Vicks vapor rub in all the nails applied with q-tips before going to bed. To our disbelief the nails showed significant clarity to them the next morning!!!! Day 2 we repeated the above and saw even more improvement! His worse nails (the big toe ones) are about 70% clearer. We are on just our third day now and really excited to continue the treatment until he has clear nails. I'm too excited after the results of just two days that I had to share now! I hope everyone else will see results that we are experiencing. Thank you earth clinic for an amazing website and to everyone who shares!!!
Distilled 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.
Grapefruit Seed Extract
Posted by KT (Charlottesville, Virginia) on 03/16/2013
★★★★☆
I used grapefruit seed extraxt (citricidal) on toenail fungus which I've been fighting for about 4 years. First, I thoroughly cleaned the area removing as much of the infected area (toenail and skin) as possible. I then applied a generous drop of citricidal directly on the area and covered with a bandaid. There is a warning on the bottle which says "do not use full strength on the skin". I did it anyway. I'm not recommending anyone else do this; I'm just saying that's what I did. The area was sore for about a day. I've repeated this procedure about 4 times so far with about 2 weeks between each treatment. The results? So far, my toenail has been growing back and there appears to be no trace of fungus. The area is greatly improved. I will continue with this process until my toenail is restored to normal. So, the citricidal seems to be working for me.
Vitamin E Oil
Posted by Boonie (Waukesha, Wi) on 03/11/2013
★★★★★
Vitamin E oil for fungus nails: use a Q tip or cotton ball to massage in to your nails on both sides after your bath or shower. It may take a year to do this every day but the nail will grow out clear. It takes about a year for the new nail to grow out completely. Trim regularily and continue to oil your toe nails every day as needed. Oil all the way to the cuticle to top of the nail and underneath nail surface as much as you can.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Lesley (Nanaimo, Bc, Canada) on 02/28/2013
Fungus under Toenails... I was reading a number of messages about the use of food grade hydrogen peroxide. My question is, would this be a good external as well as internal treatment for the fungus? What solution for the external? Thanks.
Vicks
Posted by Bee (Lima) on 02/17/2013
Cut the corners off a plastic grocery bag, slather your toes in vicks, put a corner of the bag over your toes than a sock to hold in place.
Oregano Oil
Posted by My2cents (Rock Hill, Sc, Usa) on 02/13/2013
one big factor in toenail fungus is getting the oil of oregano directly on the fungus itself. I have been putting a single drop on top of the nail and watching as it slowly travels around the cuticle and under the nail. Also, you may want to treat your shoes as well. Lysol may help this. If you just keep reinfecting with contaminated shoes, no remedy will ever help. I plan to wait one more month before I post my results with the OOR for mine.
Listerine
Posted by Nichole (Washington, DC) on 02/02/2013
★★★★★
On both of my feet, the second toe from the big toe were discolored, as well as the other three small toes on my left foot, and two of the other toes on my right foot. This has been very distressing! I tried tea tree oil by itself with no results. After seeing that some people had used hydrogen peroxide, I planned to get that. Since I was desperate to start immediately, I used my generic whitening mouthwash listerine, which has hydrogen peroxide as its second ingredient, because I already had that. I used a cotton ball and applied it liberally on all of my toes taking care to get as much as possible below the cuticle and under the toe nail. Then I applied tea tree oil. I did this twice a day (morning at night) and followed up with vicks vapo rub at night before putting on socks. I am one week into my routine and three of my darkest nails have gone from black to 95% normal! They are pink. I am so happy. I will continue until I have totally nice and fungus free toes. I also cut off as much of the dark toe nail as I can each night or every other night as well as any surrounding flaking skin that needed to go.
Iodine
Posted by Quercus (Cucamonga, Ca) on 01/29/2013
★★★★★
My wife and I found that taking Lugols orally has resulted in clearing up both of our toe nail fungus problems. We try to take at least 5 mg /day.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Carol (Independence, Missouri) on 01/06/2013
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
I agree with Richard. I was grinding my toenails down with a sanding drum on my Flexshaft several years ago, which caused the fungus to spread to more toenails and fingernails, but the really scary part was that I got the fungus in my lungs from breathing that dust. I was hospitalized for two weeks and could have died from the lung fungus. My doctor told me it was dangerous to even file the thickened nail down because that also causes the fungus to become airborn. The only thing you should use are nail clippers. He told me to dip the clippers in a 50/50 solution of bleach and water after clipping each nail to prevent the spread of the fungus. If the nails become painful because they are pinching in at the side, soak them in warm water with ACV or TTO twice a day to soften them. You can also cut out a notch at the curve to relieve the pressure. The nail surface will absorb any remedy you use, so there's really no need to file or grind them down.
Vicks
Posted by Dean (Seattle, Wa) on 12/10/2012
LOVE the fact that you checked back in!! I too, use a dremel. So funny. (How many more of us are out there?) Never tried the Vicks. I'll try tonight. I'm so impatient. I always give up if something doesn't start working within the first few days.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Anthony (Albuquerque, New Mexico, Usa) on 12/10/2012
★★★★★
Tip: If you warm the hydrogen peroxide it will be more effective. Warming it allows the the skin to expand and absorb it better, especially if the fungus infection is in the root of the nail. Do not overheat hydrogen peroxide when warming, cause you might burn your skin.
3% hydrogen peroxide does work, but the big toe will take more soakings than the smaller ones. Do not use if you have cuts on skin as the peroxide will burn the skin. A mix of 2 parts 3% hydrogen peroxide to one part water also works.
Oregano Oil
Posted by Lian (Nairobi, Kenya) on 11/29/2012
I am saying Amen!!!!! To Oregano Oil, had Fungal that refused to go completely for the last TEN years. As we speak, my face is really glowing and am very confident walking with my head's high. It is a powerful cure.
Black Cumin
Posted by Sara (The Beach, Canada) on 11/01/2012
sorry... My fault for not being clear, I appreciate your comment reply... But I was hoping someone from nova scotia would reply, that maybe they had found it here.
Black Cumin
Posted by Ed2010 (Oakville, Canada) on 11/01/2012
What he or she refers is Nigella Sativa -The other name is Kalonji- you can easily get it in Indian Grocery Store, Pakistani, Afghanistan stores. Kalonji Oil is also available in these stores.
Black Cumin
Posted by Sara (The Beach, Canada) on 11/01/2012
Where would I buy this in nova scotia, Canada?
Black Cumin
Posted by Faeqa (Amman, Jordan) on 11/01/2012 70 posts
★★★★★
Peace upon all of you, I used black cumin (Nigella Sativa) for internal and external fungus and it give me a very good result, I think if you use it for Jock Itch it may give the same.
The way I used is: grind it then add ACV, let it stand around one hour to be a soft paste, take internally one teaspoon 2 times a day (before or after meal).
I used this paste externally for skin fungus especially feet fungus and it gives magic results and cure it forever.
Don't grind alot of black cumin, just prepare for 2-3 days every time and keep it tightly in a jar because it oxidize by air.
Listerine
Posted by Big Joe (Chicago, Il) on 10/23/2012
★★★★★
I had these ugly yellow toe nails. I hated them. I would gargle with Listerine and then afterwards put my bare feet into the sink, one at a time, and spit the Listerine on them. Then I would just let it dry on them. They went away in about 10 days.
I guess you could apply Listerine directly or tape a cotton bandage to your toes, but this is what I did and it worked. I used just the standard yellow Listerine.
Garlic
Posted by Brad (Albuquerque, Nm) on 10/14/2012
★★★★★
Yeah. Garlic will do the trick for nail fungus. Spreading it on your fingernails will also give your nails a nice gloss. Garlic will clear up fungus.
Essiac Tea Soaks
Posted by Wayseeker (Modesto, Ca/ Usa) on 09/27/2012
★★★★★
Had horrible fungus on toes and hands, resolved readily by soaking in half and half solution of Essiac tea and hot water, for 20 minutes. I also drank 1oz of the Essiac and 1oz of boiling water as a tea, holding it in mouth awhile each sip, for 3x a day on an empty stomach.
This worked when nothing else came close! And fast! I would continue for a month, then only as a preventative needed now and again.
I also scrubbed face of toenails down lightly with soft side of emory board to allow the tea to soak in, and thoroughly removed debri both on and under nails.
Sugar-Free Diet
Posted by Alaskan (Palmer, Alaska) on 09/25/2012
Thank you for this information. I have been battling toe nail fungus for years. I have used Tea Tree Oil to keep it under control. But, I have always known that sugar is not a good thing for me. I am willing to cut it out and see if it clears this up!
Sugar-Free Diet
Posted by Tee (Chicago, Il, Usa) on 09/25/2012
★★★★★
I had fungus in one of my big toes for about 15 years. During that time I tried strict regimens of both OTC and prescribed topical medications, as well as tea tree oil. Had the nail removed twice so I could get whatever medication onto the infection site, which was at the base of the nail.
Twice the infection appreared to be gone, but later my heart sank as I saw the fungus returning.
Finally I ended up getting a prescription for an antifungal to be taken orally for 90 days. Expensive stuff, about $1000 USD. It did the trick... for three months! I decided to go it again. I got a second prescription, same stuff, thinking it might finish off the fungus 100% this time since it was a smaller infection than the first time. Well it worked... For three years. When I saw the infection returning, I almost cried.
I got online and started searching madly for causes of the fungus. That's when I first learned of the concept of candida, and intuitively felt there was something to it for me. I adhered to a strict diet (Google Candida diet), most importantly NO SUGAR. Worked like a charm; I saw results with my toe in a couple of months.
Over the following ten years fungus reappeared three more times... But at the top of the toenail, whereas before it was the base of the nail. The good news about that was that now I could get a topical medication to it without removing my nail.
The medication I used was bleach. I used the bleach pen, applying a line of it twice a day under the toenail. All three times this killed the fungus within a week. I realize this would not be a popular remedy with naturalists, but stubborn infections call for desperate measures.
Everytime it had appeared I had realized my sugar consumption had gradually increased over time, resulting in another fungus outbreak. So along with the bleach, I also cut out sugar during the treatment phase.
Finally I accepted that I am more sensitive to sugar than most people, and adopted a low sugar diet as a lifestyle.
I have been fungi-free for four years now! My toenail looks normal, as if it had never suffered 15 years of infection.
Hang in there! You have no choice but to be patient with the process, and you too will soon be fungi-free.
