Natural Nail Fungus Treatments: Effective Home Remedies

05/30/2006: Melissa from Asheville, NC: "I developed toenail fungus while working in Athens, GA about 6 years ago. I would work 12 hours a day in the same shoes for over a year and used regular dress socks. The summers are very moist and humid and perfect conditions for toenail fungus. It is on both "pinky" toes but started developing on other nails though not as bad. 2 years ago it seemed to get worse and I kept my toenails manicured and polished to hide the nails. I believe, as others do, this made things even worse though my feet did look a lot prettier. This year, I got tired of trying to hide my nails and decided to try a natural remedy (Grateful Body Fungal Rx). It contains a day and night formula in convenient tubes so I could carry them with me and use discreetly. They recommend each to use at least 1x per day for at least 6 weeks. I've been using for several months and noticed a little improvement but not much. I found this site and started throwing everything I had at this issue (I figured if I didn't do it now, I'd live with it forever). My grandmother had both large toenails removed and I did not want the same to happen. My pinky toenails seemed like they were almost fused to the nail bed. They are very thick and yellow and starting to look deformed though still attached to my nail bed. I started this regimen last week and I am seeing good results. The nail seems no longer fused to the nail bed. and I can actually push the cuticle back (impossible before). The nails seem to be growing in cleaner, no ridges, normal thickness and no red streaks through the nail (as in the infected part). I am so psyched but trying no to get too hopeful. This is what I've been doing in morning AND evening, everyday: I keep a clean toothbrush for scrubbing my nails. I use a natural bar soap and scrub my nails (I use the sink because it's easier for me) with warm water. dry. I then keep a little bottle of pre mixed 3% H2O2 and ACV (5% acidity) 1/2 and 1/2 under the sink and pour this over all my toe nails (over toilet). I let this sit while I brush teeth (different toothbrush ;), wash face etc. I may add more and let sit again for a little while. I don't get much fizzing...sometimes more than others. Sometimes I get a little "pinched" feeling, but not usually. rinse. dry. I also keep a little bottle (old tincture bottle with dropper) with 25% clorox and water mixed. I then add this to nails and let sit 30 seconds or so on each foot. rinse. dry. I follow with Red Tyme oil (night) or Fungal Rx in the morning. I may add the night formula again if I go to bed late. Some people are sensitive to Red Thyme. I have very thick, oily skin and it does not bother me to use it neat. I wear sandals to work (never did before) and apply Fungal Rx several times a day while at my desk. Like I said, this really seems to be working and I am very hopeful. Once cleared up, I plan to buy more Fungal Rx and use daily for a year or so. I don't want this to come back. Also, I'll work on internal Candida... I know it runs in my family and I need to knock it out too. Thanks to this site and all the comments/feedback!!! I'll write back later in a few months to let you know if results continued."

I wanted to follow up and tell you that I was never able to fully get progess against the toe nail fungus until recently. I was able to spend most of my summer outdoors (albeit a lot of time at the pool w/moisture!) but I wore sandals all summer and allowed my feet to get full sun a good portion of the day. I also did hydrogen peroxide/cider vinegar soaks about 1x per month. The BIG difference has come from using a old glass spray bottle filled with:

2 Tbs. alcohol
10 drops grapefruit seed extract
20 drops tea tree oil

I apply this 2x per day and after getting my feet wet. At one point, my nails got very brittle and I started an application of coconut oil every once in a while. My nails are growing back completely normal and seem to be growing faster so I am able to trim them more often. There is only about 1/4 inch of "yellowed" nail reamining...which I should be able to trim off in the next 2 months. I will continue this all winter and give any updates. Good luck, don't give up!

I had instant relief from pain in my nails cause new growth happened rapidly. Now 3 months on, I have healthy pink toe nails and I'm not embarrassed to get out in public. New toe nail growth has attached to my toe for the first time in 10 years.

I read about the bleach cure from someone on Earth Clinic. I have been using Chlorox bleach (regular, not the splashless one)... about 1/2 cup to a half gallon of hot water in a large plastic bucket (the kind you'd use for mopping the floor). I soak my foot for at least 1/2 hour, sometimes more, once or twice a week. I make sure to dry off my foot with a white towel and then hop to the bathroom to wash off any remaining bleach so I don't turn our carpets white!

If I fly, I make sure to do the bleach treatment on my foot the day before flying in each direction if possible.

Will update again in a few months, but so far, thumbs up on this cure.

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.

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.

Part One: Feet

Q. Do the ingredients (camphor, eucalyptus, thymol, menthol) work?

A. I've applied the solution on my nails as well as to my entire foot to get rid of all the fungus that might eventually cause a reoccurrence. The results were obvious after 4-5 days: first, the athlete's foot symptoms between my toes rapidly got better and were healed in about a week. Then, at the seven-day point lots of skin started sloughing off all over my feet where the fungus was obviously in hiding -- including the heal callus. I was surprised to see so much sloughing of the skin around the base, sides and top of the toe nails -- this area apparently had been deeply affected by the fungus, but just looked like tough skin that I had become accustomed to expect. Within 2-3 weeks the unaffected new toe nails could be seen at the cuticle. Now, several months later, there is a clear line of demarcation between the old fungal nail, and the new clear nail. I expect that it will be 3-4 more months before all the old nail has grown out and gone.

Q. Is the formulation the right one?

A. After much research and playing kitchen chemist, I learned that coconut oil is a good anti-fungal as well as a great emollient. DMSO doesn't need to be at 25% concentration. 10-15% is sufficient. Oregano Oil is composed of Thymol and University of Western Australia research proved tea tree oil's anti-fungal capability, so I added it as well. The essential oil amounts are at least or a little more than what bio-chemists call the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC). The formulation I like and use now is:

Revised Formula
1 part Menthol oil
1 part Thymol oil or Oregano oil
1 part Camphor oil
1 part Lemon Eucalyptus oil
2 parts Tea Tree Oil
2 parts DMSO
12 parts Virgin Coconut Oil

There is probably a synergistic (i.e. harmonious working together) effect of anti-fungal herbs, which has been demonstrated in several studies. In one test of ten plant species whose oils were anti-fungal, researchers noted that "combinations of the anti-fungal essential oils increased their activity remarkably." In a similar study, researchers stated that "in all the oil combinations, the anti-fungal potency was found to increase over individual oils."

Part Two: Adult "Acne"

This is where the "saga" starts to get interesting. After my adolescent acne should have cleared up 35 years ago, it got slowly worse. All over the bearded part of my face, what appeared to be sacs of hardened oil under the surface of the skin had been forming nodules. These didn't get infected, each just grew larger. Over the years I've seen dermatologists who said, because of my otherwise great health, "you're just a middle aged adolescent," blaming it on high testosterone, etc. The apparent acne problem continued and worsened.

I've seen doctors, dermatologists, pharmacists, herbalists, laser specialists, and spiritual healers. I've bought every acne ointment known to man. I took pills, vitamins, and herbs. I changed diet. I get plenty of exercise. Nothing worked. I had extensive surgery to correct the problem three years ago, and within 18 months it looked just as bad as before. As a public speaker and author in my profession, the skin condition was emotionally upsetting and stressful.
Having conquered toe nails, I started researching down the path that maybe the acne was caused by a fungus (although the symptoms didn't look like my feet). Was I surprised when I found:

"Tinea barbae is a superficial dermatophyte infection that is limited to the bearded areas of the face and neck and occurs almost exclusively in older adolescent and adult males. Symptoms include inflammatory, deep, kerion-like plaques and noninflammatory superficial patches and lumps resembling bacterial folliculitis. The hair breaks off below the skin surface. It is caused by several dermatophytes. Trichophyton species are most common. Infection of bearded skin may be the result of autoinoculation from tinea pedis or onychomycosis."

In other words, the mess on my face that had caused me so much grief and been misdiagnosed for decades was caused by the same fungus that gave my feet a problem. Apparently the dermatophytes enter the hair follicle (nails and hair are similar biological structures), then attack the sebaceous gland, feeding off the body oil; then the body's immune system reacts with scaring and hardening the facial oil, leaving an oil nodule. The dermatophytes then migrate to the next follicle, and eventually dozens of affected follicles link as a nodule the size of a pea.

Now it became obvious what had happened: The athlete's foot I got as a teenager went to my toe nails, and, because I was ignorant of the relationship of using a towel on my face that might have been used on my feet or crotch, the fungus got transferred.

Not a single dermatologist who examined my face ever bothered to ask the question: "Do you have toe nail fungus or athlete's foot!"

Using the same solution on my facial outbreaks as on my toe nails (the revised formula with coconut oil), the facial condition is clearing up. Just like with my feet, skin is sloughing off and the nodules are beginning to eject. This is the best result I've seen in years. I expect it will take a few months for the problem to be cured, as the fungus is down below the level of the base of the hair follicle in the sebaceous gland.

Part Three: Chronic Sinusitis

For the last 15 years I've had chronic sinusitis, post nasal drip, clogged nose, etc. I was constantly clearing my throat, and sometimes coughing. I snored a lot, which my wife didn't appreciate, and the snoring actually would wake me up in the middle of the night, leaving me tired in the morning. I seemed to catch colds more easily than before, but I attributed this to my very frequent plane travel.

Doctors prescribed antibiotics, but I they did not fully cure the problem and when I stopped the treatment, every symptom returned. (And I just don't like unnatural treatments.) Others said it was allergies.

I wondered: Could my sinusitis be a fungal problem? More exploring on the internet found the answer:

In 1999 Mayo Clinic researchers found the cause of most chronic sinus infections to be an immune system response to fungus, and that this may kick off a secondary bacteriological infection. It is not an allergic reaction, but an immune reaction.
Again, I felt betrayed by the medical profession. Why hadn't anyone told me this?

I went to the health and vitamin store to look for an anti-fungal nasal spray, and nothing met my requirements or budget ($10-15 for a one ounce bottle of ingredients seemed way out of line.) Here's the formula I "invented":

1. Rinse out a 1 ounce nasal spray bottle
2. Add one eye-dropper (approximately 1 ML) of Oregano Juice (NOT Oregano Oil -- it's too strong and will not dissolve in water)
3. Add a pinch of salt (approximately 1 ML) (Iodized salt is OK -- iodine is a good anti-fungal)
4. Fill the rest of the sprayer with distilled water, and shake well until the salt is dissolved.

Spray as frequently as once an hour until symptoms subside. For me, this solution began working within an hour; most symptoms were gone in three days. And the price of the ingredients per bottle is just a few pennies.

If the oregano/saline solution is too strong for you, dilute in half with water. If you want, you can add a drop of eucalyptus oil with 1/2 ML of glycerin, (which will bond the oil to water). I now spray once or twice a day, just to prevent any recurrence.

A very dear friend, who is 75, has had awful sinusitis for years. He heavily cleared his throat every minute or two. I told him of this simple formula, and two days later he called me to say it was working. He then said with amazement: "I don't believe it, we've been talking for over 15 minutes and I haven't had to clear my throat once!"

There are articles and books that claim that some cancers are caused by fungus. If this is true, taking action on fungus early may be very beneficial in the long run. It's time we gave fungus a deeper analysis.