Nail fungus is a disease that many people suffer from. This disease is easy to catch, but curing the toenail fungus is much more difficult. Many patients use folk remedies to get rid of the fungus. In many cases, treating nail fungus with them is cheaper and more effective than traditional medicine.
What is nail fungus
The cause of nail fungus (onychomycosis) is an infection of the nail plate with pathogenic fungi. Fungi are the smallest microorganisms that feed on the proteins contained in the tissues of the nail. Most of the fungi that live on human nails belong to the genus Trichophyton, although onychomycosis can also be caused by fungi from the genera Epidermophyton, Microsporum, and Candida.
Onychomycosis is a contagious disease. Fungi can get on the nails through contact with objects containing fungal spores. It can be the floor in saunas, baths, swimming pools, dressing rooms, manicure tools, shoes, socks. However, the active reproduction of the fungus occurs only with severely weakened immunity or with health problems in the circulatory system, the endocrine system. Cause the disease also:
- excessive leg sweating;
- nail injuries;
- ignoring the rules of hygiene;
- taking drugs that reduce immunity - immunosuppressants, corticosteroids;
- overweight;
- uncomfortable or old shoes.
The main symptoms of onychomycosis:
- itching, burning;
- deformation, thickening or thinning of the nail;
- change in nail color (brown, brown, yellow or dark);
- stratification, crumbling of the nail;
- bad smell.
Ignoring nail fungus can lead to loss of the nail plate, suppuration. Also, the fungus can reach skin surfaces and even go beyond the legs. There is a risk of infection of other people, especially relatives of the patient.
How can you cure nail fungus?
Many methods have been developed to treat nail fungus. Most of them involve the application of antifungal drugs to the surface of the nail. If the nail is completely affected by the fungus, the nail is surgically removed. However, not everyone is satisfied with traditional methods. There can be many reasons for this - the high price of drugs in pharmacies, their inaccessibility (for example, if a person lives in a rural area), low efficiency, distrust of traditional medicine, drug allergy.
Treatment of fungus with folk remedies: the most effective ways
Therefore, people looking for a cure for onychomycosis often turn to folk remedies for help. These methods do not have a rigorously scientifically proven effectiveness. But in practice, nail fungus therapy with folk remedies helps a lot, especially if the disease is at an early stage, that is, one or two plaques are affected and the skin does notis not yet affected. At the same time, the treatment of nails with folk remedies does not exclude the parallel use of traditional pharmaceutical drugs. In this case, the effect of the latter can be significantly enhanced. It is usually not worth waiting for quick results from treatment; getting rid of the fungus with folk remedies often stretches for 2-3 months.
Antiseptics are the most commonly used home remedies. These are boric acid, iodine, brilliant green, potassium permanganate, soda, hydrogen peroxide, boric acid, chlorhexidine, ammonia. These drugs, strictly speaking, cannot be attributed to the people, since they are widely used in traditional medicine. However, doctors usually do not prescribe them to patients with onychomycosis as first-line drugs. But this does not mean that antiseptics do not affect the fungus on the legs. However, their effectiveness is most often manifested in the early stages of the disease.
Herbal anti-inflammatory and antiseptic agents (St. John's wort, celandine, herbal preparations) can be attributed to folk remedies. These treatments and recipes are also most often recommended by doctors as aids.
Also, treatment with folk remedies includes the use of:
- plant essential oils;
- birch tar;
- kombucha;
- propolis;
- garlic, onion;
- the vinegar;
- ground coffee;
- household and tar soaps;
- lemon juice.
Most often, foot baths, lotions, compresses, ointments are used to treat onychomycosis with folk remedies. Sometimes products can be smeared directly onto the nail surface. The duration of some procedures is only a few minutes, while in other cases therapeutic compounds have to be kept on the nails for hours. In this case, it is better to do the procedure at night.
Hot baths with medicinal solutions are most often taken 1-2 times a day. The duration of the procedure is 15-20 minutes. The water should be lukewarm, but not boiling. If the water has cooled down before the end of the procedure, you need to add a little hot water to the container.
Before applying medication to the surface of the nail, it is recommended to spray the legs. That is why in the treatment of onychomycosis it is better to use baths, since the surface of the nail softens and the therapeutic compounds better penetrate into the deep tissues. In addition, when using baths, medicinal substances can also penetrate under the nail bed, and with compresses and lotions, only the upper surface of the plate is affected. During this time, parasitic fungi often live underneath.
It is necessary to regularly cut the loose and deformed part of the nail affected by the fungus. For the treatment of healthy and diseased nail plates, it is better to use different manicure tools to avoid the transfer of infection. During the treatment period, it is necessary to regularly change socks, since increased sweating contributes to the development of the fungus. Situations that favor reinfection should be avoided - visits to swimming pools, gyms, baths, etc.
All herbal ingredients must first be tested for allergenicity.
potassium permanganate
Potassium permanganate solution is a powerful universal antiseptic that is often used at home. It is also active against pathogenic fungi. You can use both baths and lotions. To prepare the bath, you need to take 500 ml of vinegar and 10 g of potassium permanganate per 10 liters of water. The duration of the procedure is 20 minutes.
Vinegar treatment
Pathogenic fungi do not tolerate an acidic environment - it is on this feature that the treatment of mycosis with vinegar is based. It is best to use 9% vinegar. Vinegar can be added to foot baths. You can also make lotions with vinegar, by rubbing. To prepare a vinegar bath, pour enough water into a basin to reach the ankles, then add 200 ml of vinegar. The water temperature should be +50°C. The duration of the procedure is 15 minutes, it must be carried out every other day.
Another recipe calls for adding chicken eggs to vinegar. 200 ml of vinegar is dissolved in 5 liters of water, then 2 raw eggs are added to it. The mixture is whipped. In this foot bath you need to keep 20 minutes. The course of treatment is 1-2 weeks.
For lotions, cotton pads are taken, previously soaked in vinegar, and also applied to the nails for 15 minutes.
Treatment with vinegar requires caution, as it is an aggressive substance. Vinegar therapy should not be performed on damaged skin.
Celandine treatment
Celandine is a plant that has long been used to treat problem skin. It can also help with onychomycosis. However, celandine contains toxic substances, so it should be used with caution.
It is better to use fresh juice of celandine, obtained from a chopped and squeezed plant. This juice is applied to the nail twice a day. The duration of treatment is three months.
You can also prepare a decoction of celandine. For this, 5 tbsp. I. herbs, pour 1. 5 liters of boiling water. The mixture is heated over a fire for 10 minutes, then filtered. The decoction can be used for foot baths. They must be taken within 15 minutes. The procedure is carried out 2 times a day.
To prepare a tincture of celandine, you need to take alcohol and celandine juice in equal proportions. The liquid is infused during the day. Celandine tincture lubricates the affected nails.
You can also prepare an ointment based on celandine. For this, 2 tbsp. butter is mixed with chopped celandine grass. The ointment is rubbed into the nails 2-3 times a day for 10-14 days.
garlic treatment
Garlic contains natural substances that kill harmful microorganisms. Therefore, garlic is also used in the treatment of onychomycosis.
For treatment, you can use garlic juice or crushed garlic. For example, it is recommended to dilute garlic juice in alcohol and water (in a ratio of 1: 1: 1). With this solution you can lubricate your nails daily.
Essential oils
In the treatment of onychomycosis, oils of lavender, ylang-ylang, lemon, fir, rosemary are used. The most popular is tea tree oil. Essential oils can be used in therapeutic baths. For a bath with a volume of 3 liters (temperature +45 ° C), you need only 10 drops of oil. The duration of the procedure is 20 minutes. After its completion, the feet are wrapped in a dry towel. The duration of treatment is 2 weeks.
Another version of the tea tree oil bath also includes the use of salt. For 1 liter of water, 1. 5 tablespoons are taken. salt and 1 tbsp. oils. The procedure must be carried out within 15 minutes.
You can also make compresses with essential oils. Do this in 2 tbsp. the water dissolves a few drops of heated oil. A cotton pad soaked in the solution is applied to the nail. You need to keep it for about an hour.
The easiest way to treat onychomycosis with essential oils is to regularly wipe the surface of the nail plates with cotton swabs soaked in oil. This procedure should be continued for 2-3 weeks.
Propolis
Propolis is a beekeeping by-product that has long been used in traditional medicine. There are also recipes for onychomycosis with propolis. For example, tampons soaked in an alcohol tincture of propolis can be applied to the nails with a fungus. To prepare the tincture, you need to infuse 30 g of propolis in 500 ml of vodka for 2 weeks. This buffer should be kept on throughout the day.
You can also do propolis baths. Only 15 drops of tincture for 3 liters of water are enough. The duration of the procedure is 15 minutes. You can apply on the nails and pure propolis. This procedure should also not take more than 15 minutes.
Salt and soda
Sea and table salt, as well as soda, are included in many recipes for onychomycosis. They are often added to foot baths. Salt baths can be prepared as follows - a tablespoon of salt is dissolved in 2-3 liters of water. You also need to add a tablespoon of baking soda. The procedure is carried out within 15 minutes. It is advisable to combine it with the application of antifungal ointments.
You can use another recipe for baths - 100 g of salt and 4 tablespoons are taken for 4 liters of water. the vinegar. To enhance the effect after salt baths, it is recommended to treat the nails with iodine.
Iodine
An alcohol solution of iodine is suitable for the treatment of onychomycosis. Iodine compounds aggressively affect protein compounds in fungal cells and in the nail itself. As a result, the mushrooms lose their source of nutrition. Iodine is cheap and very easy to use. It is necessary to daily treat the nail plates affected by the fungus with iodine. One drop is enough for each nail. You can also regularly lubricate the nails with a cotton swab moistened with an iodine solution. Baths with iodine solution are also used. To prepare the bath, you only need to drop 10 drops of iodine solution into a container with water. The procedure should take 10-15 minutes.
Iodine can also be used to prevent fungus on healthy nails. However, regular treatment with iodine has a number of contraindications - intolerance to this substance and thyroid disease.
Alcohol
It is used as part of the complex treatment of onychomycosis and medical alcohol. Most often, compresses are made with alcohol, which are applied to the affected nail. Before the procedure, the nails should be properly steamed in warm water. An alcohol compress is better to do at night, and in the morning treat the nail with an antifungal drug.
tea mushroom
Kombucha is a traditional medicine used for various diseases, including mycosis. The substances contained in kombucha are active against most pathogenic fungi, with the exception of fungi of the genus Candida. Kombucha is often grown at home. For therapeutic purposes, it is best to take an infusion at the age of three months.
Usually, for the treatment of onychomycosis, compresses with swabs soaked in boiled kombucha concentrate are used. This procedure should be carried out at night. You can also lubricate the nails with porridge from the fungus.
Contraindications to the use of kombucha:
- pregnancy,
- Diabetes,
- lactation,
- alcoholism,
- hepatitis,
- AIDS.
Hydrogen peroxide
This substance also has a negative effect on the fungus. The most commonly used baths with hydrogen peroxide. The procedure will require 150 ml of a 3% peroxide solution per 4 liters of water. The duration of the procedure is 25-30 minutes.
You can also make compresses with hydrogen peroxide. To do this, cotton swabs should be moistened with peroxide and applied to sore nails. The duration of the procedure is 1 hour. You can also mix peroxide with vinegar in equal proportions. Soak a cotton swab in this mixture. Then the mixture is applied to the nails with.
Tar and tar soap
Birch tar is one of the oldest antiseptics and anti-inflammatories known to folk medicine. Tar can be used both in pure form and in the form of an ointment, as an addition to folk remedies. Soap with the addition of tar is also used - tar. Before applying tar to the nails, they must be steamed. Tar is applied to dry nails. The procedure continues for 2 hours, then the tar is washed off with warm water.
In the absence of tar, you can take tar soap - a tool that can be found in any house. It can also be used against the fungus - for treatment and prevention.
First of all, you can do foot baths with soap. In the bath, it is necessary to dissolve the maximum of soap. To make the soap dissolve better, you can grate it. The water temperature is warm, but not hot. Perform the procedure for 20 minutes. Another recipe is also used - soap in the amount of 15 g is mixed with 30 g of baking soda. This mixture should be rubbed on the sore nails every day.
After using tar soap, the skin may become excessively dry. In this case, you can use a moisturizer. Tar and tar soap are contraindicated for people with too dry and sensitive skin.
Boric acid
This popular antiseptic will also help against fungus. With a 2% solution of boric acid, it is necessary to regularly wipe the diseased nail, previously steamed in water. However, acid should not be used if there are wounds, abrasions or bruises on the skin.
Urea
The fungicidal effect of urea is associated with the ability of this substance to absorb water. Since fungi need water to live, they die quickly following exposure to urea. It is better to use urea with birch tar. Both substances are taken in equal proportions and mixed. The composition is applied to the nails and kept for a day.
Then, after removing the affected part of the nail plate, iodine is applied to the nails for five days. If necessary, the procedure is repeated 1-2 more times.