Looking for the best natural cure for toenail fungus? Think about treating it from the inside out, too.
Got onchomycosis?
If your toenail, especially on the big toe, has a jaundice tinge to it, you may have toenail fungus. And if the nail is brittle, that’s another indication that fungal spores have grown out of control.
Why does this particular fungus that causes it appear on the big toe? Researchers don’t have an exact answer. But there are several theories and causes.
Firstly, the invisible creatures that are now calling your big toe home love warm, damp environments.
Do you go to a gym? Or swim and shower at a community pool? If so, you may have picked up the fungal hitchhiker this way.
Also, if you’re someone who doesn’t wash your socks often, especially in hot water, you’re at greater risk.
In addition, it’s also possible you don’t let your feet breathe enough. If you are constantly wearing socks and shoes, this can be another reason why you have the fungus.
Moreover, if you don’t splurge for new shoes and they are tight-fitting, this can also lead to the condition.
Is it serious?
The good news is that it’s usally not a serious medical complication. However, if you don’t treat it, the fungus won’t voluntarily leave your nail(s); it won’t go away on its own.
In fact, the fungus might spread to other nails. A more serious condition is when the fungus causes a bacterial infection. People with diabetes or autoimmune conditions are at higher risk for this complication.
Best Natural Cure for Toenail Fungus: Look Inside Yourself
We’ll take a look at natural topical treatments shortly. But first, let’s take a look at one often-overlooked cause and treatment: poor gut bacterial health.
In a healthy person without the infection, there’s a good balance between friendly and harmful bacteria.
What’s exactly the ratio of good to bad bacteria? A rough estimate is about 80 percent good, 20 percent bad. This ratio will give the good bacteria enough of a “workout” to help fight the bad bacteria.
One root cause of this fungal infection is an overgrowth of an internal fungus in your gut. It’s called “candida albicans” (or simply, “candida”).
Almost everybody around the world has this specific bacteria in their gut. So to say candida is bad is inaccurate. Candida becomes a problem when there’s too much of it in the gut.
Yeast infections, chronic fatigue, digestive issues, sinus infections, and joint pain are some of the common symptoms of candida. But yet another symptom of it is fungal infections on the skin and nails.
Are you experiencing any other candida symptoms such as those above? Then your problematic yellow toenail may be because of too much candida in the gut.
However, it’s never a good thing to self-diagnose if you’re not a doctor. Therefore, visit a functional medicine doctor or other health professional. Holistic health experts can run a diagnostic test to confirm candidiasis, which is the overgrowth of this yeast.
(Yeasts are types of fungi.)
Treating Candida
Supplementing with probiotics and eating foods rich in probiotics can help introduce more friendly bacteria in your gut. When you have more friendly bacteria, it’s like recruiting more soldiers to fight the bad guys.
In addition, you will have to follow a no-yeast diet. That means no bread, beer, pizza and other things with dough and flour.
Essentially, the candida diet is an ultra low-sugar diet. No soda, fruit juice and less obvious foods such as ketchup and salad dressings with hidden sugars.
Candida–remember, it’s a yeast, which is a type of fungus—feeds on sugar. You must starve the candida of sugar.
Make no mistake about it: a best natural cure for toenail fungus is eliminating sugar. In addition to restricting sugar from your diet, also introduce foods, such as bone broth and collagen.
The amino acids (the building blocks of protein) in bone broth and collagen may help heal your gut. And what this specifically means is creating tighter junctions in your stomach lining. The tighter these junctions are, the less undigested food particles will travel in your bloodstream.
This is important because if you have lots of food particles in your bloodstream, it creates inflammation. You may be more vulnerable to infections on your nail, if you have lots of inflammation in your body.
Again, if you can afford it, visit a naturopathic doctor or other holistic health expert. If you have health insurance, it’s a good idea to first visit a conventional doctor. A doctor can first diagnose if you indeed have the fungal infection.
If you don’t take care of the candida overgrowth, your nail plate can may smell bad. Plus, it can hurt as well.
Toenail fungus remedy
If you’re looking for the best natural cure for toenal fungus, H-Nail Fungus Formula seems to work well.
It’s all-natural active ingredients are marigold (calendula), silica and northern white cedar. That’s one flower, one mineral and one evergreen tree.
There are no synthetic ingredients in the formula. The other inert substances include an essential oil blend.
The product supposedly works by attacking the existing fungus on the nail bed. It won’t kill the yeast overgrowth in your gut.
But according to the product reviews, it is an effective topical solution. You apply it directly to the nail with a cotton swab a few times a day. You can even add a drop of it to a bath.
One product review states:
“I contracted a nasty green looking fungus from the nail salon and needless to say I was not happy. Apparently if there is too much moisture when the false nails are put on then it can develop a sort of bacteria or fungus that grows underneath the false nail. I bought a large bottle and put it on my fingers three times a day. My skin actually looked healthier throughout the process and before I knew it the green beds were gone. There is some awesome stuff in this bottle, it does not hurt my skin and it works.”
How to cure toenail fungus naturally
Harvard Medical School suggests the best natural cure for toenail fungus includes hydrogen peroxide. (Yet another reason you might want to include it in your natural medicine cabinet.) In addition, Harvard mentions tea tree oil, and Vicks VapoRub.
Harvard references a 12-week study of daily applications of Vicks. The Vicks eradicated the fungus in five of 18 people and reduced it in 10 others.
Natural cure for toe fungus
Mycozil is another all-natural blend to kill the fungus. It contains herbs and enzymes. But it’s not a topical application. You take it internally. The dosage is three capsules twice daily before meals.
Some of the herbs in the formula include rainforest compounds. Pau D’Arco is one of them. It’s native to the Amazon. Many natural health healers recommend it for killing candida yeast in the gut.
In addition, the product contains licorice root, anise seed, and one species of bacteria that can help your gut have more friendly bacteria.
As of this writing, there are 127 reviews of the product on the website. The overwhelming majority of them are 5-star reviews.
Another best natural cure for toenail fungus comes courtesy of LifeHack.org: baking soda and sodium borate. Both of these compounds are alkaline on the pH scale. Fungus thrives in an acidic environment.
Together, these two compounds form a paste. You apply it topically a couple times a day until the fungus clears. The website recommends applying this paste for a minimum of one week before noticing positive results.
In addition, LifeHack recommends orange oil as a best natural cure for toenail fungus. But make sure you dilute it in a carrier oil, such as almond, coconut or olive oil.
Lavender is another proven essential oil with properties that kill fungus. Used alone, it may not be effective enough for very advanced cases of infection.
And for lavender to be effective, you can’t just apply it to your feet and hop in bed and hope it does its magic. That’s because some of the oil might come off (potentially staining your sheet).
Therefore, LiefHack recommends covering your feet with woollen socks. This way, the oil will not rub off before it has soaked in.
Another smart sock tip: avoid synthetic fabrics to keep the infection at bay.
Best natural cure for toenail fungus: More top picks
Oregano oil, apple cider vinegar (with warm water), garlic and borax (along with baking soda powder) may also serve as safe and effective remedies.
Know another natural remedy for it? Leave a comment.
