Are you interested in natural remedies for nail fungus? Many people prefer natural remedies for all sorts of ailments these days, for a variety of reasons. The cost of health care continues to rise and many people struggle to pay for visits to doctors and costly prescription medications. In addition, people are more aware of the potential side effects associated with many prescription and over-the-counter medications these days and many hope a nail fungus natural remedy will be safer. Natural remedies are often more affordable and safer than prescription drugs and even over-the-counter medications but that’s not always the case. If you have any medical problems, take prescription medications for any condition, or are pregnant, we recommend talking to your doctor before using any natural remedies.
Natural Remedies For Nail Fungus
In addition to safe and affordable natural remedies, of course, you also want a natural remedy that works. Here are a few we’ve found that may do the job. They can be found at many health food stores or natural food stores and can also be ordered online. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you need more information; not all doctors and pharmacists are very knowledgeable about natural remedies and alternative medicine, though, so if you’re interested in using natural remedies when you can, you may wish to seek out a health care provider that is knowledgeable about such things.
Grapefruit Seed Extract – Grapefruit seed extract is a liquid extracted from the seeds, peel, and membrane of white grapefruit. It can be used to treat a variety of yeast and fungal infections(1), including nail fungus. To treat nail fungus, it is usually applied two or more times per day and it may take several months to completely cure the fungal infection because the infected part of the nail must grow out completely and nails only grow so fast. This is the case with any topical treatment for nail fungus, though, even prescription products. Grapefruit seed extract, like grapefruit juice, may interact with certain medications, so if you take any prescription medications, check with your doctor or pharmacist before using grapefruit seed extract.
Lavender Essential Oil – Lavender essential oil is thought by some to have antiseptic and antifungal properties. It can be applied to the affected nails two or more times per day, much like grapefruit seed extract. However, we’ve found less evidence verifying the effectiveness of lavender essential oil than the other natural remedies for nail fungus discussed here. Sometimes lavender essential oil is included in products with other natural ingredients that fight fungal infections and it may be most effective when used in this way.
Snakeroot Extract – Despite the name, snakeroot extract has nothing to do with snakes. Instead, it comes from a plant related to the sunflower. A study(2) found that applying snakeroot extract to infected nails was as effective as applying prescription nail lacquer containing the medication ciclopirox, only the snakeroot extract worked much faster and did not need to be applied as often.
Tea Tree Oil – Extracted from the leaf of the Australian Melaleuca alternifolia tree, tea tree oil is an essential oil thought to have antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties. People use it to treat all sorts of illnesses and infections, including nail fungus. When used to treat nail fungus, it is applied to the nails two or more times per day, much like grapefruit seed extract or lavender essential oil.
Our Preferred Nail Fungus Natural Remedy
Our preferred natural remedy for nail fungus is Funginix. Funginix contains several natural ingredients known to fight nail fungus, including tea tree oil, lavender essential oil, and clove flower oil. It also contains an over-the-counter medication that treats nail fungus. We realize that means it’s not an all-natural remedy, but it does contain mostly natural ingredients, and the truth is that it’s the most effective over-the-counter product we’ve found. To learn more, just follow this link to the Funginix Website.