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Toenail fungus is common, but it can be difficult to treat, particularly if it is severe and affects most nails. Whatever treatment is used, the nails should be trimmed and preferably debrided (most of the damaged nail removed) before applying the treatment. Change socks daily and wear shoes that are well ventilated and allow your feet to breathe. Research has shown that the following home remedies can be effective for toenail fungus, and in some cases, more effective than medicinal products brought on prescription or over the counter:
Vicks Vaporub
Snake root extract (Ageratina pichinchensis)
Tea Tree oil (Malaleuca alternifolia)
Oregano oil
Ozonized sunflower oil.
Other natural remedies that may work but have no trials to support their use as a treatment for toenail fungus include:
Listerine mouthwash
Olive leaf extract
Apple cider vinegar
Garlic
Baking soda.
Vicks Vaporub
83% (15 out of 18) of people who applied Vicks Vaporub once daily to their fungal toenails for 48 weeks showed a positive treatment effect with 27.8% reporting a mycological and clinical cure, and 55.6% having partial clearance. Only 3% of participants had no change. All 18 people rated their satisfaction with the nail appearance at the end of treatment as satisfied or very satisfied. The active ingredients of Vicks Vaporub include thymol, menthol, camphor, and oil of Eucalyptus have been shown to be effective at killing fungi in laboratory studies.
Verdict: Vicks Vaporub had a cure rate of 27.8% in this study of 18 people with toenail fungus, but almost all reported some improvement. At a cost of $24 to $36 for 48 weeks supply, Vicks vaporub is worthwhile considering when compared with the prescription topical antifungal treatment ciclopirox which has a similar cure rate (34%) but costs $780 to $900 for a course.
Snake root extract (Ageratina pichinchensis)
Snake root extract has long been used in Mexican traditional medicine has a treatment for fungal skin infections. A study that compared a topical solution of Snake root extract to 8% ciclopirox for toenail fungus in 96 people reported Snake root extract was therapeutically effective in 71.1% and a mycological cure was experienced by 59.1%, compared with 80.9% reporting therapeutic effectiveness with ciclopirox and 63.8% a mycological cure. There were no severe side effects reported with either treatment.