Nail Fungus - Natural Cures That Work

Nail Fungus is a common affliction that results in hard, thick, unsightly nails. Often times they appear yellow, purple, or black when they should appear clear. So, because of the embarrassment that results, most people would like to cure the problem. There are traditional medical treatments available, and a large marketing budget exists to promote these, as evidenced by a very popular U.S. television advertisement. The problem with these "western chemical medicine" treatments are that they tend to be expensive, and sometimes come with unwanted side effects.

So, the alternative approach of an all natural, organic treatment because attractive for those without easy access to traditional medical treatment, or even to those who would like a potentially safer approach to treating nail fungus. This information will explain how to prepare the nail before treatment, as well as describe a few herbal treatments that have worked for many people around the world. Now, one important note to remember is not all treatments will work the same for all people, but one of the following remedies usually works for most people.

The first step is to maximize the potential for any herbal remedy to reach the fungal infection itself. Clean and groom the area around the nail, beneath the nail, and around the sides of the nail.

The nail fungus symptoms themselves will generally create a lot of buildup around and under nails they infect, so clean out these dead skin and nail cells as best as possible. This dead organic material can prevent the medication from getting to the fungal infection. Use a clean and sterilized nail file to lightly file down all visible surfaces of the nail. All of this cleaning and grooming will clear the way for any treatment to get to the needed area under the nail..

Also, since you are going to by applying any herbal remedy on a consistent daily basis, you are going to be doing this cleaning and prep on a daily basis before you apply whatever herbal treatments you decide to use.

Popular herbal treatments to treat toenail fungus:

Garlic is a popular antibiotic and anti fungal that may help some people fight off a nail fungal infection. To use garlic, apply garlic oil, or rub raw garlic in and around the nail. It may help to ingest garlic as well, to fight the infection from several directions at one time.

Tea Tree Oil: This is a fantastic natural antibiotic, antiviral, and anti-fungal essential oil. These effects have been lab studied and proven in double blind, placebo controlled trials. So try tea tree oil if you have nail fungus.

Lemon Juice and Lemongrass oil: Lemon juice has natural antiseptic properties, and it can kill a variety of bacteria and infections. One of the symptoms that the fungus is being killed is that the nail will turn black within a few minutes of application.

Another remedy to try if the others don't provide the success you want is Apple Cider Vinegar. This is a very old and very popular herbal treatment for a wide variety of infections. It can work because the vinegar is an organic antiseptic, with the ability to exfoliate. This will help remove the dead skin cells while treating the underlying cause of the infection.

Greg Podsakoff is the editor of http://www.herbalremediesthatwork.com - a website dedicated to revealing the scientific proof behind herbal remedies to expose which ones are proven effective, and which ones may not do much at all.