Herbal Remedies for Athletes’ Foot

Posted by: admin

Athletes’ Foot is yet another type of common fungal infection many people get on a regular basis. The fungus needs moisture and darkness to grow. Both conventional and naturopathic practitioners agree that sunlight and air can work wonders. However, besides going barefoot, there are some herbal cures you can do to prevent and rid yourself of this itchy problem.

Yeast thrive in warm, moist, dark environments, and this is why athletes foot is so common - particularly with athletes, hence the name, and anyone who’s feet sweat easily, anyone who wears tight enclosed shoes for many hours of the day, and so on. Athletes feet is usually more problematic for people who participate in a lot of sports and exercise. The fungus is very easy to spread, and often it’s picked up in the locker room, gym or swimming pool. There are many remedies, but here are a few of the best.

The first steps you should be taking are steps of prevention. Not getting athletes feet to begin with will save a lot of time and hassle. There are many easy ways to reduce the chances of developing fungus on your feet. One of those is to let your feet breathe. If you wear closed shoes throughout the day, such as gym shoes, be sure they fit properly and be sure you’re wearing socks that allow good air flow. Cotton usually works well.

Garlic - this is the number one herbal fungus killer. Rub it on with a fresh garlic clove, or use garlic powder or oil.

Ginger - Ginger contains many antifungal properties. Just rub ginger oil on or soak your feet in warm water that has ginger added to it.

Onion - a close cousin to garlic, onion will also kill the fungus pretty easily.

Black Walnut - this is a natural antiseptic which is high in iodine, simply rub the tincture or oil onto the affected areas.

Kelp - another herb that’s very high in iodine, and iodine kills germs, bacteria and fungus growth.

Each of these herbal remedies should be used once or twice each day until the athletes feet is cleared up, which takes from three days to roughly one week in most cases.

Remember, whenever you can, take your shoes off and let them breathe. Give them some sunlight too, because fungus cannot live in sunlight. After taking a shower or bath, be sure to dry your feet completely before stuffing them into shoes. If your feet sweat alot, you might want to try putting some antiperspirant on them too.

Reference: Household Remedies