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Can Castor Oil Clear Your Toenail Fungus?

Perhaps castor oil can be used to treat your toenail fungus. One reader reported success with it when other home remedies did not work well.

What can you do to get rid of your toenail fungus? Many readers have wrestled with that question, and some have discovered ingenious solutions. Here is one we hadn’t encountered before.

Castor Oil to Treat Your Toenail Fungus:

Q. Rather than a question, I offer a note about toenail fungus treatment. I have treated my toenails with Listerine for a few years but saw only slight improvement.

A couple of months ago, I started applying castor oil to my toenails after showering. The improvement was clear within a few days.
I continue to apply castor oil to my toenails once or twice a week. My toes and feet haven’t looked so good in years. I hope this helps someone else.

Home Remedies for Your Toenail Fungus:

A. We could find no scientific research to support the use of castor oil (Ricinus communis) against nail fungus. The leaves of this plant, however, have been shown to possess both antibacterial and antifungal activity (BMC Research Notes, Dec. 1, 2017).

Castor oil is greasy. Applying this oil to your toenail fungus might be messy. Be careful not to slip.

Nail fungus itself is not dangerous, but it is unsightly. People often report that nails infected by a common fungal organism such as Trichophyton rubrum become thick and very hard to cut.

Are There Other Approaches for Your Toenail Fungus?

There are many other home remedies for nail fungus that readers may find helpful, including Vicks VapoRub, Listerine and white vinegar soaks, topical hydrogen peroxide, cornmeal, tea tree oil and white iodine. To learn more about these and other nail fungus treatments, you may want to read our book, Quick & Handy Home Remedies. It is available at your local library or at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.

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About the Author
Terry Graedon, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and co-host of The People’s Pharmacy radio show, co-author of The People’s Pharmacy syndicated newspaper columns and numerous books, and co-founder of The People’s Pharmacy website. Terry taught in the Duke University School of Nursing and was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology. She is a Fellow of the Society of Applied Anthropology. Terry is one of the country's leading authorities on the science behind folk remedies..
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