FOLK REMEDIES

RUBBING ALCOHOL - Diluted rubbing alcohol can be dabbed on the affected area with cotton balls and allowed to dry.

ALOE VERA - Apply aloe vera gel twice daily.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR - Soak your feet in a 50/50 mixture of apple cider vinegar and water for ten minutes daily up to ten days or until symptoms disappear.  This will relieve the itching and peeling of athlete's foot.

Also, soak a cotton ball in vinegar, coat the fungus and let dry.   Apple cider vinegar has antifungal properties.

BAKING SODA - Soak the feet in a solution of baking soda and water for about 30 minutes daily.  This will change the pH of the skin.  Sprinkle baking soda on the feet and in your shoes and socks. It will soak up some of the perspiration and help neutralize the skin at the same time.

BLEACH - Make a solution of two tablespoons up to half a cup of laundry bleach to a gallon of warm water and soak your feet for 10-15 minutes twice a day. This should clear up athlete's foot in a week or ten days.

BORIC ACID - Wash the feet in a mild solution of boric acid.

CHAPARRAL - Mix six tablespoons of dried chaparral to one quart of boiling cheap whiskey or wine; reduce and simmer for 20 minutes; remove and steep for 8 hours. DO NOT use aluminum cookware! Soak your feet in this solution.

CINNAMON -  Bring 4 cups of water to a boil, add 8-10 broken sticks of cinnamon, reduce heat to low and simmer for five minutes; remove and steep, covered, for 45 minutes.  Use as a foot bath.  Cinnamon effectively combats both yeast and fungal infections.

GARLIC - One method is to rub a clove of raw garlic on the fungus.  A second method is to put some freshly crushed garlic on the affected area and leave it on for half an hour; wash with water.  Do this once a day for a week and the athlete's foot should be gone.  If the garlic burns, remove, wash with water and try again with diluted garlic juice. You may have to play around with this remedy to get the potency that is right for you. Garlic is an excellent antibiotic, and studies have shown that its compounds can kill the fungus that causes athlete's foot.

Soak your feet in a basin of warm water to which you have added some rubbing alcohol and several cloves of peeled, crushed garlic.

Garlic powder Dust your feet twice daily with garlic powder or wash with garlic juice.

GINGER -  A strong antifungal.  Boil a cup of water, add one ounce of chopped fresh ginger, and simmer for twenty minutes.  Let it cool and apply to your feet twice a day.

GOLDENSEAL/THYME - Make an herbal tea foot bath of goldenseal and thyme, or a half and half mixture of thyme and chamomile teas. Soak once a day.

GRAPEFRUIT SEED EXTRACT - This extract is a powerful anti-microbial product and is an excellent disinfectant.  Make a solution of 100 drops in two ounces of water and apply to the affected areas with a cotton ball two or three times a day.

HONEY - Raw honey rubbed on the infected areas before bedtime and left overnight has also been found to be effective. Cover the feet with an old sock.

JEWELWEED - Rub juice from this plant, also known as impatiens or touch-me-not, on the infected area.

ONION JUICE - Apply onion juice twice daily.

SALT - A mixture of two teaspoons of salt to a pint of warm water is another good soaking solution.  Soak your feet for 10-15 minutes and dry thoroughly.  The salt kills the fungus and reduces perspiration.

TEA TREE OIL - The Tea Tree, a native of Australia and Asia, is a tall evergreen tree with a white, spongy bark.  The oil from the leaves is used medicinally.  Australian Aborigines used the leaves to treat cuts and skin infections.  They would crush the leaves and apply them to the affected area.  The oil is a natural antiseptic, great for all kinds of infections, including athlete's foot.  Wash and dry the skin thoroughly.  Apply enough undiluted tea tree essential oil to cover the infected area.

VITAMIN E - Apply Vitamin E twice daily.