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# 2025-05-19 - Ringworm & Antifungal Home Remedies | |
I came down with a bad case of ringworm. Looking through my first aid | |
and medical ebooks, none of them discuss treatment of fungal | |
infections. Thus this log entry. | |
Best practice, per WikiHow, is to use OTC antifungal medications | |
specific to the condition. I am writing about DIY home remedies. | |
Reviewing public domain medical texts on the Internet Archive, i | |
found Victorian treatments that are effective, but dangerous and | |
harsh. For example, ringworm can be effectively treated with | |
invasive x-ray therapy or with toxic mercury oleate (C36H66HgO4), but | |
i wouldn't recommend it. | |
# Contents | |
* Diet & Nutrition | |
* Humidity / Moisture Control | |
* Sunlight & UV | |
* Borax Body Wash | |
* Garlic / GOOT | |
* Postscript | |
# Diet & Nutrition | |
Avoid eating sugar. | |
Vitamin A can help. Eating beef liver is a megadose. | |
> A deficiency of vitamin A causes excessive release of the lysosomal | |
> enzymes, acid hydrolases, resulting in tissue catabolism. Also, | |
> vitamin A is necessary for the proper differentiation of cells in | |
> skin and other membranes. A deficiency tends to cause an increased | |
> rate of cell division, with the production of abnormal cells, and a | |
> substitution of keratinized cells for other types. | |
> So what happens when you increase your intake of vitamin A? It | |
> slows down the turnover of skin cells, and makes them function | |
> longer before flaking off. In other words, vitamin A helps reverse | |
> the retention hyperkeratosis. This can have a dramatic impact on | |
> skin health and appearance | |
From: https://www.saturee.com.au/blogs/blog-posts/liver-the-secret-to-great-ski… | |
I also read turmeric & black pepper, garlic, and vitamin D can help. | |
# Humidity / Moisture Control | |
Do not cover infection with bandages because they can prevent it from | |
drying out, which encourages fungal growth. | |
For the same reason, wear loose-fitting clothes to permit air-flow. | |
Launder bedding and towels more frequently to reduce spore load. | |
# Sunlight & UV | |
Sun bathing can help. Ultraviolet light kills fungi. | |
Long ago a friend advised me to apply virgin coconut oil when sun | |
bathing. Virgin coconut oil is high in caprylic acid, which is a | |
potent anti-fungal. It also keeps the skin hydrated, which reduces | |
the risk of sunburn. | |
# Borax Body Wash | |
Bathe daily to keep the affected area clean and dry. | |
A doctor advised that if many cats are in one's life, then thrice | |
weekly use antifungal shampoo as a body wash to prevent ringworm. | |
An affordable DIY option is to make borax body wash. Boron is said | |
to be the most antifungal element, and borax is inexpensive. | |
Use a ratio of approximately 1 cup of borax to 1 gallon of water. | |
Put water in crockpot and turn on HIGH heat. Add the borax to hot | |
water and stir occasionally until it has completely dissolved, | |
approximately 30 minutes. Turn off crockpot and allow to cool. | |
Use measuring cup to pour into clean plastic jug. Label jug. | |
To use, soak washcloth and apply to body. Or put a handful in your | |
hair, work it into thin lather, and allow to soak for a while before | |
washing it out. | |
From: https://sustainingourworld.com/2014/02/27/using-borax-for-clean-healthy-h… | |
# Garlic / GOOT | |
Garlic contains allicin, a potent antifungal. Allicin pills are | |
sold in the supplement & vitamin department of grocery stores and | |
can be beneficial taken internally and applied externally. | |
## GOOT Recipe | |
Warm 3 tb virgin coconut oil until melted. Add 3 tb olive oil. | |
Remove from heat and add 3 tb fresh garlic chopped into a paste. | |
Use a blender. Pour mixture through a screen. Pour into a | |
wide mouthed jar and label it GOOT. | |
You may add 2 dropper-fulls of oregano oil and mix well, and several | |
drops depending on amount of GSE (grapefruit seed extract) for extra | |
strength and effectiveness before refrigeration. | |
Place in refrigerator. GOOT turns into a thick, soft paste after | |
1 hour. GOOT, rubbed into the skin, transfers raw garlic oil | |
directly into the blood stream. Good for internal and external use. | |
After 2 weeks, make a new batch of GOOT. | |
From: https://www.reddit.com/r/ringworm/comments/ok47yr/ringworm_keeps_coming_b… | |
# Postscript | |
I received a friendly email and it turns out that i was mistaken. | |
One of my first aid e-books does cover fungal infections. | |
Tinea | |
If you use an antifungal cream like one containing clotrimazole, use | |
it several times a day. Infrequent use is not enough. | |
Oral antifungals are hard on the liver, but may be necessary for | |
scalp ringworm. | |
Hygeine and preventing transmission is paramount. | |
See also: | |
Medicinal Values of Garlic | |
tags: health | |
# Tags | |
health |