August 2024

Natural antifungals for ringworm

I stayed last year at a not so clean hotel. A few weeks after that I noticed a red spot on just plain flat skin. It was less than 1/2 inch in diameter and the slight itch would calm down when I put a bit of beef tallow and Calendula skin cream on it. I was not sure what it was. Some mystery skin irritation. Several month later it had grown to about 1 inch in diameter and I started to get concerned. After some research I leaned that there is a fungal skin infection called ringworm (Tinea Corporis) which can indeed affect any area. It does not have to be a skin fold. It can infect plain flat skin.

I went to the local pharmacy and came back with two creams: Canesten (Clotrimazole) and a tolnaftate cream. I put a bit of Clotrimazole cream on the spot and the itch stopped. Several days later nothing had really changed and I decided to switch to the tolnaftate cream. None of these creams seemed to do anything except stopping the itch and making the skin more red. The skin became also rather thin. Forward three more days and the whole area became suddnely swollen and started ozing. I had developed cellulitis, a potentially life threatening bacterial infection!

The fungal infection was resistant to these antifungal creams and it seems this is actually a common problem. I decided to change strategy and switch to completely natural antifungals. There are fantasitc natural solutions and they work for a wide array of yeast and fungal infections. I have learned my lesson: stay away from the pharma antifungals.

I got the cellulitis infection under control with turmeric and propoulis tincture applied externally and then I started to slowly discover how to cure a rather stubborn fungal infection which had penetrated deeper into the skin over the last few month.

Fungal infections are potentially contagious but don't panic. If others in your family did not catch it by the time you show symptoms then they will likely not get it. Never the less it makes sense to wash any towels, bedsheets and clothing right after use.

The protocols presented here come in three parts and the first part stalls the fungal infection and heals any wounds or cracks in the skin. In many cases one could probably start directly with step 2 but I messed up and everything was inflamed. This is where step 1 is useful. Step 3 is very important for lasting success and long term recovery. For a mild fungal infection the protocol step 3 alone may be enough. The protocol includes also a "follow-up" to prevent the fungus from accidently coming back.

All remedies presented are to be applied topically. Non of them are taken orally. Essential oils, especially poisonous ones like e.g Lavender and Eucalyptus, must not be applied undiluted as they can penetrate irritated skin easily.

Natural antifungal protocol, step 1: wound healing

It's imperative that the skin is not injured before you use any of the harsher antifungals. Use the following options to heal any open wounds.

Turmeric powder and propolis tincture: Both of these are mild antifungals. Dependent on the ratio between the two you get either a kind of a liquid paint or a paste. The paste is excellenet for ozing skin as the resin in the propolis tincture will form together with the turmeric a hard "artificial scab" once the alcohol from the propolis tincture has evaporated. This is a very good solution for any kind of wound that does not want to heal properly by itself.
Witch Hazel Water, Turmeric and/or Zinc Oxide: Add a drop of Witch Hazel Water to Turmeric and/or Zinc Oxide poweder to make a paste. Turmeric and/or Zinc Oxide are mild antifungals and Witch Hazel calms down irritated skin. Witch Hazel is also a mild antifungal.

Witch Hazel Water

Witch Hazel Water ingredients
Penaten Diaper Rash Cream: This cream contains Zinc Oxide, an antimicrobial. Zinc Oxide helps to keep the yeast that causes diaper rashes in check but it also stops fungal infections from progressing. I recommend to use the Original Penaten Diaper Rash Cream. It comes in a small tin. The more modern plastic tube form has the same name but a different composition. The original Penaten diaper rash cream formula is over a hundred years old and it works. This is time tested stuff.

Antimicrobial Nano-Zinc Oxide Biocomposites for Wound Healing Applications: A Review
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10053511/
Diaper Rash Creams do to my knowledge not have any significant amounts of Zinc Oxide nano particles in them. It's ordinary Zinc Oxide powder that is used to make these creams but they do still have antimicrobial action. Smaller particles and nano particle may be more potent.

Penaten Cream, plastic tube and original, they are not the same

Penaten Cream, plastic tube and original, ingredients

Penaten, ingredients, click to read

Natural antifungal protocol, step 2: fungal fighters

Use these suggestions only on skin with no visible cracks or wounds. Some of the recipes are more aggressive than others and you can switch between them. The different options fall into two big cateogories: Oily and non oily. The list includes individual components and suggested mixtures but you can try your own composition. Essential oils, especially poisonous ones like e.g Lavender and Eucalyptus, must not be applied undiluted as they can penetrate irritated skin easily. Stop this protocol once you notice that the skin starts to dry and peel.

Coconut Oil: Very gentile and has mild antifungal activity. Can be used as a good carrier oil for other essential oils.
Neem Oil: Very gentile and has mild antifungal activity. Can be used as a good carrier oil for other essential oils. Stronger than Coconut Oil.
Pine Tar: To be used as a carrier for other essential oils. Possibly stronger than Neem Oil.
Pine tar, Neem Oil, Eucalyptus Oil and Peppermint Oil: Mix 2ml of pine are with, 1ml of Neem Oil add a 1 drop of Eucalyptus Oil and a 2 drops of Peppermint Oil. Very effective.
Black Walnut Tincture: Black Walnut (Juglans Nigra) is a tree native to north america and the green hulls of the not yet fully ripe nut are incredible fungus fighters. The hulls are initially green white when freshly cut but they oxidize quicky and the sap stains skin dark brown. The stain will go away after several days but I recommend to use gloves while working with those nuts. It's possible to make a dark black tincture by chopping the hulls into small pieces and keeping them in 40% alcohol (or higher) for a few weeks. This black tincture has excellent antifungal activity and a shelf life of several years. Some people sell black walnut tincture made from the dried hulls. Don't buy that. It's not effective. You want tincture made from fresh green hulls.
Iodine or Povidone Iodine tincture: It works but it can be very irritating to the skin especially if it is already thin and sore. It's kills the fungus but it inhibits also skin rebuilding and healing. I think it could cure any mild ringworm infection completely. If you had ringworm already for several weeks without realizing it then iodine alone is not going to do it. If nothing else is available then it could be tried but it's more useful in step 3 when there is less inflamation in the skin layers.
Fiske's skin and wound salve: This is a time tested product for horses. It is one of the milder fungal fighters and it could be used on wounds. Animals are often in the mud and dirt where various fungi play an important role in decomposing feces and plant matter. Horses have therefore a lot of exposure to fungal infections. You can get this at your local farm store or at http://www.fiskes.ca/

The concentrations of the essential oils are fairly low because this is primary a wound salve. You need to reapply it frequently because these oils evaporate quickly. Store the salve in the fridge. Fiske's has the following ingredients:
- Wintergreen - an excellent pain reliever and anti-inflammatory agent. It is also the provider for salicylic acid found in Aspirin and is believed to increase the speed of healing in skin disorders, and a natural moisturizer.
- Camphor - an anti inflammatory agent which reduces swelling and bruising in hoof and skin/wound areas. It relieves muscle aches and is also antiseptic and a natural insecticide.
- Eucalyptus - has stong anti bacterial and anti fungal properties
- Pine tar - a known anti fungal agent
- Bees wax - has not only anti-bacterial properties, but forms also a natural breathable and water repellent film for the area treated
- Mint oil - anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, cooling and soothing
- Thyme oil - anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties
- Contains no petroleum distillates
I think it would be possible to take the ingredient list and mix this yourself but watch out. Eucalyptus Oil and Camphor are in this salve only in very in small amounts. Both are powerful antifungals but they could be damaging if used in too high concentrations.

Fiske's, a time tested product, I wish I had used this at the very begining when I was not sure what this mystery rash was. It would have disapeared.

Fiske's, partial list of ingredients, click to read

Fiske's, logo

Eucalyptus Oil: This is a very strong antifungal. Undiluted use may apparently cause neurotoxicity even when used just externally. I did not notice any problems at all with Eucalyptus Oil in diluted form with a carrier oil or pine tar. Pure Eucalyptus Essential Oil is a poison.
Tea Tree Oil: Only moderate activity against ringworm but it is supposed to work well for athlet's foot. Could be used in combination with other essential oil.
Oregano Oil: Some people use this for everything and it might have some antifungal activity but I found that it just irritates the skin. Not recommended.
Spilathes Tincture: This is for infected gums and teeth. It has also antifungal properties. I have tried it but only for a short time. I can't really say if it works or not.
Sage Tincture: Sage has antifungal properties. I have not tried it.
Rosemary Oil or Tincture: Rosemary has antifungal properties. I have used Rosemary in "step 2". A Rosemary Tincture could be used also in "step 3, keep it dry" since you want to avoid oils in step 3.
Camphor: Strong antifungal but it's a solid. You can get a tincture of 10% Camphor in ethanol (alcohol) at the pharmacy. You can dilute this tincture further. Under lab conditions (ideal conditions) a 0.05% solution of Camphor was still an effective antifungal. A 1% solution is probably a good concentration.

10% Camphor in ethanol (alcohol) tincture
Neem Oil, Rosemary Oil, a few drops of Tea Tree Oil and a drop of Mint Oil: Make a mixture of 2ml Neem Oil, 0.5ml Rosemary Oil, a few drops of Tea Tree Oil and a drop of Mint Oil. Store it in a small air tight bottle to prevent the essential oils from evaporating during storage. Apply with a Q-tips.
Zinc Oxide powder, Turmeric powder, Black Walnut tincture, Propolis tincture and Camphor tincture: Put a bit of Zinc Oxide powder and Turmeric powder onto a plate. Mix the tow and add a few drops of the tinctures. This makes a kind of a paint which you can then apply with a Q-tips or with your finger. The "paint" sticks to the skin and dries after a few minutes. Turmeric has also mild antifungal properties. It's main function is to calm irritated skin and keep bacteria off.

60% Zinc Oxide powder and 40% Turmeric powder, add some tinctures to this to make it into a "paint" that dries on the skin
Thyme Oil: Thyme oil is rich in thymol and carvacrol, which have been shown to inhibit fungal growths.
Clove Oil: Even just vapors of Clove Essential Oil have good antifungal activity. Clove has also a numbing effect which can be good if the skin is itching a lot but the downside is that you don't really feel if it is working or not. In most cases the itch stops if there is antifungal activity and once the essential oil or whatever you where using has evaporated and there is still fungus left then the itch comes slowly back. Clove Oil may numb the skin for longer than it is effective against the fungus.
Mint or Peppermint oil: A strong fungal fighter that enhances also blood circulation. Highly recommended. This is one of the few essential oils that is a food and not a poison. It is very effective against the fungus and not a poison for humans. All essential oils must be diluted even if they are not poisons.
Lavender oil: I have read that lavender essential oil is very effective but I have myself not used it. Pure Lavender Essential Oil is a poison. Lavender interferes with testosterone and it is therefore better if men avoid it.
Penaten Cream, Peppermint Oil and Clove Oil: Put a bit of Penaten Cream into a small container, add a drop of Peppermint Oil and Clove Oil. This mixture reduces irritation and it is at the same time very effective against the fungal infection.
Coconut Oil, Neem Oil, Peppermint Oil, Zinc Oxide powder, Thyme Oil, Rosemary Oil, Clove Oil: This is a very effective blend but it is not agressive. The order of ingredients is by volume. Take e.g a tea spoon of Coconut Oil, 1/4 tea spoon Neem Oil, several drops of Peppermint Oil, as much Zinc Oxide powder as you like to either make a cream that is really white or one that looks white but becomes clear when applied to the skin, two drops of Thyme Oil, one drop of Rosemary Oil, one drop of Clove Oil
Citronella spray: Common Citronella based mosquito repellant is also a general purpose antifungal. There is a spray called junglista which contains a blend of essential oils and most of them are antifungals. Junglista is a powerful antifungal.

Junglista mosquito spray contains other essential oils besides Citronella, most of them are known antifungals. You can get it at junglista.ca

junglista ingredients
White Tiger Balm: Contains mint oil, camphor and clove oil all of which are known antifungals. The other ingredients may also be antifungals. We just don't know. The classic white Tiger Balm is very effective in combating a fungal infection of the skin. There are different kinds of Tiger Balms with different strength but don't be fooled. We are not using it to relieve muscle pain. We are using it "Off Label" as an antifungal and "White Tiger Balm" is for this purpose the best version.

Tiger Balm, white

Tiger Balm, white, package

Tiger Balm, ingredients

Natural antifungal protocol, step 3: keep it dry (and oil free)

The skin will start to feel like paper after the above fungal fighter protocol has done the job and at that point you can stop it and let the skin dry. A thin layer of "leather" will finally peel off. Don't force it. Just wait until it comes off easily.

The current epidemic of skin problems is probably due to skin care products such as creams and moisturizers. If they would really be needed then we would be born with a bottle attached to us. The fungus that causes ringworm thrives in warm, moist areas, so you want to keep the area clean and dry. Avoid any oil or lotion for the next few month. Wear cloth that wick up humidity. Blow dry the affected skin area after taking a shower.

The things listed here will clear up any residual fungal growth in the tiniest pores and accellerate healing. Some residual fungal spores are always there. You can never clear 100% with just protocol step 2. During step 3 you might see another layer of skin, a thinner layer, peeling off. If you see that the skin remains red several days into step 3 or you notice that it starts to itch a lot as soon as you sweat a bit then consider going back to the above protocol step 2. You might have stopped step 2 too early. It could however also be possible to clear the remaining infection with the step 3 protocol (it depends on how severe the infection is). This is again a list of options. Using just one of the options could be enough for a mild case.

Black Walnut Tincture: Apply Black Walnut in alcohol tincture, wait two minutes for the alcohol to evaporate and finally remove any remaining moisture with a paper towel.
Apple Cider Vinegar, ACV: Vinegar is an antifungal but it has two problems that need to be managed: It could irritate the skin and it contains a lot of water. Humidity enables fungal growth. Put some vinegar into a small spray bottle. Spray it onto the affected skin area, let it sit for 10min to 15min and afterwards completely dry the skin. You can use a hairdryer to dry the skin quickly.

Vinegar (acetic acid) is a safe acid. It evaporates and it's boiling point is lower than that of water. It evaporates before the water evaporates. This means that the concentration of acetic acid decrease as it dries.
Dust the skin with Turmeric Powder and/or Zinc Oxide Powder: Dust or dab a thin layer of Turmeric powder and/or Zinc oxide powder onto the skin. At first it might look like everything is just falling off but you will notice that a thin layer stays on. The skin should be mostly dry and oil free before dusting it with the powders. Use a paper towel to remove oils and moisture prior to the application.
Capsaicin Tincture: Some stores may sell it under the name "cayenne tincture". Capsaicin is a component of red chili pepper and it is a powerful antifungal. To prepare the tincture yourself you add one teaspoon of red chili powder to about 20ml of 70% ethanol. Use a sealed jar and wait a few days for the capsaicin to extract into the alcohol. Finally decant or filter. The capsaicin tincture causes a warm feeling on the affected skin area but it does not hurt or burn. Apply the tincture and let the alcohol evaporate, finally remove any remaining moisture with a paper towel.

My own observations suggest that capsaicin does not just kill an active funal infection but it is also able to inhibit any fungal spores (spores are some kind of seed for new infections when moisture returns). I have not included it in the step 2 protocol because capsaicin hurts when used on inflamed skin.
Camphor tincture: Very strong antifungal. You can get a tincture of 10% Camphor in ethanol (alcohol) at the pharmacy and dilute this down to 1%. Dilute with alcohol not water.
Chlorine Dioxide solution, ClO₂: Chlorine Dioxide is a gas that dissolves easily in water. As a solution it is a yellow liquid that has strong antifungal properties. To make it safe it needs to be diluted with a lot of water. Water helps the fungus if the skin is wet for longer. Don't let the water sit on the skin for long. Apply the diluted ClO₂ solution, wait 5min and then dry the skin. Properly diluted ClO₂ is very gentile jet effective. The ClO₂ solution for external use is prepared with 4 drops from a standard well water disinfection kit (25% NaClO₂ solution + acid activator, 4 drops each, wait 30sec to react) and diluted with 60ml of water. ClO₂ solution barely penetrates the skin and I observed at the suggested concentration no skin irritation and no side effects at all.
Exposure to natural sunlight, UV: All fungi, including Ringworm, are sensitive to UV light. If possible sit every day for a few minues in the sun with no sunscreen or protection of any kind. Avoid longer exposures that could make you sweat or cause a sunburn.
Iodine or Povidone Iodine tincture: Once the infection is almost gone and the skin is mostly rebuilt you could knock out the remaining fungal residuals with a diluted iodine solution (dilute Iodine tincture to about 1% and Povidone Iodine to 3%-5%). Dilute it with alcohol, avoiding humidity and water.

Natural antifungal protocol: follow-up

The follow-up is done after the skin looks good and feels good. This is to prevent the infection from coming back. The follow-up is applied once a day (e.g before bedtime) or every other day and it's done for a month or longer. Any of the suggestion from the "step 3" could be used here but Povidone Iodine works really well because it is a slow release iodine and it penetrates a little bit into the skin.

Diluted Povidone Iodine tincture: Dilute a 10% Povidone Iodine solution down to 3% using rubbing alcohol. Rubbing alcohol is available at the pharmacy and it's a high percentage alcohol solution (minimum 40%, better 95% ethanol) with a tiny bit of camphor and a bittering agent to make it non drinkable. Add a bit of table salt (NaCl) if the alcohol contains a lot of water (e.g 70% ethanol or less). Salt water inhibits fungal growth.
Camphor tincture: Povidone Iodine causes stains that go away as the Iodine evaporates and of course parts it are absorbed by deeper skin layers. Camphor tincture is a good non-staining antifungal (Do not use Camphor oil. Avoid oils!). You can get a tincture of 10% Camphor in ethanol (alcohol) at the pharmacy and dilute this down to 1%. It can be diluted with rubbing alcohol.

I think it would have been easy to clear the fungal infection if I had realized early on what it was. Using the Calendula cream might have helped the fungus. My biggest mistake was however to use antifungal creams from the pharmacy. After that I had a huge problem at hand. It took over two weeks just to control the cellulitis. It took me in total almost two month to heal completely. The skin needs to renew after a fungal infection and that is never done in just a day but a week seems realistic to me if you know what to do. After the skin has has recovered a follow-up for about a month is needed to prevent the fungus from coming back. Part of the journey was to discover what works. Some of the information compiled here is already out there but well hidden via search engine bias. There are really powerful natural antifungals and we don't have to worry about drug resistant strains. Most natural antifungals have also strong antibacterial activity. I would not have developed the cellulitis complication if I had started with natural antifungals.

The most effective off the shelf solution is "White Tiger Balm". It's easy to get, easy to use and it's very effective. Don't forget the "keep it dry" part of the protocol. You can just get turmeric powder in the spice aisle of your supermarket and start the "keep it dry" protocol.

None of the natural antifungals prevent the regeneration of skin. It's crucial for the healing process that new skin can grow. During the healing process, you may observe dryness and peeling of one or more skin layers, with new skin regenerating from deeper layers. Commercial over-the-counter antifungal creams from pharmacies have not only low antifungal efficacy but the skin becomes also thin and inflamed. This can potentially lead to cellulitis, a serious complication.

Microbes are an important part of us. They are part of our gut and of course the skin. When you have first a resistant fungal infection and then on top of that a potentially life threatening bacterial infection (cellulitis) then you realize how mighty those microbes are. They can not only help you to live, they have also the power to bring you back into the ground.

Note that this article documents my own story and my thoughts on the subject. I am not providing advice of any kind to anybody.

References

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6832927/, Essential Oils and Their Natural Active Compounds Presenting Antifungal Properties
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9643547/, The effectiveness of essential oil from Citrus limon peel on Candida albicans biofilm formation: An experimental in vivo study
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7922942/, Antifungal Properties of Essential Oils and Their Compounds for Application in Skin Fungal Infections: Conventional and Nonconventional Approaches
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7825113/, Antifungal Properties of Camphor and Eucalyptol: Camphor works at concentrations a low as 0.125mg/mL and is less toxic than Eucalyptol.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3763181/, Antifungal Activity of Clove Essential Oil and its Volatile Vapour Against Dermatophytic Fungi
https://patents.google.com/patent/US6063381A/en, Therapeutic uses of pungent botanicals and their related compounds: capsaicin as an antifungal
https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/hot-chillis-evolved-to-kill-fungi/3001975.article, 11 August 2008, Hot chillis evolved to kill fungi
https://www.drmyhill.co.uk/wiki/Chlorine_Dioxide_-_a_useful_antifungal, Dr Myhill, Chlorine Dioxide - a useful antifungal. She is using it internally for systemic fungal infections. I used it externally for a local ringworm infection and this is a significat difference but it shows that ClO₂ is an antifungal. ClO₂ seems to clear out virues, bacteria, fungi and parasites but there are also documented cases of severe side effects after internal use (e.g. kidney failure). Dosage details about those adverse events are unknown.
https://www.cdc.gov/ringworm/hcp/clinician-brief-resistant-infections/index.html, April 24, 2024, CDC message about Emerging Ringworm: "Some strains are antimicrobial-resistant ... Topical antifungals are frequently ineffective", (local PDF copy). It's interesting that this CDC article exists and the pharmacist who sold me the stuff did not mention anything. If you read the whole article then you understand that the CDC is really a sales organization for pharma. They do not say a word about natural antifungals.