Why Does My Dog Eat Toilet Paper?

Are There Any Home Remedies For Ringworm?

Topical home remedies for ringworm — which a person applies to the skin — include garlic, apple cider vinegar, and turmeric. People who work with others should seek medical advice as soon as possible to prevent transmission.

Ringworm is a very common fungal infection that is not, despite its name, caused by a worm. It is caused by the fungus Tinea, which is highly contagious. Anyone can get ringworm, although some people are more susceptible than others, such as those with compromised immunity and young children.

Symptoms of ringworm include a red, scaly, circular patch on the skin or nails. It usually affects the scalp and arms, but it can appear on any part of the body. Jock itch and athlete's foot are common forms of ringworm.

While many medications are available to treat this fungal infection, natural treatments can also be effective.

Read on to discover 11 natural treatments for fungal infections, such as ringworm:

1. Garlic

Garlic is often used to treat infection. Although there are no studies that examine the effects of garlic on ringworm, it has proven effective for other types of fungi, including Candida, Torulopsis, Trichophyton, and Cryptococcus.

To use garlic as a treatment, make a paste of crushed garlic cloves by blending the garlic with some olive or coconut oil. Apply a thin layer of paste to the affected skin and cover with gauze. Leave in place for up to 2 hours before rinsing. Repeat twice daily until symptoms resolve.

If the garlic paste causes stinging, swelling, or redness, rinse off immediately and do not reapply.

2. Soapy water

To prevent ringworm from spreading or infecting other areas of the body, keep the skin as clean as possible. To do this, rinse the infection with soap and warm water once or twice daily. Be sure to dry the skin fully, as fungus thrives in moist areas.

Always clean the skin in this way before using any of the other home remedies listed below. Before using any of the following substances on the ringworm patches, a person should apply a small amount to a healthy area of skin to ensure they do not have a sensitivity or allergy to the treatment.

3. Apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar has demonstrated antifungal properties against Candida, another fungal infection.

To treat ringworm with apple cider vinegar, soak a cotton wool pad in the undiluted vinegar and wipe it on the affected area. Repeat up to 3 times daily.

4. Aloe vera

Aloe vera contains six antiseptic agents that, according to research, exhibit antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral activities.

Apply the gel from an aloe vera plant onto the ringworm patch three or four times daily. The gel also has cooling properties, so it may soothe itchy and swollen skin.

5. Coconut oil

Certain fatty acids found in coconut oil may kill fungal cells by damaging their cell membranes.

Some research suggests that coconut oil may be an effective remedy for people with mild to moderate skin infections. Use it to treat ringworm by applying liquid coconut oil to the skin three times per day.

Also, people can use coconut oil as a moisturizing lotion, which may be an effective way to prevent future ringworm infections.

6. Grapefruit seed extract

Anecdotal evidence suggests that grapefruit seed extract may treat fungal infections. To treat ringworm, proponents recommend mixing 1 drop of grapefruit seed extract with a tablespoon of water and applying to the skin twice daily.

7. Turmeric

Turmeric is a popular spice with anti-inflammatory properties. A part of turmeric known as curcumin is believed to be responsible for the spice's health benefits. Numerous studies detail its extensive antimicrobial abilities.

Consume turmeric as a tea or add it to meals to reap its benefits. For topical applications, mix it with a small amount of water or coconut oil until it forms a paste and apply this to the skin. Leave it to dry before wiping off.

Be aware that turmeric may stain lighter skin a yellow color, but this will fade within a few days.

8. Powdered licorice

A frequently used herb in traditional Chinese medicine, licorice demonstrates antiviral, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties.

It is also used as a home remedy for ringworm and other fungal infections. For best results, mix 3 tablespoons of powdered licorice root into a cup of water.

Bring this mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Once the liquid has cooled, it should form a paste.

Apply this to the ringworm patch twice a day, allowing it to sit for at least 10 minutes each time before wiping or rinsing off.

9. Tea tree oil

Native Australians have used tea tree oil as a remedy for many bacterial and fungal skin conditions for almost a century. Today, tea tree oil is both popular and effective in treating ringworm.

Make a 2 percent dilution of tea tree oil by mixing 12 drops of the essential oil with 1 ounce of a cold-pressed carrier oil, such as coconut oil. Apply this to the skin three times daily.

Those who do not have sensitive skin may be able to apply the tea tree oil directly to the affected skin without diluting it first.

10. Oil of oregano

Oil of oregano that is made from wild oregano (Origanum vulgare) contains two strong antifungals called thymol and carvacrol.

Some research has shown that oil of oregano can stop the growth of the fungus Candida albicans. Always dilute oil of oregano with a carrier oil before use. Apply the oil to the affected area up to three times daily.

Note that the majority of oil of oregano on the market contains common oregano (Origanum marjoram) rather than wild oregano.

11. Lemongrass oil

Lemongrass essential oil has been shown to reduce the activity of several types of fungus. To use lemongrass oil for ringworm, mix it with a carrier oil, and apply it to the skin twice daily with a cotton ball.

CDC: Highly Contagious, Drug-Resistant Ringworm Reported In U.S. For First Time

Trichophyton indotineae, a highly contagious and drug-resistant fungus that can cause ringworm, has ... [+] already been spreading widely in South Asia. Pictured here is a rash from a ring worm infection, otherwise known as dermatophytosis or tinea. (Photo: Getty)

getty

There's a big difference between someone giving you a ring and someone giving you highly contagious, drug-resistant ringworm. While the former may already be quite common in the U.S., the latter had never really been reported in this country. That is until the May 12, 2023, issue of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) reported not just one but two cases of ringworm caused by Trichophyton indotineae. These were first ever reported cases in the U.S. Of this highly contagious and drug-resistant fungus that's been causing a not-so-fun epidemic in South Asia.

That's obviously not great news. While you may congratulate someone who gets a ring, the same typically shouldn't be said to someone who gets ringworm. That's especially true when the ringworm is drug-resistant, which makes such an infection even harder to treat. And a fungal infection that's harder to treat is certainly no treat at all.

Public health officials heard of these two cases from a New York City dermatologist on February 28, 2023, which happened to be National Inconvenience Yourself Day. One of the patients, a 28-year-old woman who had no history of recent international travel, had first noticed very itchy rashes on different parts of her body back in the Summer of 2021 and then eventually saw a dermatologist in December 2021. By that time she was in her third trimester of pregnancy and had developed large, round, scaly, very itchy rashes on her neck, abdomen, pubic region, and buttocks. After oral terbinafine treatment didn't do a whole lot, doctors started her on itraconazole, which eventually helped get rid of her rashes.

The second patient, a 47-year-old woman unrelated to the first patient, had a somewhat similar history. The main difference is that while the first patient hadn't had any recent international travel, this second patient was in Bangladesh when she first noticed a widespread, itchy rash. Other family members in Bangladesh had suffered from similar rashes as well. This second patient then returned to the U.S. Where she made the "rash" decision of going to the emergency department three times during the Autumn 2022. All the treatments that she'd received— including various topical antifungal and steroid creams such as hydrocortisone 2.5% ointment and diphenhydramine, clotrimazole cream, and terbinafine cream—did not relieve her symptoms. Eventually, she saw a dermatologist in December 2022. The dermatologist's first prescribed treatment, a four-week course of oral terbinafine, didn't help much. Finally, a four-week course of griseofulvin did lead to approximately 80% improvement in her symptoms. As of the writing of the CDC MMWR, doctors were still considering treatment with itraconazole, given that testing had eventually confirmed T. Indotineae as the culprit.

If you haven't figured it out yet, having ringworm is not fun, assuming that your idea of fun isn't having red, itchy, ring-shaped rashes on different parts of your body. The "ring" in the "ringworm" name comes from these ring-shape lesions. When ringworm affects parts of your body that have hair, you can suffer hair loss. Such body parts include your scalp and those that rhyme with the words "botch" and "benitals."

The "worm" in the "ringworm" name doesn't ting completely true, though. It's actually different types of fungus that can cause ringworm rather than some kind of worm. There are many other names for ringworm because things that suck tend to have many names. For example, dermatophytosis and tinea are two general names for ringworm. When it affects the main trunk of your body, it can be called tinea corporis. When it affects your scalp, it can be called tinea capitis. When it affects your feet, it can be called athlete's foot or tinea pedis. When it affects your crotch, it can be called tinea cruris or jock itch or my-crotch-is-really-itchy.

Pictured here is ringworm affecting the forehead. (Photo By BSIP/UIG Via Getty Images)

Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Various types of fungi can cause ringworm, with T. Indotineae being one of them. The CDC MMWR called T. Indotineae a novel dermatophyte species. In this case, novel means "new" and not a book like 50 Shades of Grey. As mentioned earlier, there's been an epidemic of T. Indotineae. The misuse and overuse of topical antifungal medications and corticosteroids have probably driven the spread of this drug-resistant not-so-fun fungus. While T. Indotineae infections had already been reported in Asia, Europe, and Canada, the U.S. Hadn't joined the fun until these two cases. Plus, since the first patient had no history of recent international travel, she may have gotten it from someone else in the U.S., which would mean that T. Indotineae has already been spreading in this country.

You can catch ringworm by direct contact with someone with ringworm. So don't share things like shirts, pants, skirts, sweater vests, hats, underwear, towels, combs, and jock straps with someone who is already infected. In fact, it's a bad idea to share jockstraps, underwear, or sweater vests whether or not the other person has ringworm. Getting your own jockstraps and underwear is a worthwhile investment, and no one should be wearing sweater vests anymore.

You can also get the infection from other animals that have ringworm. So don't share shirts, pants, skirts, sweater vests, hats, towels, combs, and jock straps with dogs, cats, cows, goats, pigs, and horses either when they are infected.

A third source of ringworm infections is the environment. You can find such fungi on various surfaces, especially when they are damp. Therefore, don't walk barefoot or slide crotch-first on the floors of locker rooms or public showers.

The CDC also recommends additional measure to take to prevent ringworm. This includes keeping your skin clean and dry, wearing shoes keep your feet well-ventilated, and keeping your fingernails and toenails short and clean. You should also wear clean clothes. The CDC recommends changing your socks and underwear at least once a day. This can help you prevent fungal infections and get you more dates.

Steroid creams can actually make ringworm even worse by weakening your skin and its defenses, ... [+] allowing the fungus to spread more widely and deeper in your skin. (Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Speaking of dates, if you tend to cover yourself with steroid creams before dates, be careful. Rubbing steroid creams on anything that itches or is red can be very problematic if that itchy, reddish thing happens to be ringworm, regardless of whether it is drug-resistant. Steroid creams can actually make ringworm even worse. That's because steroid creams can weaken your skin and its defenses, allowing the fungus to spread more widely and deeper in your skin. It can also give ringworm a more unusual appearance, which is less red and less scaly. This co-called tinea incognito appearance can make ringworm harder to diagnose and be mistaken for other conditions such as atopic dermatitis otherwise known as eczema. So avoid the 'roids when its ringworm.

It is important to ring the alarms about the continued overuse of various steroid and antifungal creams. This includes telling doctors to stop prescribing such creams for anything that happens to be red and itchy. And since many such creams are already widely available over-the-counter, it means warning the public as well. In other words, "it rubs the lotion (or the cream) on its skin" shouldn't always be the solution when you've got some kind of skin issue.

Truth About Ringworm

It causes athlete's foot and the same fungus causes jock itch.

and it can occur almost in coin shape patches although sometimes it can spread.... On the scalp, they start losing hair actually, because there's so much inflammation going on so you can see some areas where the hair has dropped out, you can see these black dots... On the feet, it's very, very scaly, sometimes pretty red and definitely a lot of patients complain about it being itchy. It likes to stay in the toe webs so like between the third and fourth toes are very common place for it and because it gets sweaty in that area, it's no longer like the flaky scale, like it's really macerated so it's white and wet... And very often actually people who get recurrent problems with their feet, it's because the fungus has set up shop in the nails. And so you get very thickened yellow, very crumbly brittle-looking nails and that becomes a reservoir actually for the fungus.

that they don't break very easily um, or they chose not to. So for instance, the athlete is not going to quit sports you know...Just because, and they're not going to seek out their own shower stall....

For those two scenarios, an oral medication is best. There are many over-the-counter products that people can get their hands on very easily. But if it turns out that the rash is particularly stubborn, then I probably would seek the care of you know, a physician or some sort of a healthcare provider you know, fairly soon and not go too far...

---