Athletes Foot

Athlete's Foot

You might not think going barefoot is a healing remedy, but it is. To prevent and treat athlete's foot, doctors often recommend keeping the feet dry by going sockless and wearing open-toed shoes. I have an even better approach: I suggest a barefoot weekend at a salt-water beach.

I personally practice this particular form of therapy as often as possible. In fact, strange as this may sound, I even go barefoot in the jungles of Amazonian Peru. And I manage to stay free of the fungal skin infection known as athlete's foot.

Athlete's foot, medically known as tinea pedis, is a superficial fungal infection. The fungi (any of several species) can infect not only the feet but also other parts of the body in the form of tinea corporis, commonly called ringworm. And when the fungus gets to the groin or thigh, it's called tinea cruris, or jock itch (which women can get even though they don't wear jocks).

Athlete's foot fungus needs moisture and darkness to grow. That's why both conventional doctors and alternative practitioners recommend keeping the feet dry. And of course, your feet are drier if you go around barefoot rather than keeping your toes all trapped and humid in dark, closed shoes.

Green Pharmacy for Athlete's Foot

If my main form of prevention--going barefoot--ever stops working for me and I experience burning, itching and cracking skin between my toes, I'm ready: My Herbal Vineyard in Maryland is loaded with powerful antifungal herbs. Here are the ones I recommend for athlete's foot.

Garlic (Allium sativum). This is my first-choice treatment. It's one of the most widely recommended antifungal antiseptics, and for good reason. Many scientifically rigorous studies show that it's effective in treating athlete's foot and other fungal infections, notably vaginal yeast infections.

A garlic footbath might be malodorous, but it usually relieves itching and burning between the toes. I suggest putting several crushed garlic cloves in a basin with warm water and a little rubbing alcohol.

If this approach doesn't appeal to you, consider the traditional Chinese approach: Crush several cloves of garlic and steep them in olive oil for one to three days. Strain out the plant material and use a cotton ball or clean cloth to apply the garlic oil between your toes once or twice a day.

Some herbalists I respect even suggest taping a sliver of garlic onto bad patches of athlete's foot. This might work better than many of the commercial treatments, but I see a problem here, as walking around with garlic between your toes could raise some eyebrows--and alert some nostrils. You could always try this approach just for the duration of the afternoon ball game on TV, provided you're not expecting any company.

One note of caution: If you try this whole-garlic approach and it seems to irritate your skin, discontinue use and switch back to using either a garlic footbath or garlic oil.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale). According to my database, ginger ranks second among all herbs in the number of antifungal compounds with a total of 23. One compound--caprylic acid--is so potent that a chemist I know suggests taking three capsules a day for all manner of fungal infections. Of course, unless you're a chemist, you probably can't get pure caprylic acid, which is why I recommend using ginger instead. I'm still skeptical of isolated plant chemicals (phytochemicals) taken out of their evolutionary context.

You can prepare a strong decoction by adding an ounce of chopped ginger root to a cup of boiling water. Simmer for 20 minutes and apply it directly to the problem areas twice a day with a cotton ball or clean cloth.

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra). Garlic may be my numero uno treatment for athlete's foot, but ironically, in my database, it is nowhere near the top of the list of herbs containing the largest number of antifungal compounds. That distinction belongs to licorice, which has 25 reportedly fungicidal compounds. (Garlic has only 10, but they are quite potent.)

Licorice's clear antifungal action lends credence to the Chinese practice of using it to treat ringworm. I'd add some chopped licorice sticks to the garlic footbath mentioned above.

You could also simply brew a strong decoction using about five to seven teaspoons of dried herb per cup of water. Bring it to a boil, simmer for 20 minutes, then let it cool. Apply the decoction directly to the affected areas using a cotton ball or clean cloth.

Teatree (Melaleuca, various species). Teatree oil is a powerful antiseptic that's very useful against athlete's foot. Dilute the oil with an equal amount of water or vegetable oil and apply it directly to the affected area three times a day using a cotton ball or clean cloth. Just don't ingest it. Like so many other essential plant oils, small amounts of teatree oil, on the order of a few teaspoons, can be fatal.

Camomile (Matricaria recutita). Camomile oil is also fungicidal. In Europe it's incorporated into many over-the-counter antiseptics. I would suggest using camomile oil in the same way as teatree oil. Or you can mix the two.

If you have hay fever, however, you should use camomile products cautiously. Camomile is a member of the ragweed family, and in some people, it might trigger allergic reactions. The first time you try it, watch your reaction. If it seems to help, go ahead and use it. But if it seems to cause or aggravate itching or irritation, discontinue use.

Echinacea (Echinacea, various species). The immune-stimulating action of this herb is particularly beneficial for treating yeast infections, but I'd also recommend it for athlete's foot. To boost your immune system, you could buy a tincture at a health food store and add the recommended amount to juice three times a day to enhance the effectiveness of the other herbal approaches to athlete's foot. (Although echinacea can cause your tongue to tingle or go numb temporarily, this effect is harmless.)

Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis). This herb contains berberine, a powerful antifungal and antibacterial compound, which makes it an excellent antibiotic. But it's not the only source of berberine. Barberry, goldthread, Oregon grape and yellowroot all contain it, and all have been used traditionally to treat yeast and other fungal infections.

You might buy a goldenseal tincture and follow the package directions. Usually, the guidelines suggest adding it to juice three times a day. If you want to use it externally, you can make a strong decoction with the dried herb. Add five to seven teaspoons to a cup of water, bring it to a boil and let it simmer for 20 minutes. After the liquid cools to a tolerable temperature, use a cotton ball or clean cloth to apply it to the affected area. You'll probably want to repeat the application up to three times a day.

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon, various species). Scientists have demonstrated significant fungicidal activity for lemongrass oil against several common infection-causing fungi.

Enjoy drinking lemongrass tea one to four times a day. And for additional antifungal benefit, use the spent tea bags as compresses directly on the affected area.

Arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea) and other herb powders. Since moisture and darkness help the growth of foot fungus, you're more likely to prevent it if you put some drying powder inside your socks and even your shoes. You can get a number of powders made from the dried leaves, stems or roots of herbs, including arrowroot, comfrey and goldenseal.

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum, various species) and other fungicidal herb teas. While you're applying herbal oils and teas externally, there are also a number of beverage teas made with herbs that have fungicidal properties that could prove helpful. I went into my database and asked it to print a list of all the plants containing more than ten fungicidal chemicals. It didn't take the computer long to come up with 38 species, including cinnamon, fennel, peppermint, dill, tarragon, basil, tea, orange, black currant, sage, thyme, red clover, lemon and spearmint. Just brew them up in any combination that appeals to you for a little antifungal boost to whatever other treatment you happen to be using.

Turmeric (Curcuma longa). Pakistani studies show that oil of turmeric inhibits many common problem fungi, even at very low concentrations. I'd go with commercial oil of turmeric, diluting it with water (one part oil to two parts water) and apply it directly to the affected area using a cotton ball or clean cloth.

Tomato-and-herb sauce. Here's another way to take advantage of some other herbs that have fungicidal properties. Make a tomato sauce and go very heavy on the basil, celery, carrot, dill, fennel, sage and thyme. In one quick meal, you'll get a dish with dozens of fungicides: Just heat it up and pour over pasta. (I almost hesitate to say this, but if you're willing to put up with the mess, you could also spread a bit of this sauce between your toes for a couple of hours. It sounds like that tomato festival in Spain, where everybody gets splattered with tomatoes.)