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tinea pedis
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You can use tea tree oil as a topical application for fungus infections and athletes foot, or tinea pedis. Most references on the subject suggest 3 or more times a day applying pure tea tree oil to the infected area.
Synergystic Herbs
There are a variety of herbs that can be used in combination with Tea Tree Oil, some can be used internally while others boost the effectiveness of the essential oil. A few work both internally and externally.
Garlic is the easiest to come by and first on the list for anyone fighting any sort of fungal infection, even tinea pedis. Famous for it's folkloric use to ward off Vampires, it may ward off more common and serious threats to our health.
Ginger In our house this is a favorite for lots of common problems. Whenever we travel we carry crystallized or candied ginger to calm motion sickness, my wife ate lots of it during morning sickness, and whenever we have had a cold bug or flu, ginger tea warms the chilled body and soothes a sore throat. more than that, it has a host of antifungal compounds.
Chamomile A cup of Chamomile tea smells like an entire field of Springtime! Common in Europe in antiseptic preparations, and available here in the US as a cream or gel in some health food stores, this herb has been used nutritionally to support the bodies ability to relieve muscle spasms, as well as containing numerous antifungals.
Licorice That black colored candy originally got it's flavoring from this root, and it has been used for thousands of years all over the world to fight infections.
Licorice is also a favorite nutritional among the Chinese for ringworm infections.
Goldenseal, Barberry, and Oregon Grape All three of these plants have a strong antifungal compound called berberine.
Goldenseal, a largely American herb, is rapidly disappearing from the wild, mostly because of over harvesting, poor management, and a slow growth habit.
There is a move in the herbal industry to limit the wild-crafting of this herb, and a push to produce it on large scale farms. Because it is so slow in it's growth, it is not an easy proposition. Fortunately there are a few alternatives, one of which is extremely common.
Oregon Grape has many of the same active compounds of Goldenseal, and is a common plant throughout much of the northwest. In fact, this plant grows wild all over my yard, and covers large portions of the woods surrounding our home.
Bayberry also has this same active component, and has been used to make jam and flavor middle eastern sweet and sour sauces. It's name is also most like the name of the active constituent, berberine.
for your fungus infection?
Another fungus found on both hands and feet is toenail fungus. Both have shown some improvement in clinical studies of pure tea tree oil.
You can take some precautions to avoid the Tinea Pedis fungus, like wearing some sort of flip flop or shower sandals in public facilities.
Make sure you keep your feet dry as possible. There is some evidence that wearing sandals open toed shoes in warm or dry weather may help, because it reduces the moisture especially between your toes.
Finally, wear socks for athletes foot prevention that will wick away moisture from your feet. A good pair of cotton socks is the most commonly suggested. Keep a fresh pair available when you go to the gym or pool.
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So, what about home remedies and tea tree oil ?
A comparison study of two topical preparations on toenail fungus was conducted. What was found was that traditional medicine and tea tree oil had roughly the same outcome. The traditional method uses an oral and topical treatment, the tea tree oil was applied in the form of 100% tea tree oil.The study points out that recurrence of toenail fungus is common, and that in traditional therapies the cure rate can be anywhere from 4% to 92% depending on the drugs and topical treatments used. Anywhere from one half to two thirds of the patients is both groups showed improvement.
One of the problems with topical treatments and nail disease is that there may be an underlying cause that is not addressed by the over-the-counter preparations or tea tree oil.
As with any medical concern, it's wise to seek the counsel of a competent professional like your physician for help with infections like tinea pedis.
The information given here is not intended as a diagnosis or treatment, but merely as "food for thought". As such, if you want to try this as a home remedy, look at the study above. They used pure tea tree oil for the toenail fungus, so find the best possible Tea Tree oil.
find out how tea tree oil can be used on dry skin
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Organic Tea Tree oil, harder to find, and more costly because it is produced in more labor intensive and lower yield plantations, can be used the same way as other fine quality tea tree oil.
Growing up in Laguna Beach, the hippies used to always say "Don't Panic, It's Organic". Great advice in a world full of GMO's (genetically modified organisms)
A product cannot carry the organic seal unless it's certified GMO free.
You can buy Organic Tea Tree Oil here, or search for your favorite brand on Amazon.Com
I highly recommend the products from Natures Sunshine Products, and that's part of the reason I am an independent distributor of their products.
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Thank you in advance for any purchases you make, or for becoming a Natures Sunshine Distributor yourself (you save up to 40% on purchases as a distributor)
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