Quick Fix: Garlic For Athlete’s Foot

July 30, 2015

First things first, athlete’s foot has nothing to do with athletes! It’s a fungal infection of the feet, which is also commonly known as the “ringworm of the feet” or “tinea pedis”.

Tricophyton fungus which infects the skin on the feet causes several grueling symptoms—redness, extreme itching, burning, blisters, cracking and scaly white patches. Athlete’s foot can migrate to other parts of the body, if you were to scratch your infected foot and then touch yourself elsewhere. The most common sites of infection are the scalp, arms, underarms and groin, where the so-called ‘jock itch’ can cause extreme itching and thickening of the skin.

It is more common in men as opposed to women, since men typically tend to wear heavy, airtight shoes and the fungus is known to thrive in hot, moist and damp places.

So if the summer heat is making you more sweaty than usual and you did get your feet dirty with the fungus, why not try garlic to curb the infection?

How Garlic Helps
Touted for its antifungal activity, garlic is one of the most trusted herbal remedies known to treat and prevent everything, from cancer, cholesterol and vaginal infections to wound healing and athlete’s foot. ^[1,2] Ajoene, an organosulfur compound derived from garlic is effective in getting rid of tinea pedis. ^[3] One study shows that the use of ajoene as a 0.4% (w/w) cream results in complete clinical cure of tinea pedis. ^[4]

How To Use It

Crush two to three cloves of garlic and mix it with ½tsbp of olive oil. Dip a cotton ball in this and rub the infected area three to four times a day.
Also, add garlic to your diet to improve your immunity and help your body fight the virus naturally.

For more interesting stories, visit our Health page and read about other Natural Remedies here.

References:

1. Bayan L, Koulivand PH, Gorji A. Garlic: a review of potential therapeutic effects. Avicenna J Phytomed. 2014 Jan;4(1):1-14. Review. PubMed PMID: 25050296;PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4103721.

2. Pazyar N, Feily A. Garlic in dermatology. Dermatol Reports. 2011 Apr 28;3(1):e4. doi: 10.4081/dr.2011.e4. eCollection 2011 Jan 31. Review. PubMed PMID: 25386259; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4211483.

3. Ledezma E, DeSousa L, Jorquera A, Sanchez J, Lander A, Rodriguez E, Jain MK, Apitz-Castro R. Efficacy of ajoene, an organosulphur derived from garlic, in the short-term therapy of tinea pedis. Mycoses. 1996 Sep-Oct;39(9-10):393-5. PubMed PMID: 9009665.

4. Ledezma E, Marcano K, Jorquera A, De Sousa L, Padilla M, Pulgar M, Apitz-Castro R. Efficacy of ajoene in the treatment of tinea pedis: a double-blind and comparative study with terbinafine. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2000 Nov;43(5 Pt 1):829-32. PubMed PMID: 11050588.