!44: Vicks Vapo Top Quality: January 2012

!±8± Nail Fungus and Tea

Nail fungus and tea sounds like an odd combination, but for some people, the two do go together. A tea made from the inner bark of a South American tree may have antifungal properties that will help cure onychomycosis, the ugly fungal nail infection that many people suffer from.

The tree is the Red-purple Lapacho tree, also known as the Pau D'Arco or Taheebo Tree. It has been used in indigenous healing practices for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. It's now being investigated for its possible applications in various medical conditions. Its healing properties may go far beyond nail fungus and tea is an easy medicine to take: the Lapacho Tree is rumored to work as a painkiller, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, antibiotic, antiviral, even a cancer treatment.

Pau D'Arco tea may be helpful both internally and as a solution that an infected hand or foot could be soaked in, though it's use in either capacity does not seem to be widespread - at least, not yet. It is consumed as a drink for most medicinal applications, and is particularly recommended as a treatment for vaginal yeast infections. It might be helpful as a remedy for yeast infections of the nail as well. Such yeast infections generally require a different treatment approach from nail fungus - tea from the Lapacho Tree might work better for the yeast when taken internally. Of course, it could not hurt to both drink the tea and soak in it.

We don't know anything for certain about the nail fungus and tea remedy, but if the tree is being studied, we may learn something before long. Meanwhile, another tea and onychomycosis connection is well established with a tree from Australia, the Tea Tree. In this case, the anecdotal evidence supporting this natural remedy is much clearer. Tea Tree oil is used as a topical treatment for onychomycosis, and it is already so popular that natural remedy suppliers are bottling the oil, and blending it with other essential oils and healing herbs for that very purpose. This tree, like the Lapacho Tree is being actively studied for the medicinal benefits it may provide. It, too, appears to have antibiotic, antiviral, and antifungal properties.

Both of these nail fungus and tea remedies suffer from mixed reports: they don't always work. Some people report good results after using these and other natural remedies, while others get no results at all. This isn't surprising though - it also frequently happens with FDA-approved, clinically tested drugs. They just don't work for everybody.