Lemongrass Oil for Nail Fungus

In recent years, essential oils from a number of plants have been investigated for their antiseptic qualities - lemongrass oil for nail fungus is one natural remedy that shows considerable promise. Lemongrass oil is the oil extracted from the lemongrass plant, Cymbopogon citrates, the same plant that is often used to impart a lemony flavor to many traditional Asian dishes. The medicinal qualities of lemongrass are not so well known to most of us as the culinary uses but, in fact, this plant has been used for centuries to treat certain ailments: infectious diseases and fevers, as an antiseptic, and as an insect repellent among other things. Today's refined methods for extracting the concentrated oil of lemongrass have made it popular as an ingredient in many different products.

The main therapeutic substance in oil of lemongrass is citral, and producers of natural antifungals include citral for nail fungus in their essential oil blends. Citral is also the component that gives the essence its lemony smell. Like other aromatic herbs such as oregano, thyme, and eucalyptus, lemongrass seems to have a natural ability to fight off organisms that cause infections and diseases - the herbal knowledge of traditional healers is now being confirmed by scientific study. Lemongrass has antiseptic, antibacterial, and antifungal properties that make lemongrass oil for nail fungus an obvious choice.

Lemongrass oil should not be applied to the skin as a concentrated oil because it causes a skin reaction in some people. Thus pure lemongrass oil for nail fungus should be avoided. The oil is often blended with other essential oils such as cedarwood, basil, jasmine, and tea tree oil. Such blends provide some citral for nail fungus treatment without the danger of causing a skin reaction. Even so, it's best to apply preparations for nail fungus only to the nail and avoid skin contact, because nail preparations typically contain higher concentrations of antifungal ingredients than skin preparations do. Other preparations containing oil of lemongrass are specifically blended and marketed for fungal infections involving the skin.

One of the better blends containing citral for nail fungus is one that includes both lemongrass oil and tea tree oil. Tea tree oil is now enjoying widespread use as an antifungal agent for nail fungus infections, and there is considerable scientific evidence as well as anecdotal evidence that it is quite effective. Products such as lemongrass oil for nail fungus, tea tree oil, and various essential oil blends are favored by people who don't want to use prescription drugs, which are not only expensive but also associated with harmful side effects and health risks. It's a good idea, however, to have a nail fungus infection confirmed by a trained medical professional, even if you do favor natural remedies over pharmaceuticals.

Lavender for Nail Fungus

Natural healers often recommend using essential oils from herbs such as thyme, oregano, mint, and even lavender for nail fungus treatment. Lavender (from the scientific genus Lavandula) is not one of the commonest herbs mentioned in this regard, but it is a member of the mint family and scientific studies have shown that it does have some antifungal properties. Aromatic herbs, which must fend off the attacks of fungi and other organisms in nature, seem to produce potent substances that can be extracted or distilled from the plant to produce a concentrated antifungal substance.

Lavandula antifungal properties are perhaps the least well known of the herb's many uses - esthetic, culinary, and medicinal. Lavender has long been used to create a sweet flowery scent in perfumes, bath water, linens, and closets. It is used to flavor teas, potato dishes and other foods. It is known to have a calming effect and has been used in many first aid remedies including medicines for headache, wound dressings, and insect bites, and as a treatment for chronic health problems such as rheumatism, psoriasis and parasitic infections, to name just a few. Lavender has antiparasitic, antibacterial, and antifungal properties, characteristics that explain why herbalists recommend lavender for nail fungus treatment.

The mechanism for lavandula antifungal activity is not well understood, but it may act in similar ways to essential oils from other herbs. Fungi that are actively growing spread by putting out long fine branching stalks called hyphae - most people have seen this type of growth on occasion when mold starts to grow on food items. It has been noted that essential herbal oils seem to eat away at the walls of hyphae, causing them to disintegrate and lose their inner contents. Interestingly, some studies show that a preparation that contains other essential oils as well as lavender for nail fungus may work better than single oils by themselves. For example, lavender oil appears to be synergistic with tea tree oil, meaning that the two mutually increase each other's positive effects.

Fungal nail infections have always been notoriously hard to treat and modern medicine, despite many attempts to find effective antifungals, hasn't been very successful at developing drugs that are both safe and effective. In this respect the potential of herbal oils such as lavandula antifungal extract provide considerable hope for people who don't want to take a systemic drug which may cause unpleasant side effects. Many preparations from alternative medicine vendors today contain special blends of essential oils including lavender for nail fungus, and there is a growing collection of literature confirming that these remedies do work. If you're looking for an alternative to an expensive prescription drug for a nail fungus infection, a natural remedy containing essential oils is worth a try.

Before starting self-treatment with lavender for nail fungus, or any other alternative or home remedy, have your nail infection confirmed by a medical professional: other nail conditions can look similar but will not respond to antifungal remedies.