Fungal infections often occur on the skin or in the vagina. Several herbs have antifungal properties that might help treat yeast infections and other ailments related to invasive fungi. Consult your doctor before taking any antifungal herbs to discuss the proper use and potential health risks.
Herbs
To help treat a fungal infection, consider the essential oils of herbs, such as the oil from tea tree, oregano, peppermint, eucalyptus and sunflower, according to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Other herbs, such as sosa, snakeroot, cinnamon, propolis and echinacea juice might also help fight fungal infections. Pomegranate gel, garlic and pau d'arco bark have shown some antifungal actions, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. No widely accepted medical research supports the use of any herbal remedy to treat fungal infections, however.
Uses
You can use these herbs to try to combat fungal infections such as ringworm or tinea, which includes athlete's foot, jock itch and scalp ringworm. You could also use antifungal herbs to help treat genital yeast infections, yeast hypersensitivity syndrome and oral thrush. Common yeast infections and oral thrush is caused by the Candida albicans fungus, which naturally resides in your stomach, mouth and vagina, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Overgrowth of this fungus can cause infections in these areas, as well as in your skin and urinary tract.
Application & Dosages
You can use certain herbs topically and take others by mouth to help treat fungal infections. Sosa, propolis, pomegranate gel and most essential oils, such as those from cinnamon, tea tree, peppermint, oregano, sunflower and eucalyptus, can be applied topically. To help treat yeast infections, you might take one clove of garlic daily, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Also, you can take 2 to 4mL of echinacea juice daily or use a tea of pau d'arco bark as a douche. You can make the tea by boiling 2 tbsp. of pau d'arco in 1 quart of water. Ask your doctor about the correct application and dosage of antifungal herbs before taking any remedy.
Scientific Evidence
Tea tree oil applied in a 25 percent or 50 percent solution was more effective than a placebo at getting rid of athlete's foot fungal infections, according to a double-blind clinical trial published in Australia's Journal of Dermatology in 2002. Another double-blind study reported in the Journal of Family Practice in 1994 determined that 100 percent tea tree oil was equally effective as topical clotrimazole at treating toenail fungal infections, according to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Published in Mycoses in 1996 and the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology in 2000, two preliminary studies reported that ajoene cream derived from garlic could treat athlete's foot fungal infections. Cinnamon oil applied topically treated oral thrush in AIDS patients, according to a preliminary study in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine in 1996. And another 2005 preliminary study reported in Phytotherapy Research found that applying bee propolis cured oral thrush. A study in Mycoses in 2003 discovered that using pomegranate gel fought candidosis fungal infections. However, most other studies of antifungal herbs, particularly essential oils, have been conducted only in test tubes and not in humans.
Dangers
Most essential oils such as tea tree can be toxic if you ingest it in high doses, warns the University of Maryland Medical Center. You shouldn't take any herbal remedy orally if it's meant to be used topically. Oral antifungal herbs can produce negative side effects and interact with certain medications. Talk with your health care provider about these health risks before using any herbal antifungal treatment.
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