- Essential Oils as Tinea or Ringworm Treatment - J Durham, Morguefile
For those suffering from ringworm, it can be an itchy and unpleasant experience. The fungal infection that causes ringworm or tinea is characerized by round, ring-shaped rash on the skin and is usually treated with antifungal medication, but there are natural treatments for this skin condition as well. Antifungal essential oils are an effective natural tinea treatment.
What is Ringworm?
Despite its name, this unsightly skin disorder has nothing at all to do with worms: it is a fungal infection that often shows up as "rings" on the skin. Ringworm symptoms include red rashes that may occur in rings or circular shapes on the scalp, neck, face, body, groin, hands, and feet (commonly known as Athlete's foot).
The medical name for ringworm is "tinea," though the fungal infection also takes its name from the part of the body where it occurs: e.g. tinea capitis (on the head or scalp), tinea corporis (body), or tinea pedis (on the foot).
When it occurs on larger areas of the body, tinea corporis will usually have the distinctive "rings" that characterize this fungal infection. The inner rings are often dry and scaly, while the outer ring may be red and inflamed, showing an active area that is growing outward.
Ringworm is highly contagious; the skin fungal infection may be passed to humans from dogs and cats as well as from clothing or showers used by infected people.
Natural Ringworm or Tinea Treatment with Aromatherapy
It is possible to cure ringworm with medical treatment, but the kinds of topical and ingested drugs used as antifungal agents can have toxic side effects – and don’t always work. Essential oils are one of the preferred tools that holistic experts use to treat fungal infections, since they have powerful antifungal properties and are amazingly effective at healing skin conditions of all kinds.
Essential oils are plant extracts that distill all the healing liquids of the plant into a concentrated, aromatic form. The delicate molecules of essential oils are famous for their ability to kill viruses and fungi, heal wounds and restore health by providing oxygen and nutrients directly to the cells.
Choosing Essential Oils to Treat Ringworm
Several essential oils can be helpful as a treatment for ringworm. The best approach is usually to dilute the essential oil 50:50 with a base oil like extra virgin olive oil or jojoba, then apply this mixture directly on the fungal infection. (Safety note: Only therapeutic grade essential oils are safe to use directly on the skin. Please read The Real Quality of Essential Oils for safety information.)
The best antifungal oils to use as treatment for ringworm include:
- Tea tree
- Lemongrass
- Oregano
- Lavender
- Patchouli or patchouly
- Niaouli
For a list of recommended base oils, read Beautiful Skin from the Outside In for information on fatty oils that can be used to dilute antifungal essential oils.
Reference
Essential Science Publishing (compiled by), Essential Oils Desk Reference, 2nd Edition. USA, Essential Science Publishing, 2001.
Stoppler, Melissa Conrad, "Ringworm (Tinea)," Medicine.net, 2009.
Victoria Anisman-Reiner - Victoria Anisman-Reiner is a freelance writer with extensive experience in holistic health care and animal training.
