Managing Digestive Disorders
About Me
Managing Digestive Disorders

My name is Lilith Maclin and if you suffer from a digestive disorder, you can find a wealth of information about this type of medical condition in my blog. Three years ago, my husband was having severe stomach cramps and his doctor told him that he had a digestive disorder called ulcerative colitis. After my husband was diagnosed, I did thorough research to learn how to control and manage this disorder. We kept track of everything that my husband ate and when a certain food caused a flare-up of his condition, he eliminated that food from his diet. By learning all we could about this digestive disorder, my husband has been able to live pain free. If you want more information about this disorder and how to manage it, you can find it here by reading my blog.

Managing Digestive Disorders

3 Things Onychomycosis Sufferers Need To Know About Snakeroot Extract

Louella Davidson

Onychomycosis is a fungal infection that can affect both the toenails and the fingernails. This infection can make the affected nails thick, dark and dull; in addition to the cosmetic problems, nails that are affected by this infection can be painful, which can make activities like walking or using your hands difficult. Many treatments are available, including alternative remedies like snakeroot extract. Here are three things onychomycosis sufferers need to know about snakeroot extract.

What is snakeroot extract?

Snakeroot extract comes from plants in the Ageratina genus of perennials. These plants are in the same family as sunflowers. Many types of these plants are native to Mexico, and extracts from the plants have been traditionally used in Mexico to treat fungal infections. It's now known that this extract contains encecalin, an antifungal agent.

How do you use snakeroot extract?

Snakeroot extract is painted onto your affected nails like nail polish. American Family Physician suggests using it every third day for one month, then reducing the schedule to twice a week in the second month and only once a week in the third month. Your podiatrist may recommend a different treatment schedule after evaluating the severity of your nail fungus.

Before you start using this treatment, your podiatrist may want to trim and debride your nails. Trimming the nails and removing some of the infected tissue helps the extract reach deeper layers of your infected nails. Trimming and debriding the nails can also make them look better, which may be important if the look of your nails is making you feel very self conscious.

How well does snakeroot extract work?

A Mexican study examined the effectiveness of snakeroot extract in comparison to ciclopirox, a standard antifungal agent used to treat onychomycosis. Forty nine patients were treated with a nail laquer that contained snakeroot extract, while forty seven patients were treated with a typical ciclopirox nail lacquer. These nail lacquers were used for a period of six months.

At the end of the treatment period, 71.1% of the snakeroot extract group had responded to the treatment, while 59.1% were cured of the infection. In comparison, 80.9% of the ciclopirox group responded to treatment, while 68.3% were cured. This shows that while snakeroot extract is less effective than ciclopirox, it still works well for many people. If ciclopirox hasn't worked for you, or if you're not able to take it, your podiatrist may recommend using snakeroot extract, instead.

For more information, contact Foot & Ankle Care Center PA or a similar location.


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