Are you suffering from a bacterial or fungal wound or blemish? Got bug bites or some other embarrassing skin condition? Then let me show you how to make a natural topical antifungal and antimicrobial remedy for your ailment. It’s a simple salve that is easy to make and highly effective in all sorts of conditions.

Call it a salve, lotion, ointment, or cream; I call it awesome. What I am about to show you contains natural ingredients and promotes rapid healing of numerous skin conditions. I have used it for years with great success as a topical antifungal, antibacterial, and general moisturizing solution.

And yes… it’s powerful. But it’s also gentle enough to use on sensitive areas. It can soothe and heal an area of the body that is excessively dry, irritated, burned, or wounded. I have even used it on my lips – though I can tell you that it doesn’t taste very good.

Before I get into the recipe, let me first tell you about the ingredients and why they were chosen.

What’s In It?

Coconut Oil – a safe and powerful moisturizer that helps to deeply strengthen skin tissue and eliminate dead skin cells while absorbing quickly into your skin. Not only that, but it can decrease staphylococcal colonization on the skin. It delays the onset of wrinkles because it contains the antioxidant Vitamin E. It also soothes eczema, sunburns, and psoriasis and can even treat bug bites. What I love about it, though, is that it antiviral and antifungal; coconut oil contains three fatty acids: capric acid, lauric acid, and caprylic acid. Each of these acids kills candida, a common cause of fungal infection on your skin.

Grapeseed Oil – rich in beta-carotene, vitamins D, C, and E, and fatty acids (such as palmitic, stearic, and linoleic acid), grapeseed helps lock in moisture and is known to treat acne, tighten skin, diminish dark spots, reduce scarring, restore collagen, and fight aging. Basically, it helps to speed up healing.

Tea Tree Oil – an antiseptic that treats minor wounds, encourages healing and prevents infection. Numerous studies show that Tea Tree Oil works just as well as benzoyl peroxide and over-the-counter antifungal creams, relieving burning, itching, inflammation, and scaling. It can treat ringworm and athlete’s foot, soften corns, heal cuts and scrapes, stop the itching of insect bites and chickenpox, treat warts, treat acne, and even relieve minor cases of psoriasis. In fact, according to Web-MD, laboratory studies have shown that tea tree oil was effective against MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), a type of staph infection that’s resistant to many antibiotics. Have cracked and ragged cuticles? It can treat that as well.

Lavender Oil – powerful antiseptic properties that help to heal burns and wounds, treat insect bites, restore skin complexion and reduce acne. Lavender has also been shown to slow aging, and improve eczema and psoriasis conditions. In one study conducted by the Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC, it was found that lavender oil was one of the few potent essential oils that can inhibit the growth of skin bacteria. All of that, and it smells pretty too.

Clove Oil – has powerful antimicrobial, antifungal (due to its high eugenol content), antiseptic and antiviral properties. It’s great for treating acne and killing parasites – including mites. It’s also a natural anti-inflammatory that kills mold and fungus.

As you can see, each component can play a great role in healing. It is a multipurpose healing salve that can be used on cuts, scrapes, minor burns, muscle strains, insect bites, rashes, acne, dry, itchy skin, and much more. The best part of it is that it’s easy to use and easy to make.

How to Make It

Yield = (1) 8oz jar or (4) 2 oz. tins

Ingredients:

(products I use provided in the links but you can use similar products of your choosing)

• ¼ cup beeswax
• ½ cup coconut oil
• ¼ cup grapeseed oil
• ½ tsp. tea tree oil
• ½ tsp. lavender oil
• 20 drops of clove oil

Direction:

1. In a double boiler (or makeshift one) combine the beeswax, coconut oil, and grapeseed oil.
2. Heat until everything is melted together, and then let them sit over the heat for 20 minutes.
3. Then remove the double boiler from the heat.
4. Mix in the tea tree, lavender, and clove oils (mix well).
5. Pour into your container(s) to cool.
6. Once cool, you will want to store them in a dark cool area for maximum shelf life.

How to Use

To Use: Gently cleanse, disinfect, and pat dry the affected area and then apply a thin layer of the salve. Do this twice a day until three days after the wound is healed or the infection is gone.

Special Note:

If you happen to be dealing with a fungal infection, it may be best to avoid all sweets, including hidden sweeteners in processed foods, such as soups, all fruit, and fruit juice.

If you are having terrible fungal issues, step it up and avoid grains such as prepared flake cereals and sprouted grain cereals such as amaranth, buckwheat, corn, millet, rice, rye, spelt, and wheat. Avoid granola, pearl barley, instant oats, cornmeal, all pasta, cakes, pastries, cookies, doughnuts, or other processed baked food containing sugar. Avoid beans and peas with sweeteners, bean sprouts, tempeh, tofu, and textured vegetable protein. Avoid nuts & seeds, peanuts, pistachios, walnuts, dairy products (except for natural yogurt and kefir), buttermilk, soymilk (sweetened), all kinds of cheeses, cottage cheese, milk, sour cream, and sweetened yogurt. Avoid dried fruit, alcohol, cereal beverages, coffee – both regular and decaffeinated, fruit juices, and soft drinks – including diet soft drinks. Avoid processed tea drinks such as lemon tea, all fruit teas, and black tea. No Condiments.

Eat plenty of free-range organic meats, eggs, beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, green pepper, kale, lettuce, onion, radishes, parsley, peas, rocket or arugula, spinach, tomatoes, and plain natural yogurt or kefir.

Warning: Salve is for external use only. When using, do not get into the eyes. Stop use and ask a doctor if the condition worsens; symptoms last more than seven days or clear up and occur again within a few days. Do not use it on deep or puncture wounds, animal bites, or serious burns. Keep out of the reach of children. If swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center immediately. Natural does not always mean “safer.” This natural homemade topical antifungal and antibacterial salve may not be everyone’s solution as there may be underlying conditions that have yet to be identified or addressed; consult a physician if you have questions or concerns.

NOTE: topical antibacterial and topical antifungal medicines are not the same things. A topical antifungal medication is a fungicide used to treat and prevent mycoses such as athlete’s foot, ringworm, candidiasis (thrush), serious systemic infections such as cryptococcal meningitis, and others. While this remedy will likely work for both, it is best to determine if a topical antifungal and/or antibacterial would be appropriate for your condition before use. Also, know your allergies. Your condition may be caused by one or maybe exacerbated by the use of this salve.

Dr. Robertson is a health researcher and educator, not a physician. The information provided here is not medical advice, a professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment, or service to you or any other individual. The information provided is for educational and anecdotal purposes only and is not a substitute for medical or professional care. You should not use the information in place of a visit, call consultation, or the advice of your physician or other healthcare providers. Dr. Robertson is not liable or responsible for any advice, course of treatment, diagnosis, or additional information, services, or product you obtain or utilize. IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY, YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CALL 911 OR YOUR PHYSICIAN.