Home remedies for thrush ( candida ) . There are many kinds of thrush and it is often a yeast infection, mainly caused by Candida yeast. One of the most common of these thrush is the oral thrush, in which a white thick coating develops on the tongue. Even after using a tongue cleaner, it can reappear within a few days. It feels embarrassing to have oral thrush and it may also cause foul smell.
What is thrush ?
Thrush is technically called oral candidiases. It is an infection of the fungus called candida. It can also occur in the reproductive organs, especially in women.
Oral thrush is a stubborn issue. It can happen to men, women, kids and even toddlers.
Thrush symptoms
- A thick white coating on the tongue.
- The coating comes off by scraping with a tongue cleaner. But, it reappears, sometimes as fast as next morning.
- It can be the cause of a foul smelling from the mouth.
- The coating creates a sensation of unease in the mouth.
- You may feel more thirsty and drinking water may only pacify for some time.
( Photo Courtesy: pulmonary_pathology)
Home remedies for oral thrush
The aim of using home remedies is to get rid of the thick white coating on the tongue, and all other symptoms of oral thrush.
1. Coconut Oil ( look no further ! )
This is the finest home remedy for all kinds of thrush. It is the best killer of candida fungus, that is why it really ends the infection from the inside.
There are various ways to use coconut oil for this effect.
- Oil pulling - Perform oil pulling using coconut oil. The procedure involves using 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and swishing your mouth 2-3 times. Then spit out the oil. Try not to drink some water for some minutes. This allows coconut to penetrate deep into the tongue. It then forms a protective oil coat on the tongue which starts to kill all candida fungi.
- Oil Rub - Take a cotton ball. Saturate it in coconut oil, that is dip it nicely. Now, stick your tongue out. Take the cotton ball and rub the white coating outwards. It might take a few cotton balls to scrape it out nicely.
- Drink coconut oil - Get extra virgin coconut oil and drink about 15 ml of this oil 1 - 2 times a day. This coconut oil starts killing candida in the gut. It takes time for coconut oil to work. But, if you keep taking it regularly, it should be able to get rid of candidiases in 2 months.
Studies after studies confirm the effectiveness of coconut oil at killing different species of candida. It is helpful in getting rid of systemic infection of candida. The fungus candida resides in almost all of us. However, in some people, their numbers become so alarmingly high that it resembles an infection. Systemic candida infection is often believed to be the cause of general fatigue, uneasiness and weakness without any explicit medical condition.
That said, coconut is a very powerful herbal remedy. It contains fatty acids like lauric acid, which gets converted to monolaurin. This is a powerful nutrient, which has been identified to aid the body in killing harmful virus, bacteria and fungi. It contains
capric acid and caprylic acid ( which is the main anti-fungal agent ).
( Photo credit : mlinksva )
2. Sea Salt Rub
Give your tongue an exfoliation using unrefined sea salt. It is a simple but effective technique to get rid of thrush.
- Ingredients
Sea salt, unrefined. It should be coarse and somewhat sharp to touch.
- Directions / How to use
Take a toothbrush. Now, put some sea salt over it. Then take the toothbrush to your tongue and rub the sea salt over it. You may have to take sea salt many times in the toothbrush, as it can hold any a small amount of salt at a time. Now, when the tongue is nicely coated with a fine layer of salt, keep rubbing it with the toothbrush. Avoid scraping the tongue harshly, as it is a sensitive organ. It can get injured easily. Do this for 3 - 5 minutes, then rinse out all the salt.
- Why it works ?
Rubbing salt performs exfoliation. It takes away dead skin cells accumulating on top of the tongue. This is perhaps used by the fungi to their advantage. The sea salt also has anti-fungal properties. Application of sea salt home remedy can control oral thrush.
3. Mouthwash
Remember to do mouthwash daily. Check that it contains the ingredient thymol. It is taken from the oil of thyme ( which is very useful herb ). Thymol in mouthwash is capable in killing these candida yeast in the mouth.
So, as I said, remember to brush and floss your teeth, and also do the mouthwash, daily. It takes care of oral thrush. Works as effective as any oral thrush treatment, in most people.
( Photo credit : colecamplese )
4. Drink ginger tea
Ginger helps to get rid of the white coating on the tongue in a few days. However, oral thrush can reappear after one stops drinking ginger tea. Therefore, one needs more remedies to completely get over this infection.
To use ginger more effectively, one can gargle with pure ginger juice. It is highly pungent and sharp, but I believe the fungi feel the same. They hate ginger.
5. Yogurt
Although yogurt is a milk product, it actually helps in reducing the oral thrush. Although milk may feed the fungi, yogurt however does the contrary. It kills candida from the inside out by displacing it from the intestine. It is like a control system on the population of candida in the body.
Eat lots and lots of fresh yogurt. It should be unsweetened.
Why it works ?
Yogurt is an excellent source of probiotics. It contains one of the healthiest bacteria species for our body, the lactobacillus. These bacteria , when they reach the intestine, start to take over their designated place from pathogens like candida. This keeps a check on their uncontrolled growth. In due course of time, oral thrush subsides.
( Photo credit : ljguitar )
6. Apple Cider Vinegar
ACV is powerful in killing yeast that cause oral thrush. ACV should be used as a rinse. Take undiluted apple cide vinegar, about 2 tablespoons. Place in your mouth and swish to the point you can bear. It can feel stinging and burning to the mouth. Spit out after than.
Undiluted vinegar is strongly acidic. This kind of gargle helps in dissolving away the thrush. It can provide relief in a single day, pretty fast actually.
Avoid using ACV if you have lesions or scars on the tongue caused by the thrush. This can happen in a bad case of candida. Vinegar is strongly acidic and it can cause a lot of pain if it comes in contact with active lesions and blood.
" You can also use white vinegar in place of ACV. "
7. Lemon juice
Rub lemon juice on the tongue avoiding the teeth. Candida yeast causing oral thrush would find it difficult to survive in a highly acidic environment. Pure lemon juice has a pH approximately close to the stomach acid.
8. Honey
Take some
raw, unfiltered and organic honey. Apply 2 tablespoon of it on the tongue after cleaning it. Cleaning helps to remove dead skin cells which coat it from the top. This exposes the candida and they are open to honey. It is a mild antibiotic, working against bacteria, virus and fungi.
Honey may not be that effective in taking hold of candida, but it surely provides some relief. Although candida love sugar, they do not enjoy honey, especially the organic one. It has the ability to kill them. Once candida is gone, the saliva and food automatically clean the tongue.
" Eating rose infused honey is a delicious way to get rid of oral thrush. It has the scent of rose and the taste of honey, so amazing. "
9. Pineapple
Eat a few slices of slightly ripe pineapple. Make sure that it moves around the tongue a lot. It makes a tingling sensation in the tongue. Then gulp it down. The tingling sensation lasts for many minutes and cleans the mouth.
Pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain which works against this fungus.
After eating the first few slices of pineapple, you can see some inroads made in. The thick coating from oral thrush gives way to cracks and fine lines. At some places, one can see the tongue in its healthy color. Within a few days of regular consumption of pineapples, one can finally achieve the goal of a clear tongue. And pineapple smells great, masking the smell of oral thrush.
( Photo credit : sudoking )
10. Reduce your sugar intake ( Let that soda go )
Carbonated beverages are extremely sweet. And so are many of the fast foods, desserts and other things, you know ! It is time to reduce their consumption, or better still get completely rid of them. Candida cleanse therapies talk about eliminating most carbs from diet, including those that come from grains, the complex carbs. This is feasible, but only for a few days. What it does is that it shocks the candida from its roots, making it difficult to survive in the intestinal tract.
However, after a few days, one has to resume a normal healthy diet containing both simple and complex carbohydrates from as much natural sources as possible.
A 2 week low carbohydrate diet can help in reducing the candida in your system, or atleast weakening it.
11. Lemongrass tea
Drinking this tea has a positive effect on the body. It helps to get over a candida infection.
( Photo credit : quinnanya )
12. Eat grapefruit
Grapefruit contains antifungal compounds which help in eliminating candida and other harmful fungus from our bodies. A lot of people treating their supposed candida overgrowth naturally use extract of the grapefruit and its seeds.
It can have a positive effect on a person whose health may have been compromised by candida overgrowth.
13. Garlic ( the tough one )
It is slightly tough to do this remedy, but it shows positive results too.Take 2 garlic cloves at a time and chew them in mouth. Then swallow them down with water. Garlic kills candida on spot, whether it is on tongue or inside.
It is however not advisable to use garlic on sensitive skin areas, like in the groin.
Thrush , however is not of one kind. There are many types of thrush, depending on its location in the body. Most often, thrush shows up as oral thrush, on the tongue. It can also progress to infect mouth and throat. Thrush can also be seen in groin region. The symptoms here are quite different than oral thrush. There can be intense itching, a foul smelling discharge ( in women ) and in rare cases, pain.
For thrush on skin, try the following remedies.
- Give the skin some air : Natural air directly to the affected skin reduces moisture.This provides relief from itching. When a person itches less, inflammation is not provoked and it reduces on its own.
- Bath after exercise : Exercising a lot can cause excessive sweating which would require regular bathing just after exercise to clean the skin. Any moisture on skin is not good.
- Wear loose fitting and airy clothes. This allows natural air to pass through and keep the skin dry.
- Applying Aloe Vera juice or cool yogurt on the skin also relieves the symptoms of infection, like itching and rashes. One can also try some of the remedies for yeast infection, because thrush is also caused by candida yeast after all.
Herbal remedies for thrush :
- Goldenseal : This herb has been by Native Americans for a variety of diseases. It helps the body fight off an infection and is even helpful in diseases like cancer. Goldenseal should not be taken by pregnant women, nor should be given to babies and kids. It is commonly found in America.
Garlic and cinnamon too are useful in relieving thrush internally. Any kind of thrush or candida infection is not easy to get over. One should try to be in good health and keep excellent hygiene. Relax and enjoy for some time in a day to boost the immunity.
Present day thrush treatment
Thrush is usually treated with a topical antifungal liquid and sometimes accompanied by antifungal medication. It is not a serious condition. Thrush can also happen in babies, but that is nothing to worry about. Oral thrush in babies gets better on its own. Infant thrush can also be caused by candida transferred from mother to baby. This should be avoided and the mother can get herself checked for candida.
Is thrush contagious ?
Well, oral thrush is not contagious. However, other forms of thrush are contagious and can be transferred from one person to another.
Gentian violet and thrush
A lot of people use gentian violet for thrush. It is not a natural compound, but a chemical ( in fact a dye ). Gentian violet has been identified since long to work against candida and its surfacial signs, like thrush.
Safety - It is generally safe for healthy adults to use it after consultation with a healthcare professional, like an RN. However, it is probably not advisable to use it on babies and their mothers.
For a complete end to candida from your life, one should try one of the several candida cleanse diets.