Ringworm

You can try rubbing the juice from a green hull of a walnut on it. It will stain the skin, but has worked for me. The hulls have a substance called juglone in them that is said to be an antimicrobial and antifungal agent, which would explain why it works on Ringworm, which is caused by a fungus, not a worm. Black Walnut can provoke allergic reactions in some people, so use it with caution.

The best thing to do is go to your doctor and get it checked out. Your doctor will gve you some kind of medicine or tell you what you can do. Ringworm is contagous, so you should do something so you don't infect someone else or have it spread.

If you can't go to the doctor, there are over-the-counter medicines that you can buy. The cause of Ringworm is a fungus, not a worm, just as the cause of Athlete's Foot is a fungus. The same medicine can be used on both.

It can't be stressed enough that Ringworm is contagious, VERY contagious. It is also VERY hard to cure. If you use over-the-counter medicines, use them according to the directions and don't miss a treatment! Wash your hands with warm, soapy water after treating, and never, never touch the Ringworm affected area and then touch another part of your own or someone else's body or the body of a pet. Also, before you stop treatment, make sure the Ringworm is totally gone. If you try an over-the-counter medicine and the Ringworm does not respond or gets worse, go to the doctor. The medicine that he or she can give you is probably a greater potency and will have a much better affect than the over-the-counter medicines.

Antifungal creams containing clotrimazole (Cruex, Desenex, Lotrimin), miconazole (Monistat-Derm), ketoconazole (Nizoral) and terbinafine (Lamisil).Oral medications such as terbinafine, itraconazole (Sporanox), and fluconazole (Diflucan) are used.
Treatment

Some infections disappear without treatment. Others respond to such topical antifungal medications as naftifine (Caldesene Medicated Powder) or tinactin (Desenex) or to griseofulvin (Fulvicin), which is taken by mouth. Medications should be continued for two weeks after lesions disappear.

A person with body ringworm should wear loose clothing and check daily for raw, open sores. Wet dressings applied to moist sores two or three times a day can lessen inflammation and loosen scales. The doctor may suggest placing special pads between folds of infected skin, and anything the person has touched or worn should be sterilized in boiling water.

Infected nails should be cut short and straight and carefully cleared of dead cells with an emery board.

Alternative Treatments

The fungal infection ringworm can be treated with homeopathic remedies. Among the homeopathic remedies recommended are:

* sepia for brown, scaly patches

* tellurium for prominent, well-defined, reddish sores

* graphites for thick scales or heavy discharge

* sulfur for excessive itching

Another suggestion: You can do this very simply and affordably with tea tree oil, which you can find in your local pharmacy or drugstore. Ringworm is a fungus, and tea tree oil is a very powerful herbal anti-fungal. Simply apply a small amount to the affected area with a cotton ball twice a day. The ringworm will be gone within a week.

Ringworm is actually caused by a fungus, not a worm, and can be treated at home. The National Institutes of Health recommend the following:

* Keep your skin clean and dry. * Apply over-the-counter antifungal or drying powders, lotions, or creams. Those that contain miconazole, clotrimazole, or similar ingredients are often effective. * Wash sheets and nightclothes every day while infected. * Make sure to treat infected pets, too, or you can become reinfected.

If the infection does clear up within 4 weeks, or it worsens, seek medical attention.

Reference:

NIH MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Ringworm