Skip to content
Winnowleaf home

Do any supplements help toenail fungus?

No vitamin or other supplement taken by mouth has a controlled trial showing it clears toenail fungus, and biotin was studied for brittle nails, not infection. The one supplement-type product tested is 100% tea tree oil painted on the nail: in a trial of 117 people it showed no clear difference from a clotrimazole antifungal solution (grade C). Prescription antifungal tablets work far better. Never swallow tea tree oil.

Last reviewed

How we grade evidenceEditorial policy

What the studies found

  • Grade A. Prescription antifungal tablets clear toenail fungus far more often than placebo. In a Cochrane review, the 8 placebo-controlled trials of terbinafine (1,006 people) found the nail cleared about six times as often as with placebo, and in 15 head-to-head trials (2,168 people) terbinafine probably did better than azole tablets such as itraconazole. These are medicines, not supplements. (Kreijkamp-Kaspers 2017)
  • Grade C. Tea tree oil has been tested on the nail, never by mouth. In a double-blind trial, 117 people with lab-confirmed toenail fungus brushed on 100% tea tree oil or a 1% clotrimazole solution twice daily for 6 months. Lab tests found no fungus in 18% of the tea tree group against 11% of the clotrimazole group, and the nail looked partly or fully clear in 60% and 61%. There was no placebo group. (Buck 1994) A 2022 review of 17 studies of natural remedies, 5 on tea tree oil, said larger placebo-controlled trials are needed first. (Nickles 2022)
  • Grade D. Vitamins have almost no evidence for nail fungus. A 2024 review of 49 articles on vitamins for nail problems found good evidence only for two skin treatments in nail psoriasis, and limited evidence for other nail disorders, fungus included. Biotin's small trials were in brittle nails, which became firmer and thicker. (Curtis 2024; Lipner 2018)

Who should be careful

  • Tea tree oil goes on the nail only. Swallowed, it can cause confusion, unsteadiness and coma (NIH NCCIH). Stop if the nearby skin turns red, itchy or sore.
  • If you take biotin, tell the lab before a blood test. In 6 healthy adults taking 10 mg daily for a week, 9 of 23 biotin-based assays gave falsely high or low results. (Li 2017)
  • Antifungal tablets can cause side effects and drug interactions, so give the prescriber a list of everything you take. (Halteh 2016)
  • With diabetes or poor circulation, have a clinician check your feet rather than self-treating: nail fungus is among the strongest predictors of diabetic foot ulcers. (Mayser 2009)
  • Get prompt care for redness, swelling, pus, pain or broken skin around a nail, or a fever.
  • If you are pregnant, breastfeeding or under 18, ask a clinician first.

Try first

  • Get it confirmed. Fungus causes only about half of all nail disease, so a clinician can send a nail clipping to a lab before you start anything. (Gupta 2020)
  • If it is fungus, ask about prescription options. In a network meta-analysis of 26 trials (8,136 people), daily terbinafine or itraconazole tablets cleared the fungus more often than treatments applied to the nail. (Gupta 2020)
  • Clean or treat your shoes and socks. A 2022 review of 54 studies says sanitizing footwear and textiles is part of keeping the infection from coming back. (Gupta 2022)

Sources

  1. Kreijkamp-Kaspers S, et al. Oral antifungal medication for toenail onychomycosis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017. PubMed 28707751 · doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010031.pub2
  2. Buck DS, et al. Comparison of two topical preparations for the treatment of onychomycosis: Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil and clotrimazole. J Fam Pract. 1994. PubMed 8195735
  3. Nickles MA, et al. Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Onychomycosis: A Systematic Review of the Clinical Evidence. Skin Appendage Disord. 2022. PubMed 35983465 · doi:10.1159/000521703
  4. Curtis KL, et al. Vitamins for the Management of Nail Disease: A Literature Review. Skin Appendage Disord. 2024. PubMed 38572190 · doi:10.1159/000534972
  5. Lipner SR, et al. Biotin for the treatment of nail disease: what is the evidence? J Dermatolog Treat. 2018. PubMed 29057689 · doi:10.1080/09546634.2017.1395799
  6. Li D, et al. Association of Biotin Ingestion With Performance of Hormone and Nonhormone Assays in Healthy Adults. JAMA. 2017. PubMed 28973622 · doi:10.1001/jama.2017.13705
  7. Halteh P, et al. Over-the-counter and natural remedies for onychomycosis: do they really work? Cutis. 2016. PubMed 28040821
  8. Mayser P, et al. Toenail onychomycosis in diabetic patients: issues and management. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2009. PubMed 19489654 · doi:10.2165/00128071-200910040-00001
  9. Gupta AK, et al. Monotherapy for toenail onychomycosis: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Br J Dermatol. 2020. PubMed 31120134 · doi:10.1111/bjd.18155
  10. Gupta AK, et al. The March Against Onychomycosis: A Systematic Review of the Sanitization Methods for Shoes, Socks, and Textiles. J Am Podiatr Med Assoc. 2022. PubMed 36074338 · doi:10.7547/21-223