FINGERNAILS AND
WHAT THEY REVEAL
By Gabrielle Traub
Homeopathy 4 Everyone – January 2007
Lines and indentations:
Ridges can signify a possible infection such as
the flu.
Beau's lines — Transverse depressions.
Occurs when growth at the nail root (matrix) is
interrupted by any severe acute illness e.g. heart
attack, measles, pneumonia, or fever. These
lines emerge from under the nail folds weeks
later, and allow us to estimate when the patient
was sick.
NAILS; corrugated; transversely: ars., med.
Mee's lines
Transverse white lines that run across the
nail, following the shape of the nail moon.
Uncommon. Causality: after acute/severe
illness, Arsenic poisoning.
Thus homeopathic remedy= Ars alb
Vertical ridges
(Lengthwise grooves or ridges) - may indicate a
kidney disorder (kidney failure); associated with
ageing; iron deficiency (Anemia). May indicate a
tendency to develop arthritis
NAILS; roughness fingernails; ridges,
longitudinal: fl-ac.
NAILS; roughness fingernails; ribbed: thuj.
NAILS; corrugated: ars., calc., calc-f., fl-ac.,
med., ph-ac., sabad., sel., Sil., thuj.
Nail shape
Clubbing of the fingers — fingertips widen and
become round. Nails curve around your
fingertips, more convex. Proximal nail fold feels
spongy. Caused by enlargement in connective
tissue as compensation for a chronic lack of
oxygen. e.g. severe emphysema Lung disease
is present in 80 percent of people who have
clubbed fingers. It may also appear in chronic
infections especially abscesses, lung cancer,
chronic lung (chronic bronchitis, emphysema)
and heart disease, longstanding TB, congenital
heart disease, cyanotic, primary biliary cirrhosis.
med., nit-ac., tub.
curved fingernails; consumption, in: med., tub.
Pitting
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Small pits or depressions. Most common nail
problem seen in 25 percent to 50 percent of
people with psoriasis.
Extremities; NAILS; holes in: ars.
Psoriasis- pitting, onycholysis, thickening,
circumscribed yellowish tan discoloration “oil
spot” lesion.
Spoon nails
► Soft
nails that look scooped out. Depression
is usually large enough to hold a drop of
liquid. Often indicates iron deficiency
anemia.
► Extremities;
NAILS; complaints of;
depressed: med.
Onycholysis
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Lifting of the nail from the nail bed.
Causes: trauma, psoriasis, drug
reactions, bacterial/fungal infection,
contact dermatitis from using nail
hardeners, thyroid disease, iron
deficiency anemia or syphilis.
Looseness fingernails: apis., med.,
pyrog., ust.
Nail growth
 Nail hypertrophy
 Thickening of the nail. Either congenital (e.g.
Mal de Meleda) or acquired - The nail becomes
deformed with claw like appearance. Causes:
Not cutting the nails, trauma, Leprosy,
peripheral vascular disorders.
 NAILS; hypertrophy: calc-f., fl-ac., graph.,
laur.
 NAILS; thick: alum., anan., ant-c., ars., but-ac.,
calc., calc-f., calo., caust., falco-p., ferr., fl-ac.,
Graph., merc., pitu-a., pop-c., sabad., sec.,
sep., Sil., sulph., ust., x-ray
Nail atrophy:
• The nail becomes thin, rudimentary and
smaller size congenital or acquired.
Causes: Lichen planus, Epidermolysis
bullosa, Darrier‘s disease, vascular
disturbances, Leprosy.
• NAILS; atrophic: sil.
• NAILS; grow, do not: ant-c., pitu-a., radbr., sil.
Nail Patella Syndrome
• a rare genetic disorder, occurs in 2.2 out of
every 100,000 people
• Causes abnormalities in the bones and nails
• autosomal dominant
• Carried by the ABO blood group
• Nails present as small and concave,
longitudinally grooved, abnormally split, pitted,
softened, discolored, or brittle.
• Remedies: Thuya, Graphites, Calc-flour, Syph.
• H; Hands; NAILS, fingers, general; grow, nails,
do not: ant-c., calc., sil.
Discoloration
 Half-and-Half (Lindsay's nails) — Look
for an arc of brownish discoloration. May
occur in a small percentage of people who
have kidney failure. Internal diseases and
nutritional deficits can cause changes in
the appearance of the nails.
Terry's nails
 The nail looks opaque and white, but the
nail tip has a dark pink to brown band.
May accompany cirrhosis, congestive heart
failure, adult-onset diabetes, cancer or
ageing.
Cyanosis
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A bluish discoloration visible at the nail bases in select
patient with severe hypoxemia or hypoperfusion. As with
clubbing, it is not at all sensitive for either of these
conditions.
H; Hands; NAILS, fingers, general; discoloration, nails;
blueness (59) : acon., aesc., agar., apis, apoc., arg-n.,
arn., ars., asaf., aur., cact., camph., carbn-s., carb-v.,
chel., chin., chin-ar., chin-s., chlf., cic., cocc., colch., con.,
cupr., dig., dros., eup-pur., ferr., ferr-ar., ferr-p., gels.,
gins., graph., ip., manc., merc., merc-s., mez., mur-ac.,
nat-m., nit-ac., Nux-v., op., ox-ac., petr., ph-ac., phos.,
plb., rhus-t., sang., sars., sep., sil., sulph., sumb., tarent.,
thuj., Verat., verat-v.
Paronychia (felon)
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Inflammation of the nail folds, which appear red, swollen
and tender. The cuticle may not be visible. Causes:
fungal infection, secondary bacterial infection, people
who’s hands are often in water are more susceptible.
H; Hands; NAILS, fingers, general; panaritium, nails (53)
: all-c., alum., Am-c., am-m., anac., Anthr., Apis, arn.,
asaf., bar-c., benz-ac., berb., bov., bufo, calc., caust.,
chin., cist., con., cur., Dios., eug., ferr., Fl-ac., gins., Hep.,
hyper., iod., iris, kali-c., kalm., lach., led., lyc., merc.,
Myris., nat-c., nat-h., nat-m., nat-s., Nit-ac., par., petr.,
phyt., plb., puls., rhus-t., sang., sep., Sil., sulph., Tarentc., teucr.
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NAILS; pulp, of; nails recede, leave raw surface:
sec.
redness; fingernails: apis, ars., cortiso., crotc., lepi., lith-c., ozone, upa., x-ray
inflammation, fingernails; around: con., hell.,
kola., nat-m., nat-s., ph-ac., sil.
H; Hands; NAILS, fingers, general; fungus,
under (4) : ant-c., graph., petr., thuj.
H; Hands; NAILS, fingers, general; inflammation,
fingernails (1) : kali-c.
H; Hands; NAILS, fingers, general; inflammation,
fingernails; root of (2) : hep., stict.
Due to Candida
Ringworm
Splinter Haemorrhages
 Looks like a splinter underneath the nail,
virtually 100% diagnostic of Sub-acute Bacterial
Endocarditis (SBE). A bacterial infection
affecting the valves of the heart. Occasionally
caused by Trichinosis, a parasitic infection
caused by eating raw or undercooked Pork.
 D; Diseases; ENDOCARDITIS, heart: abrot., acet-ac.,
Acon., Ars., ars-i., Aur., aur-m., bism., bry., cact., calc.,
cocc., coc-c., colch., dig., ferr., iod., kali-ar., kali-c., kali-i.,
Kalm., lach., led., nat-m., naja, ox-ac., phos., phyt., plat.,
plb., sep., Spig., spong., tarent., verat-v.
 D; Diseases; TRICHINOSIS (3) : ars., bapt., cina
 Absent "half moons" - Pituitary
problems or poor circulation.
 NAILS; lunula absent: lyc., puls., tub.
 White hue at base of nails:
 Liver disease: chronic hepatitis or
cirrhosis.
Yellow nail syndrome
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Yellow nail syndrome is characterized by yellow
or green nails that lack a cuticle, grow slowly, and
are loose or detached (onycholysis). May be
associated with swelling of the hands and feet
(lymphoedema), or a lung diseases e.g. chronic
bronchitis. Yellow nails can indicate internal
disorders long before other symptoms appear.
Some of these are problems with the lymphatic
system, respiratory disorders, diabetes, and liver
disorders.
NAILS: discoloration; yellowish: am-c., ambr., antc., ars., aur., bell., bry., calc., canth., carb-v., caust.,
cham., chel., chin., Con., ferr., hep., ign., lyc., merc.,
nit-ac., nux-v., op., plb., puls., Sep., Sil., spig., sulph.
White spots (Leukonychia)
• Caused by trauma to the nails, over
vigorous/excessive manicuring.
• alum., ars., nit-ac., ozone, sep., Sil.,
sulph., thal.
Melanonychia
 vertical pigmented bands or nail 'moles‘
 a sudden change in the nail plate could
indicate a malignant melanoma or
lesion.
 Commonly occur in dark-skinned people,
and are normal.
Brittle nails
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Hypothyroidism: brittle nails - which separate
easily from the nail bed (Onycholysis)
accompanied by dry, yellowish skin, fatigue, slow
pulse, chilly, coarse hair that falls out.
Hyperthyroidism: brittle nails - which separate
easily from the nail bed (Onycholysis) and are
concave (spoon nails)
Brittle nails - may also suggest iron deficiency
anemia, kidney and circulatory problems.
NAILS; brittle: alum., alum-sil., ambr., anan., ant-c., ars.,
but-ac., calc., calc-f., cast-eq., caust., clem., cupr., dios.,
fl-ac., Graph., hep., hydrog., lept., lyc., med., merc.,
morg., nat-m., nit-ac., ozone, phos., Psor., rad-br., ruta,
sabad., sec., sel., senec., sep., sil., spig., squil., sulph.,
syc-co., thuj., tub., x-ray
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Nails that chip, peel, crack, or break easily
- suggest a nutritional deficiency, lacking
hydrochloric acid, protein or minerals.
NAILS: cracked: ant-c., ars., lach., nat-m.,
sil.
Crumbling away of fingernails: but-ac.{Butyric
acid: a volatile acid obtained from butter}
NAILS; scatter like powder when cut: sil.
Splitting nails
Peeling nails
Summary:
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Liver Diseases: White Nails
Kidney Diseases: Half of nail is pink, half
is white
Heart Conditions: Nail bed is red
Lung Diseases: Yellowing and thickening
of the nail, slowed growth rate
Anemia: Pale nail beds
Diabetes: Yellowish nails, with a slight
blush at the base
Nutritional deficiencies
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Vitamin A and calcium deficiencies
- dry brittle nails.
Vitamin B deficiency - horizontal
and vertical ridges, that break
easily.
Vitamin B12 deficiency- dry,
darkened nails with rounded and
curved nail ends.
Protein deficiency- white bands
Ayurvedic analysis:
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Ayurveda considers nails as the
waste product of the bones.
Dry, crooked, rough nails that break
easily indicates a predominance of
the Vata constitution.
Soft, pink, tender nails that are
easily bent are indication of a Pitta
constitution.
Thick, strong, soft and shiny nails
indicate a Kapha constitution.
Ayurvedic analysis:
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Longitudinal lines: indicate inability of
the digestive system to absorb food
properly.
Transverse grooves: may indicate the
presence of long-standing illness or
malnutrition.
Yellow nails: alert us to liver problems or
jaundice.
Blue nails: indicate a weak heart.
Redness: shows an excess of red blood
cells.