When horses get onychomycosis (hoof rot), one of the treatments available is a foot bath of copper sulfate. When humans get onychomycosis (nail fungus), copper sulfate doesn’t seem to enter the conversation, except as a fringe, “quack” remedy.
One of the allopathically-accepted treatments for nail fungus is Lamisil, taken internally. The trade-off is that Lamisil is hepatotoxic, and constant monitoring is necessary so as not to fry the patient’s liver.
If Western medicine considers that risk acceptable, copper sulfate must have even worse side effects to keep it off the table, right?
I’m not a Western-medicine conspiracy theorist, btw (though I admit I do sometimes feel that some treatments are more driven by economics than by science). Is this one of those cases? Or is copper sulfate really ineffective, or dangerous, or both?
http://www.oldbridgechem.com/msdscuso4.html
This lists it as non-toxic and non-irritating for skin contact, though it is fairly toxic orally.
No idea of its efficacy.
Hands aren’t made of hooves. Copper Sulfate is corrosive on skin. (as least so says Cornell)
And if you are thinking of trying Koppertox don’t forget the “tox.”. 
People also should not use Furazone, or Bute. Actually you shouldn’t even touch Furazone with bare skin.
See http://www.flexyx.com/F/Furazone.html. Since it talks about hospital use, I assume they are referring to people.
It causes mammary and ovarian cancers in rats. Rats aren’t people, that’s true. When its between you and a third degree burn, you takes your chances. But there are FAR safer products to put on your horse’s boo-boos.
We’ve switched from copper napthalate to a thrush remedy with gentian blue to treat our horse’s hooves. It only takes one dose to clear up thrush and IMO is a lot less toxic than copper napthalate.
Is there a difference between gentian blue and gentian violet?
Well yes.
Blue Gentian is a kind of a flower; gentian violet is a common name for C(25)H(30)ClN(3), a substance with antiseptic, antifungal, and remarkable staining properties!
Setting aside pedantry, I’m sure it doesn’t matter much whether you call it gentian violet or gentian blue (even though only the former is correct). Adding to the confusion about blue/violet is the commonly seen-about-the-farm product Blu-Kote, a brand name of one common preparation of gentian violet.
Crap, I meant gentian VIOLET, not blue. :smack:
Why can’t copper sulphate be used as a anti-bacterial in swimming pools?
Years ago, a small company was marketing a substance containing copper sulphate, as an alternative to chlorine.
Anybody know why it won’t work?