I must admit when I first saw the headline for this article I thought who in their right mind would want to put a piece of garlic in their nether region? But, I guess, it kinda makes sense. Garlic, after all, is nature’s antibiotic. However, continue reading to learn why it may not be such a good idea.
Do not put garlic in your vagina, gynaecologist urges women as she warns it is the ‘perfect area’ for killer botulism bacteria found on raw cloves to grow
- The old wives’ tale, still used today, recommends garlic to treat a yeast infection
- Dr Jen Gunter said there is no evidence to support the home remedy
- It could instead lead to the growth of toxic bacteria as garlic is grown in soil
- Life-threatening condition botulism can cause paralysis and can be fatal
A gynaecologist has urged women to not put garlic in their vagina to treat yeast infections.
Dr Jen Gunter, based in California, went on a Twitter rant about the old wives’ tale, which recommends putting a clove inside the vagina for up to three days.
There are no studies to support the claim garlic has antifungal properties – apart from in a petri dish – and it could be a serious risk for further infections, Dr Gunter said.
The vagina is the ‘perfect’ environment for the botulism bacteria to grow, which can be life-threatening and lead to paralysis.
There are no studies to support its antifungal properties – apart from in a lab, Dr Gunter wrote
Dr Gunter warned of the life-threatening condition botulism, caused by clostridium bacteria
Dr Gunter, a health columnist and author of a book called The Vagina Bible, wrote on Twitter: ‘My advice, do not take medical advice from anyone recommending vaginal garlic for yeast or anything else.’
The now viral twitter thread started off by explaining that garlic contains allicin, which in the lab has shown to have antifungal properties.
‘This is in a lab, not even in mice. Just a dish of cells. Your vagina is not a dish of cells,’ Dr Gunter said.
She delved into the serious risks of garlic, firstly because it could have bacteria from the soil on it.
‘Bacteria from the soil can be pathogenic – bad for the body. That’s why we clean wounds,’ Dr Gunter wrote.
‘If you actually happen to have an inflamed yeasty vagina that soil bacteria would be more likely to infect.’
Garlic could also cause biofilms to form, which are a collection of microorganisms such as plaque on teeth.
‘You do not want them to form especially when you have yeast,’ Dr Gunter said.
The expert delved into the serious risks of garlic, firstly because it could have bacteria from the soil. This includes clostridium bacteria which could produce poisonous toxins
Dr Gunter claimed that many people who use the ‘remedy’ are doing it wrong because they aren’t crushing the garlic and therefore are not releasing the allicin – which has been found to have antifungal properties in the lab
Dr Gunter said anyone thinking they are benefiting from the bizarre therapy may just experience a strong placebo effect
One tweeter, Raquelle Jason, hit back at the expert and said the home remedy had helped her and others she had told when prescriptions were not available
Dr Gunter claimed many people who use the ‘remedy’ – who may just experience a strong placebo effect – are doing it wrong.
Without crushing the garlic, the possible anti fungal allicin is not released, Dr Gunter said.
One tweeter, Raquelle Jason, hit back at the expert in the belief that big pharmaceutical companies are scaring people away from natural remedies.
She said: ‘You are wrong. Garlic has helped me and everyone else I’ve told about it when prescription meds were not possible.’
She posted the recipe which she uses herself, requiring garlic to be inserted in a gauze made of dental floss for 12 hours for three days.
A vaginal yeast infection causes irritation, discharge and intense itchiness. The most common are bacterial vaginosis or thrush.
It affects three in four women at some point in their lives, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The vagina is designed to keep itself clean with the help of natural secretions and there are lots of bacteria inside to protect it.
The bacteria help keep the pH balance, produce bacteriocins (naturally occurring antibiotics) and produce a substance that stops invading bacteria sticking to the vagina walls and causing damage to tissue, according to the UK National Health Service.
If the balance of bacteria is disturbed, this can lead to infection.
Read full article here
Have you ever tried this and does it work?
If stuffing garlic in your vagina does not appeal, I recommend you try this instead click here
Source: Daily Mail
