There is an abundance of natural cures for yeast infections that involve the use of common grocery store items and herbal tinctures. At best, these cures rely on anecdotal support. If you want to fast relief from your yeast infection, it's best to avoid natural cures and stick to what medical experts can assure you is tried and true.
Old Wives' Cures
There are so many natural cures that purport to get rid of yeast infections, it's difficult to sort out the potentially helpful from the downright unpleasant. One remedy instructs women to drench a tampon in plain yogurt and insert it in the vagina, or apply yogurt directly into the vaginal canal with a cotton swab. Other natural remedies include using an apple cider vinegar or potassium sorbate (food preservative) douche, inserting peeled garlic cloves into the vagina for 10 days, or applying boric acid, tea tree oil or honey to the vagina for at least a week.
More contemporary holistic cures tie vaginal yeast infections to a woman's diet. A "candida cleanse" diet purports to cure yeast infections by eliminating sugar and carbohydrates from the diet, including molasses, honey, white flour, white rice and cereals. There are many natural cures marketed on the Internet, but be careful: The Federal Trade Commission has issued injunctions against numerous marketers for selling false yeast infection cures (see Resources).
What Experts Say
If you want to effectively treat your yeast infection, it's best to avoid any treatment or cure that does not have the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's stamp of approval. According to the Mayo Clinic, the only natural cure for yeast infections that has a scant amount of credibility is the method of using vaginal suppositories containing L. acidophilus, which reduces yeast infection symptoms. However, studies conducted on ingesting L. acidophilus--unsweetened yogurt--showed that it did not prevent or cure yeast infections.
As the Mayo Clinic points out, success using home remedies has only anecdotal support. Natural cures are not backed by scientific studies. Mayo Clinic experts also caution women against candida cleanse diets, as there have been no studies to prove that the Candida albicans in the body cause any other symptoms or ailments, nor that diet affects the number of Candida in the body.
A Sure Cure
If you want a sure remedy for your yeast infection, it's best to avoid "hit or miss" natural cures and stick to what effectively treats them: FDA-approved antifungal creams or suppositories, such as miconazole, clotrimazole and tioconazole. These go by the brand names of Monistate, Gyne-Lotrimin and Vagistat at your drugstore. Your doctor may also prescribe an oral medication called Diflucan to cure your yeast infection.
There are many advantages to purchasing an over-the-counter treatment to treat your yeast infection. They're inexpensive, work quickly and do not require a doctor's visit. However, if this is the first time you've experienced symptoms of a yeast infection (vaginal itching, burning and discharge), see your health care practitioner before you treat it. If you don't have a yeast infection, treating symptoms with antifungals or home remedies could lead to health complications.
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