Ladies. Please, for the love of womanhood, do not put garlic inside your vagina with the hope of curing a yeast infection. In fact, don’t put garlic in your vagina for any reason whatsoever. As California-based gynecologist Jennifer Gunter tweeted on April 23rd, “#VaginaIsANoGarlicZone,” and don’t you forget it.
Dr. Gunter, author of The Vagina Bible, tweeted, “Why you should not put garlic in your vagina. A thread.” In the thread, she addresses a popular home remedy that involves putting a clove of garlic in your vagina for up to three days in order to cure a yeast infection.
She states in her thread that many “vaginal garlic aficionados” recommend the garlic method as a holistic way to cure such vaginal woes. However, as Dr. Gunter bluntly puts it, “Do not take medical advice from anyone recommending vaginal garlic for yeast or anything else.” Noted.
Although it’s true that the allicin in garlic may have anti-fungal properties when used in a lab setting, according to Dr. Gunter, this is not enough evidence to prove that the garlic we get at the supermarket can cure our yeast infection with anti-fungal properties that are sometimes present in a lab setting.
Vaginas and laboratories are not the same thing. They’re not even close.
Why you should not put garlic in your vagina.
— Jennifer Gunter (@DrJenGunter) April 23, 2019
A thread.
Garlic contains allicin, in THE LAB it MAY have antifungal (i.e. anti yeast) properties. This is in a lab, not even in mice. Just a dish of cells. Your vagina is not a dish of cells. #vaginaisanogarliczone 1/8
Furthermore, inserting a clove of garlic without crushing it to release the allicin is pointless. “Sigh” indeed.
Lots of vaginal garlic aficionados (I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO TWEET THAT IN 2019, BUT HERE WE ARE) recommend inserting a clove. This means they don't understand for allicin to be released the garlic has to be cut or crushed. Sigh. #vaginaisanogarliczone 2/8
— Jennifer Gunter (@DrJenGunter) April 23, 2019
Plus, the garlic we get at the store has *stuff* on it, be it dirt, bacteria, pesticides, what have you. “If you actually happen to have an inflamed yeasty vagina that soil bacteria would be more likely to infect,” Dr. Gunter said.
Garlic could have bacteria from the soil. Bacteria from the soil can be pathogenic -- bad for the body. That's why we clean wounds. If you actually happen to have an inflamed yeasty vagina that soil bacteria would be more likely to infect #vaginaisanogarliczone 3/8
— Jennifer Gunter (@DrJenGunter) April 23, 2019
In order for this remedy to actually work, one would have to completely sterilize the garlic, crush it up, and apply it on raw skin. But how would one retrieve the garlic afterwards?
So for garlic to work you would have to crush it and stuff it up somehow. There is still the dirt thing. And the cut up garlic on raw tissues thing (OUCH). And the fishing of the garlic out by the gyno thing. #vaginaisanogarliczone 4/8
— Jennifer Gunter (@DrJenGunter) April 23, 2019
Hmm. Good point.
I mean, we all know how hard it is to get garlic out of a garlic press and it’s *supposed* to go in there.
— Rayjaymay (@rayjaymay1967) April 23, 2019
Oh lord. Honestly, think about others before you even attempt to put garlic up there.
And then there are biofilms to think about. Biofilms are clusters of microorganisms that attach to surfaces and cause trouble in bad places.
Garlic can cause biofilms on braces, so could garlic contribute to biofilms in the vagina? Biologically plausible. Biofilms are bad. You do not want them to form especially when you have yeast. Effect of garlic good bacteria also unknown #vaginaisanogarliczone 5/8
— Jennifer Gunter (@DrJenGunter) April 23, 2019
You may end up doing yourself more harm than good, Dr. Gunter said.
Yeast may not even be present — therefore, the garlic method could cause an entirely unnecessary new host of problems.
As 50-70% of women who self treat for vaginal yeast never actually had a yeast infection you can't say much, except half of them never had yeast to begin with so the irritation they had may have been a temporary thing and resolving wasn't garlic related #vaginaisanogarliczone 6/8
— Jennifer Gunter (@DrJenGunter) April 23, 2019
If you think the garlic method works fine, then you may have experienced the placebo effect. “If you think vaginal garlic is going to make you feel better, you may very well feel better temporarily,” Dr. Gunter tweeted.
And the placebo effect is strong. If you think vaginal garlic is going to make you feel better, you may very well feel better temporarily. #vaginaisanogarliczone 7/8
— Jennifer Gunter (@DrJenGunter) April 23, 2019
Fair enough. We will do everything we can to protect our hoo-has from garlic.
My advice, do not take medical advice from anyone recommending vaginal garlic for yeast or anything else. If you enjoyed this thread, you will like my book The Vagina Bible (August 27) #vaginaisanogarliczone https://t.co/G3azTcxTaI 8/8
— Jennifer Gunter (@DrJenGunter) April 23, 2019
Dr. Gunter added a P.S. to her thread with an extra hot tip. Botulinum toxin is “one of the most poisonous biological substances known,” according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
I’m adding one more tweet.
— Jennifer Gunter (@DrJenGunter) April 23, 2019
You know why you refrigerate home made garlic vinaigrette? So any clostridium bacteria laying around on the garlic doesn’t produce botulinum toxin. Right. The vagina is an anaerobic environment, so perfect for clostridium. You’re welcome. 9/8
So, to anyone who has a vagina — if your BFF tells you to treat your yeast with garlic (and yogurt if you’re into the whole “twatziki” craze), say no thank you. We’re not poisoning our vaginas today, sis.
I wish I could remember which of my friends coined “twatziki” for self-medicating a yeast infection with garlic and yogurt.
— Hillary M. (@NerdlingAlong) April 23, 2019
To some, this advice may seem like common sense. Garlic was put on this planet to flavor delicious Italian cuisine — not to battle yeast in a vagina.
Thanks. I just thought you could put garlic with anything but I'll take vagina off the list.
— OJoshee (@OJoshee) April 23, 2019
1. Spaghetti sauce ✔
2. Vagina❌
Although, there are some scenarios where a garlicky vagina would be weirdly apropos. Thanks, Brian…
If Bella Swan had put garlic in her vagina, perhaps she wouldn't have ended up in a relationship with Edward Cullen and I can't believe that I am even writing a sarcastic such as this about such an inane concept as vaginal garlic.
— officebob (@OfficeBob) April 23, 2019
TBH — if you have any inkling something doesn’t belong inside your vagina, don’t put it up there. It’s as easy as that.
Come on, Andy! Come on!
brb
— Andy Richter (@AndyRichter) April 23, 2019
If anything, take inspiration from Dr. Gunter’s wonderful advice. Keep the garlic out of your vagina, but stay punk.
Vaginal Garlic IS, however, a terrific name for a female punk band.
— buttitwins defense squad 🏳️🌈🐝 (@gracieminabox) April 23, 2019
Thank you for clarifying something we didn’t realize needed clarifying, Dr. Gunter. You’re truly looking out for our best interests.
