It’s not OK to put garlic in your vaginas, ladies. So please just don’t
For a while now, women have been told by proponents of natural remedies that a clove of garlic put in our vajajas can combat thrush.
Well, now a gynaecologist has taken to Twitter to state, once and for all, that this is NOT the case.
In fact, she says that garlic cloves inserted into our lady bits is really not something we should be doing, like ever.
Here’s why.
“Your vagina is not a dish of cells”
Dr Jennifer Gunter is an OBGYN, sexpert, New York Times columnist and author of the Vagina Bible.
She knows a thing or two about our nether regions.
Now she has taken to social media with this public health announcement. And frankly, it’s everything you didn’t know you needed to know about why this natural thrush remedy is not okay:
Why you should not put garlic in your vagina.
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— Jennifer Gunter (@DrJenGunter) April 23, 2019
“Vagina is no garlic zone”
In a series of tweets, Dr Gunter outlines exactly why we shouldn’t be doing the garlic thing.
Firstly, she advises us that while garlic MAY contain anti-yeast properties, the tests showing this have been conducted on a dish of cells in a petri dish.
In other words, it’s unproven to be effective.
“Your vagina is not a dish of cells.” she also reminds us.
“I shouldn’t have to tweet this in 2019”
The good doctor goes on to explain that for the allicin in garlic to be released, the garlic would need to be crushed and therefore a whole clove would have no real effect.
When referring to ‘garlic aficionados’ (enthusiasts of the natural thrush-fighting method) she sighs in caps, “I SHOULDN’T HAVE TO TWEET THIS IN 2019.”
Well, perhaps not, but you did, so moving on …
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
Dirty, maybe?
Dr Gunter then explains how garlic might also be dirty, because you know, it grows in the ground. So what might be just a yeast infection could end up worse if we put something unclean in our vagina.
I know. Mind blown.
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
You would have to crush it
What’s more, Dr Gunter (who is clearly frustrated as she types) reveals that for “garlic to work, you would have to crush it” to release the anti-fungal properties.
She then goes on to point out the ouch factor of raw garlic on flesh and also the poor old gyno who would have to ‘fish out’ the pieces.
Good point.
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
After a couple more tweets, bringing home her argument of why we should never, EVER shove garlic in our vaginas, Dr Gunter addresses the ‘placebo effect’ of garlic and thrush.
“If you think vaginal garlic is going to make you feel better, you may very well feel better temporarily,” she says.
She finishes the thread/rant by inviting readers to check out a post she wrote for the Times about all the other things we shouldn’t put in our lady bits, like yoghurt, oregano oil and lemon juice.
Yep, I’m just going to leave that here.
Happy reading.
