Borax
★★★★★
First, I've been prone to yeast infections since being on birth control pill. I stopped taking the pill 3 years ago but still will get occasional yeast infections. I found after my first yeast infection that none of the drug store creams worked or would appear to be working and than my yeast infection would return. (I know it was yeast because it smelled like yeast and was accompanied by thick white discharge and itching).
So, I discovered probiotics, apple cider vinager, organic coconut oil and hydrogen peroxide all relieved my yeast infections. Fast forward to last month when I got the WORST yeast infection of my life. Sorry for the TMI but it was so bad that I got a rash on my butt crack and my labia was so swollen and all my usual remedies made things worse.
It had a very yeasty smell and I was sure I got it from eating to much cake and bread (I'm vegan and usually stay away from gluten and sugar but last month I indulged.....a lot). I also had been working and sweating outside, not able to change right away.
Anyways, my period started and the yeast infection seemed to get much better and a day after my period ended it came back with a vengeance. I was crying and miserable and decided to try ice. (I had mini ice cubes, so they were perfect). I rubbed ice outside of my vagina and put a mini ice cube inside as well. It gave me instant relief but I new it wasn't a cure.
I finally decided to try what I had always been scared to try before: boric acid. I was desperate. All I could get was the Borax from the laundry isle. It is a naturally occurring mineral (Sodium tetraborate) and that is the only ingredient listed on the box.
I emptied out my vegetarian probiotics capsule into my water and filled the empty capsule with Borax. I than placed the capsule into my vagina. It tingled a little at first but than I felt relief. It was amazing! I did this 3 to 4 times a day and always had one in overnight. It made my discharge watery, so I would advise using some sort of panty liner. The yeast smell was gone, the itch was gone, the swelling was gone. It was amazing! I did this for 7 days and than stopped.
Borax saved me and I'm so thankful! I just wanted to write about my experience just in case it may help someone else.
(New York)
12/24/2021
★★★★★
The borax works and it does require keeping up with the capsule suppositories several times a day for a week - yes, it does make the discharge watery.
(Orange County, CA)
12/17/2022
★★★★★
I was diagnosed with a yeast infection and suffered them from the age of 16 (1969) until menopause. Turns out I have Sjogren's Syndrome which causes dry eyes and mouth, yeast infections, and ultimately severe arthritis.
In 1972, my doctor recommended I douche with 20 mule team borax. It was effective then and likely the ingredients still work now. I stumbled on this old conversation and wanted to add my experience in the hope it would help others. I recommend seeing and following a doctor's advice but can confirm this douche was once highly recommended and effective.
Borax
★★★★★
She stays on 2 doses oral Borax/ day and that has been 3 years...her body looks cleared but was warned she should stay on Borax her whole life...even without alcohol and low sugar diet and good nutrition. She also stays on a 90 billion probiotic.
Hope this helps someone...Borax saved her life.
Hi Rita,
Ted always suggested 1/8th teaspoon in a quart or liter of water sipped throughout the day and repeat for every weekday and take weekends off.
Here is a link to ECs Borax page which gives more details :
https://www.earthclinic.com/remedies/borax.html
Good luck!
Art
Borax
★★★★★
Borax Baths
★★★★★
(Pdx)
02/09/2016
★★★★★
I had the worst yeast infection, I ran out of ACV. I ran into the laundry room and I had a box of Mule Borax detergent and I put a 1/2 cup in a tub of water and soaked in the tub for 20 minutes all the itching was gone what a huge relief. I know that Ted has mentioned Borax many times for candida.
Boric Acid
★★★★★
(Kent, Wa.)
09/27/2020
What we eat and drink is 95% of the problem. Sugar causes yeast to GROW. Most carbs turn to sugar. I'm here to learn more from other's experiences.
Boric Acid
★★★★★
A week ago I woke up with a slightly sore vagina. Didn't think anything of it until a couple days later the soreness got worse and was accompanied by itching. I didn't have any odor whatsoever (which I normally get with BV) and although I didn't have full blown cottage cheese looking discharge, I did have a little thrush down there. I was definitely in the early stages of a yeast infection, so let the remedies begin.
I did the apple cigar vinegar soaked tampon a couple times, but all that did was make my insides raw (and it burns). I think I even saw a little bleeding. I decided instead of using the tampon, I'd just put a teaspoon of diluted apple cider vinegar directly up my vagina. I had to get creative and applied it using a drinking straw while laying on my back - craziness, I know! Well, that offered some relief, but the itching would come back within hours. So then I moved onto garlic. I'd insert a clove of peeled garlic directly up my vagina and leave it there over night. Again, a little relief but the itching was still there. Since that didn't work, I moved onto acidophilus. I swallowed 10 x 100 million organism tablets and I also shoved 2 up my vagina. Again, no significant relief! I was becoming frustrated and hopeless!!!
I remember laying in bed one night sleepless, crying and itching like crazy... while searching the internet for my next potential remedy. I was just about to convince myself to run to the 24-hour pharmacy to just pick up some 3-day Monistat, when I came across a post on Earth Clinic about boric acid. I read through some reviews, did a little research and figured I didn't have anything else to lose.
For whatever reason, none of the pharmacies I called that night had any boric acid in stock, so I figured Amazon would be easier. I ordered a bottle of boric acid powder, a bag of clear 0 empty gel capsules and had them shipped overnight - longest 24 hours I've ever had to wait.
With clean hands, I filled one of the gel capsules with as much of the boric acid powder that would fit, closed the capsule and inserted it as far up my vagina as I could. I did this once in the morning and once at night. By the start of day 2... THE ITCHING WAS COMPLETELY GONE! I was so happy!!! I still had a little soreness around my vagina, but that was probably from stripping it raw with all the other stuff I had been shoving up there. After day 3, my vagina was feeling 100% normal again... but I committed myself to using the boric acid suppositories for 5 days, to ensure all of the yeast was in fact killed. During the 5 days, I also upped my water intake, stayed away from sugar & bread and would pop a couple acidophilus for good measure to help build up my good bacteria.
I am happy to report that boric acid CURED my yeast infection! From what I've read, this stuff also works miracles in curing BV too... so it looks like this will definitely be something I keep in bathroom cabinet. Personally, I was a little skeptical about using boric acid because technically, it is toxic when ingested. It's also used to kill pests, which frightened me at first. But I had no choice but to trust some of the women that wrote on Earth Clinic about their experiences. One woman said her female OB/GYN recommended boric acid suppositories after her long bout with vaginal infections as well. That was good enough for me!
I highly recommend that any woman suffering with recurring yeast infections (or even recurring bacterial vaginosis) at least try boric acid. Dealing with these ailments are not only physically debilitating, they drain you emotionally and there is not better feeling than finding something that finally CURES you!
Three things to remember: Make sure you only insert boric acid into your vagina, NEVER inhale it or take it by mouth.
Also, make sure you commit to using it for at least 5 days (maybe 7-10 depending on how aggressive your infection is). I inserted one capsule twice a day, for 5 days. You shouldn't start using it and just stop once the itching stops. You want to make sure all those pesky little yeast are dead, even after your symptoms subside. So remember, a minimum of 5 days.
Finally, I'm not a healthcare pro, but I would say it's better to abstain from sex during this time. This includes not letting your boyfriend or hubby perform oral on you for obvious reasons. Trust me, giving your body time to heal is what's most important anyway. Good luck ladies!!!
(Pittsburgh, Pa)
11/30/2018
This post has been so helpful. I will try this remedy tonight. Fingers crossed. Thank you so much for sharing with us!!!! Have you tried this again since then?
Boric Acid
★★★★★
Boric Acid
★★★★★
I first tried Diflucan that my doctor prescribed. Did nothing. Then tried ACV...seemed to help the itching a little, but it would also come back and all my symptoms kept getting worse. Tried Hydrogen Peroxide...nada.
So I moved to Boric Acid suppositories which I made myself, once a night. I bought powdered boric acid and size 00 gel capsules. Using those started progress finally, as I could finally tell that the yeast was dying by having deep fatigue, and it did rid me of the peeing discomfort.
But still had some major itching and problems. I moved to twice a day on the fourth day (wish I started that way) and THAT started doing the trick. Will maintain twice a day for 3-4 days, then go back to once a day and keep it up for 10-14 days, depending on symptoms.
Boric Acid
★★★★★
Boric Acid
★★★★★
And now Boric Acid did the job, still on my 6 day, plan to take the full dose of 14 days. What a relief, no inches, no discharges and I am on my way to total recovery. Amen. Hopefully this will help someone out there.. Take care Ladies n God bless y'all.
(Richardson, Tx, Usa)
10/06/2012
Yogurt is also an effective natural fix. Eat yogurt of any flavor, or use plain yogurt on a tampon (even better, make your own suppository with an empty tampon casing! ). Eat and apply it for a double-whammie against candida.
Boric Acid
★★★★★
Now I tried everything in those years. Everything. Nothing worked but the pil. But when I came off it to become pregnant, within a year or so my cycling went back to normal and my pain began again. I tried to go back on the pil but it didn't work. I saw countless doctors, had vaginal anaesthetic needles inserted with pain blockers done during ovulation and was given powerful pain creams (because all my tests came up negative for yeasts except 1) Not only did these creams not work but they made things worse due to the chemicals in them.
After a year , I had no success and only one positive yeast test and I had a very sour milk smell all the time except during my period. So my doctor suggested that it could be cyclical yeast that lives in the walls and hard to detect. Whatever....... I just wanted some relief and all the yeast creams aggitated me due to the chemicals and the moisture from them dripping out during the day made the yeast proliferate and irritated the already very irritated vulvar skin. And the medications were just too hard on my liver and I had bad side effects.
So we decided to try boric acid. I started with the empty gel caps 1x a day and it burned so badly it actually bleached my underwear three nights in a row. I tried vaseline and oil to protect the outside but it didn't help. Nor did pads. I didn't want to spend a fortune on custom suppositories so I called them up and asked them the ingredients. A basic wax or oil with the boric acid. THAT"S IT? I can do that. I researched oils that were candida friendly and two jumped out.......... Olive and Coconut. So I started making my own in icecube trays. This was so cheap, chemical free and also protected my vagina from the harshness of the boric acid. Also the cold is soooo soothing! I put a pad on at night for leakage and one during the day and try to go without underwear whenever possible for a breather.
I did this for 3 weeks everyday and it dissapeared withing days. Only to return the next month day 7 as usual. So repeat. Then repeat the following month. Then I added pro b probiotics(drug store no prescription) specifically made for your vagina as it is a great misconception that acidophilus from yogurt helps your vagina........... IT IS NOT EVEN THE SAME STRAIN! And in fact yogurt in the vagina can make yeast grow more due to the sugar lactose. ( the V Book) It is wonderful for your digestive tract though. And I added a controversial element, a mild cortisone cream in a petroleum only base I had compounded as the other cortisones had chemicals that just irritated me. When you are irritated and swollen almost everything makes in worse especially harsh chemicals (the V book). Cortisone can make yeast grow sometimes but I only use a bit once a day as needed for inflammation.
It's been 4 months. I need the suppositories less and less. I start day 7 and often do a week then every 2-4 days until my period. My doctor said sometimes it takes a really long time to completely erradicate a stubborn cyclical infection. I see the results slowly but surely. The smell is gone, I can have sex oart of the month and I can live a relatively normal life wth only a few super swollen days as opposed to before when it was 22 days a month I was walking and sitting funny and crying. I am told it is common for 6 months to a year to deal with this so I am on track.. I wanted the quick fix but as long as I see progress I feel motivated, not depressed and in control of my body! Plus I have learned a lot from the V BOOK about good vaginal health, from listening to myself and I saved a lot of money by making my own suppositories (I got the boric acid at the drug store behind the counter in Canada it USA you can get it on amazon.com)
It is slow and steady. BIG LESSON don't try more than one thing at a time or you will not know what is working or not working. And don't see too many doctors, naturopaths etc, too many cooks in the kitchen leads to disasters and conflicting information.... I keep it really simple, no thousands of supplements, diets, meds or doctors! and drink a lot of water so my pee no longer burns and inflames it... Another trick. And I always use natural oils or petroleum for sexual lubricant now.... NO MORE CHEMICALS (except boric and cortisone) will ever touch my vagina again. Good luck and I hope this helps someone out there. Don't give up hope. Find what works for you and listen to you body. Inform yourself and keep at it. There is an end to this misery. Keep the faith girls!
(Houston, Tx)
04/20/2014
I know you posted this a couple years ago, but was wondering how you are doing now? Your story sounds EXACTLY like mine, but I was eventually diagnosed, by a vulvovaginal specialist in Houston, with Cytolytic Vaginosis. Cyclical yeast-like symptoms (itching, burning, discharge) with the absence of positive results for yeast are hallmarks of this imbalance (which is basically an overgrowth of lactobacilli, which can be brought on by repeated use of antifungals). I also read the V Book, and this book claims that Cytolytic Vaginosis has been debunked. I can assure you that this is not true. A specialist here in Houston informed me that it is a real clinical entity that responds to appropriate treatment. if you're still having symptoms, especially with the use of Rephresh Pro-B, please look into Cytolytic Vaginosis!
(Houston)
02/10/2015
Hi, I don't know if you will see this and respond but I live just outside Houston and I am currently looking for a doctor for my re-current yeast like symptoms, immediately following 3 rounds of harsh antibiotics. I have tested negative for yeast and everything else it could be and have become desperate as anti-fungals stop working as soon I stop taking them. Boric acid burns like heck after only a few days (although it does help before I have to quit) I would love to get the name of the doctor you used! I am trying to figure out which doctor you refer to but there are so many claiming to be 'experts'.
(Austin, Tx)
10/17/2015
Not sure if you still need the name of a doctor, but I was sent to Dr. Kelly Hodges in Houston. My gyno in Austin sent me to her because she is the vaginitis guru.
Boric Acid
(San Diego, Ca)
01/29/2012
That is so wonderful!! Congrats :)
I've had a yeast infection at least once a month for the past six months. I've used Monistat and Diflucan to get rid of the infection but they ALWAYS come back. It seems they started when I began the Depo shot in combination with cycling more than usual. I've gone off the Depo and the yeast infections are less frequent BUT still once a month. I don't use scented soaps and get out of my cycling/workout clothes immediately after.
SOoo I just bought some boric acid, hoping it'll cure this stupid infection that's inside me. My doctor mentioned boric acid to me as well but didn't give me any specifics. So yours told you to do one boric acid suppository then another three days later? I'm definitely trying that as soon as I get the boric acid in the mail.
Thank you!
(San Diego, California)
02/02/2012
Ok so an update!
I'm on my 2nd night of boric acid suppositories and I feel amazing. It's not harsh at all for me and my vagina looks and feels completely better. I'm only going to do 2 nights because I just got off 2 pills (with three days in between a pill) of Diflucan which cured the infection about halfway.
I'm so happy to notice a difference in just one night. Before my vagina was very dry and flaking (which I attributed to the end of the yeast infection and possibly to BV :/) now it is all normal! I'm also taking 800mg of Folic acid and 2 multi-strain probiotics.
Fingers crossed!!!!
(Oakland, Ca)
02/07/2012
I am totally hoping this works. I just ordered some from a company called vitanica. fingers crossed too. been having yeast infections for a long time tried most everything. taking a probiotic which helps with the yeast in my body (digestive system, etc), but need something stronger for the rest of me....
Boric Acid
Boric Acid
(Rancho Cordova, Ca)
10/07/2010
Try putting vitamin E oil on your privates before inserting the capsule. I read to do that if your itchy and sore "down there". I just bought some Boric acid myself and will also apply the vitamin E oil. Can't wait to get rid of my yeast infection. Hope this info helps! :)
(Chicago, Il, United States)
07/13/2011
(Los Angeles, Ca)
10/16/2011
★★★★★
Hey. I have been struggling with yeast infection my entire life. Pretty much everytime I have sex, I get one, its so awful, and I have tried everything under the sun over the years to try to help me feel, normal, down there.
Boric acid works! However, Boric acid is very strong, and very drying and traumatizing to the tissues even after 2 days of using it, so heres what I do, to get the effects while lessening the dryness, irritation, and sometimes bleeding factor of using the 00 empty gel cap boric acid inserted in the vagina everyday for a week issue. The first day of my yeast infection, I'll put one capsule up in there, and maybe even do it again, the second day. But by the third day, I open a capsule, wet my 2 fingers with water, and sprinkle the boric acid, on my fingers. Then lay down over a towel and insert, and I try to distribute evenly up in there, (I know, graphic and gross) but when your desperate to get rid of this thing, it wont matter. Then I wash my hands, dry them, the sprinkle tea tree oil on my fingers and do it again. It feels very cooling, and medicinal and your flowers will feel back to normal in about 4 to 5 days of doing this every night. You can even have sex during this treatment, because the tissues arent dried out, like if you were using the capsules.
You guys, Ive tried everything, EVERYTHING. I use to use these herbal suppositories, (cant say the name on here) but you can purchase them on amazon. Com, which contain Boric acid, and tea tree oil, as the main ingredients, and they worked. But them they changed the formula, and removed the boric acid, which was the main ingredient that really worked in there, and everyone started to complain. So, Im essentially recreating that suppository. I've tried tea tree oil on its own twice a day to cure and infection, and its a pain, and it doesnt always work. However, inserting a bit of tea tree oil in the vag rite after sex, is an awesome preventative. I also take a good expensive multi strain probiotic everyday, and that has prevented future UTI's aswell. Anyways, its all about Boric acid, but it is very strong, and harsh, but it does work
Boric Acid
★★★★★
(Deridder, Louisiana)
11/02/2010
Yes Boric Acid! Just remember your partner can carry the yeast and give it right back to you.
(Pa)
05/18/2015
(Sf, Ca)
05/18/2015
Hi Julianna,
I dont think boric acid is intended for use by males. It is used internally by women who have bacterial vaginosis, and not necessarily yeast infections, although you might as well give it a shot because most likely you have BV. I had it for about 8 years and used boric acid capsules almost daily. This works, but I also found that drinking alkaline water and taking alkaline supplements has completely take away the symptoms. There is NO cure for BV currently, so your struggle is to keep it at bay and from reoccurring. I started my alkaline experiment a few months ago and I have had no BV symptoms since then. I drink bottled pH balanced water (ready the labels for pH level....8.5-9.5 is best). Yeast and bacteria cannot survive in an alkaline environment. Your partner probably needs to see a doctor for a prescription because boric acid is NOT meant to be "dusted" on your body....and apple cider vinegar should not be put on a man's penis. It is basically acid and is also used for facial chemical peels...you get the idea. Have your boyfriend drink alkaline water and try the alkaline supplements. Get this online at Amazon.com. Its much less expensive than going to a health food store. Trust me. Do NOT use boric acid externally!!!!!!!!!!
