Natural Yeast Infection Remedies: Herbal Solutions & Lifestyle Tips

Hey did this work. I have a yeast infection that refuses to leave. I've been to the doctor several times only to be given OTC or Antibiotics. I'm doing almost as much as you and stil nothing. I changed my diet, I've used most of the cures here on EC, mutiple supplements, probiotics, etc. Is anything working. I've detoxed my system and I've done hydrocolon therapy.

Look up different anti-fungal herbs/supplements. I just started taking oregano oil and grapefruti seed extract. Also stuck an oregano oil capsule up there burned like hell but worked! . Also look up different prebiotics to keep probiotics alive. I am taking FOS, which is fructooligosaccharides. ALSO, look up prebiotic vaginal lubricant. I have yet to us the luvena but so far everything else is working. I am also taking Femdophilus with the FOS to keep them alive. Good luck!!

Hey there. Antibiotics will cause/make a yeast infection worse. Your doctor should not be giving you antibiotics for a yeast infection.

Soooo I was put on antibiotics for my BV and it threw me into a wicked yeast infection. Yes I said wicked. I took the diflucan but everyone knows it takes it at least 3 days to began to feel any relief. I was trying to work and the itching, burning and stinging was driving me insane! I was so miserable I wanted to cry. It was not only itching like crazy but it hurt and burned to the point where I could barely sit. I searched the web for something to relieve the symptoms and came across the ACV info.

Desperate and willing to try anything I made the purchase, went home and put it in a spray bottle with some lukewarm water *Never-minding the measuring because I was so uncomfortable* Well, I honestly didn't expect it to work but once I started spritzing I felt IMMEDIATE relief from the itching. I simply sat on the toilet and started spraying. I sprayed so that it would run down and saturate all of my "parts" (I know... Tmi) but it felt soooo good. It did sting a bit, but I dabbed myself dry and laid across the bed to let it air dried. After 5 minutes I had relief. I was able to enjoy the rest of my evening. I got up this morning and felt the itchiness (not nearly as bad as the previous morning).... But I had none of the cottage cheese discharge. I showered and treated myself to another spritzer on the toilet and I was able to come to work today feeling 90% better than I did yesterday.

Now as I sit typing, I only feel a mild discomfort. I am going to do another spritzer when I get home and once again in the morning although something tells me that by tomorrow It'll all be gone away. I wish I would have known about this sooner because anyone who has ever suffered from a vaginal yeast infection knows you would rather have someone jab you in the eye with a blunt object than to suffer this pain. From now on, when I feel an infection coming on, I know what I'll reach for.... My handy little spray bottle :)

Ok, I have been on Antibiotics for 2 weeks due to a severe kidney infection. So needless to say I got a YI from Hell!! Burning, itching, discharge, it is a hot mess! Well after reading this site I decided to try ACV. So tonight I got a clean washcloth and soaked it in ACV and water (half and half) and gently wiped the external areas. Then I dipped a tampon (which I had to borrow from a friend because I don't use tampons) in the ACV mixture and inserted it for 15 minutes. It stung a little bit, as soon as I removed the tampon I wiped the area again and now only 20 minutes later I feel so much better!!! I can't wait to do it again in the morning! It was actually refreshing after the slight sting was gone. I highly reccomend it!

Sandy,

Have you tried to do any detoxing or healing diets to help to heal your diabetes and maybe the issues with yeast? I know there are several. I am currently on GAPS but I have read about a lot such as the anti-candida diets, FODMAPS, Body Ecology and SCD. You may want to check them out and see if one calls to you. I know on the GAPS diet the idea is that a lot of people suffer from leaky gut syndrome which can lead to things like allergies, systemic yeast, diabetes, depression, autism and even schizophrenia. I have been on GAPS for about 8 months and have not concurred the yeast issue yet but have seen a great improvement in my health. I follow it exactly except do not eat any of the fruit, honey or maple syrup. I actually had a urine test today and for the first time ever they didn't find any white cells in my urine which never happens. There are always white blood cells in my urine which means to me there has been some kind of inflammation in my urinary tract for years. My boyfriend is also diabetic and I believe he suffers from leaky gut. He had colic as a baby which is a red flag, his mom suffered from yeast infections...anther red flag, and he craves things like chocolate, cakes, cookies and generally anything that will feed the bad stuff inside us. I'm sure he has yeast issues too.

I hope this helps some and may help to heal the root cause instead of the symptoms.

If your BF has a yeast problem, that may be why you are unable to conquer your yeast problem...

I first stumbled onto EarthClinic about a year and a half ago trying to find what to do about the bumps I get on my scalp, then later for cold sores that popped up. First I want to say: I love it here on EarthClinic! I came back recently to see options on how to treat my bfs case of ringworm from the neighbor's dog, and I came back this time because I seem to have developed a yeast infection. I am sure it started because of my weak immune system combined with meds from surgery(wisdom teeth) or from the doctor/clinic I went to for cold sores that followed my surgery even though I had been maintaining up until then from advice I got on EC. He gave me cream that I reacted to and when it didnt work, he gave me steroids to "possibly" help with healing). Any input here would be greatly appreciated, more specifically input about weak immune systems, meds, & yeast infections. Obviously I completely regretted making the trip to the doctor, AGAIN, and now I am terrified about going back. The visit confirmed my fears and doubts. I do not want to go to the doc for my YI and be prescribed antibiotics or something like it when that could very well be why I got it in the first place. I am sincerely sad about the fact that I have no faith in doctors ability to help me. It also makes me feel weird to feel that way; who am I to say this doctor doesnt know what hes talking about, but the way things are done and decisions are made is just not the way for me. Anyways, sorry for the ranting, the point is I came to EC and ACV had something like 84 yeas, the most of any suggestions. So I picked up the ACV on my shopping trip the next day and stewed on it for a few days, trying to work up the courage to try it. I couldnt stand how irregular my "stuff" was, and the pain and itching was crazy. This is my first YI and I didnt realize something was really wrong until I tried to have sex and it was almost unbearable. By this time I was sure something was wrong and EC confirmed everything else.

Anyways, on to the good news: I finally worked up the courage to try the ACV. I went by the closest pharmacy and bought disposable douches. I have heard in the past that douching is not great for you, so I was still real nervous. Anyhow I got home with 6 disposal douches and squirted the first one in the sink til it was empty. Then I meticulously refilled it with Apple Cider Vinegar and water, about half and half. (there may be other types of douches that refilling will be easier to do, I didnt realize this and bought the disposable because they were cheap) I rinsed off first before douching and douched in the tub. It was a tiny tingly type of burn, not a crazy hot burn, and just for a few seconds, probably not longer than 10. Then I refilled the douche with warm-ish water and rinsed. After I did this I considered waiting longer before rinsing. Maybe if you try it you will want to let the Apple Cider Vinegar set in there a minute before rinsing. So then I rinsed again to not smell of Apple Cider Vinegar and by that time I felt pretty good and positive about it. I had been testing what was in "there" with a tampon and after the douching, the tampon came out clean. I expected this after the douching but was still a little bit excited to see which way this was going to go. At this point I had alot of hope, the itching had subsided, I still had a little pain from inserting the tampon to check. So from here there were either two ways this could go: do the tampon test later and there will either be more weird goop that doesnt smell like me, OR there MIGHT be normal stuff. So of course, like you may have guessed, it was more weird goop, but it was a very tiny amount and this time around I felt confident this was going to work! I did it again the second day with the same results, I feel better, still positive, AND when I did the tampon test the second day I could tell I had less itchiness and less pain from the tampon test.

Today is the third day. I tried the tampon test again today before douching and I did NOT have pain from inserting the tampon( I was excited about this) and I ALMOST feel normal. I know from the tampon test that things are not back to normal yet, but I am confident they might get there if I keep trying. I am going to give it until I run out of douches. I will douche with my shower tonight again and update soon to let you all know if it worked or what recourse I took instead. Wish me luck and good luck with your own experimenting! P. S. Please dont hesitate to ask for more detailed explanations or anything, I just tried to keep it simple. TRIED. Lol. Sorry it is so long. I hope it is of some help.

Be sure to have your boyfriend go to the doctor to get treated for Yeast infection. Guys can get it from you and you get treated. But after, your treated you have relations, he will give you back your yeast infection. Doctors can and do give men the same pill we take for yeast infections.

thank u so much every one. I put boil apple vinger garlic cut up in tiny piece and peroxide all boiled then I let it cool down then I took out a douch dump the contents and poured my mixture. omg it burned I was seeing white stuff eveywere but it worked then rinse again twice so much better thanks eveyone

I have been reading these comments for weeks, and I am so relieved and grateful that I can finally contribute to the forum by reporting that my 2 and a half month yeast infection is finally GONE! I tried everything from Monistat to Terconazole and Diflucan to Hydrogen Peroxide douches and Acidophilus suppositories and nothing really worked until three days ago when I started doing ACV douches twice a day (about 2 tbsps in 1 and a half cup water), once in the morning and once before bed. I also have been taking acidophilus and garlic supplements, and I also started inserting a garlic clove vaginally at bedtime. I don't know what finally made it go away, or how much the whole combination helped, but I literally had been unable to have sex for the past few months due to stinging pain, and I had felt unbearable itching and burning every single day. I cannot believe that it is gone.

My boyfriend and I have had sex twice in the past day, and I am pain free. It is amazing. I want to throw a party :) It took until the second day of this regimen to realize it was getting better, and yesterday I realized it no longer hurt. Absolutely amazing. I hope that this could be helpful to someone else. If you had asked me three days ago, I would have said no way would it be better by Memorial Day :)

I hope that you have seen a doctor, because I have had many yeast infections and none have ever lasted that long. There could be other issues going on.

I am curious about the douche method. I have never douched before. I am wondering what the best method, and easiest method is. Both my girlfriend and I have yeast infections and we would like to be free from this horrid ailment! Any advice would be greatly appreciated. :)

I am pregnant and have had an itching/burning sensation in the vagina for the past 3 days. I couldn't do anything internally for it due to pregnancy, so I bought some external vaginal wash for pH balance and some vaginal itch relief cream. That didn't work whatsoever! I was starting to lose a lot of sleep due to the discomfort, wouldn't have sex with my husband, and tonight has just been unbearable! I tried the Apple Cider Vinegar for the first time (half water, half ACV soaked rag left on my parts for a good 5 minutes) and it burned but I had instant relief! I then poured my leftover homemade remedy over my parts and omg did it burn like hell!!!! But after I patted dry and the burning stopped, no itching or discomfort whatsoever!!! I plan on doing this everyday for the next week or so, it really works!!!!!

Regardless of anything wrong with you, there are two keys to success: #1. Keep your body alkaline; #2. Make sure, either through good diet, good foot choices, supplements, etc. , that you are getting complete nutrition. If the body doesn't get the fuel it needs to work, it tries to keep up, but eventually gives out and creates disease. By keeping the body environment in optimum alkalinity, you further support good health.

My yeast (Candida overgrowth) problems manifest as mouth thrush, skin rashes and vaginal rashes. Coconut oil, used as oil pulling, ingested as 1 Tbsp/3x daily, and used topically (underarms and vaginal area) has been instrumental in stopping my problems and preventing them from occurring again. I have also used washes of 50/50 apple cider vinegar and water and baking soda paste (baking soda mixed with some water to make a paste).

If you've never suffered a vaginal rash problem, it is the worst itching/knife stabbing experience, very, very uncomfortable. So, to answer your question, give your body what it needs for its immune system to heal you.

Justcallmedd - re yeast infections, I have been reading up on other problems and came across some very interesting information. One article that I read said people are getting more yeast infections because of the way our food is prepared these days.

For example milk these days is pasteurised which means it has been heated (and that kills off the good bacteria in the gut). This causes people to have problems digesting milk.

Also most water is chlorinated. If people drink it straight away (and do not leave the water sit for about 20 minutes for the chlorine to dissipate) it also kills off the good bacteria in the gut.

Thirdly the way that bread products are prepared these days is very bad for your gut. Most bread is not allowed enough time to "prove" so it ends up fermenting in your stomach. Without proper digestive juices it causes problems with digestion as well.

Apple cider vinegar is a fermented product. It has many good things about it re vitamins and minerals but one of the good things about it is that being a fermented product adds back good bacteria into your stomach. If you have extra sugar they end up being eaten by the good bacteria.

The more I read the more I think we need to eat more fermented products so that our digestive tracts can be repaired. Kifir, fermented vegetables, apple cider vinegar are all good. Even yoghurt and probiotics are good.

I have also found a wonderful homemade receipe for a bread that is simple but it is made with a fermented process. Even celiacs can eat this bread.

An alkaline body is what your body needs but the yeast infections are a result of your body's inability to digest food properly.

If you google fermented foods and their benefits you will get heaps of info. Apple Cider Vinegar is a great start.

I meant to say above that milk is pasteurised these days (which means it is heated) and that kills off the enzymes in the milk which help digestion. If digestion is not working properly the body becomes toxic and the toxins wreak havoc in the body.

Processed foods, table salt, and preservatives do not help your digestion and if your body is toxic just exacerbate the problems. I have read that eczema is also a digestion issue - toxins getting out via skin.

This is just my opinion but wanted to share in case it reasonates with anyone. I am going to make some fermented veggies in the next week or so and ferment some green coconut milk with kifir to drink.

Cheers & good health

I would like to get in touch with the person who makes the firmented bread, see if they would share the recipe thanks, sandra

this was posted 3-26-11 from Debbie from Melbourne Australia aabout fermented foods. Said she makes bread using fermented process. I would like to see if she would share ther recipt. thanks, sandra

Hi Sandra, sorry for not responding sooner. Here is a great recipe for Sourdough bread. There is a sourdough starter at the end of the article you can use (or there is a simpler recipe in the Comments section from Meredith) The article itself is interesting and the author explains gluten intolerant people have eaten the bread he makes with this process and they have no reaction.

http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/blog/articles/slow-ferment-sourdough-bread

What is this bread recipe? It sounds delicious. I think carbs might be part of my problem. I'll try cutting down on carbs and sugar..

I have had reoccurent yeast infections for the last 7 years due to intercourse. I've had my latest for over 3 weeks now and have gone through several treatments (Diflucan, tetra... , monistat, gynolotramin, etc. ). I read on this site (and a few others) regarding Apple Cider Vinegar. I bought some at Walmart, just the regular Heinz Apple Cider Vinegar and have been debating on using it. I read some where of some one using a small amount on a Q-tip. Since I am going back to the doctor tomorrow, I decided to try it. I dipped a Q-tip into the vinegar and then swiped it along the outside and inside of my vagina tissues. It stung at first, not so much as burning, but stinging. That I wasn't surprised about. What I was surprised about was everything ON THE Q-TIP. It looked like it had thousands of little white crumbs, about the size of a seseme seed, on it. It had to be the yeast cultures. Honestly it was the most digusting thing I have ever seen in my life. I did it about 10 minutes ago and I don't feel different physically, but emotionally I do feel better. Just to have that off of me....ewwwww.I am going to try the bath or even a soaked tampon. I just have to get the courage up. I'll let ya'll know how it goes.

I used the Q-Tip and ACV a few more times that evening and again the next morning. By the time I went to the doctor at 10:00 my yeast infection had COMPLETELY cleared up. I told the doctor about what I had done, and though she said that she wouldn't recommend it, she'd heard of several people doing it and it correctly the problem within 24 hrs. I feel so much better now!!!

My girlfriend has yeast infection and subsequently I got it from her. She isn't good at taking remedies nor medication and since she doesn't live with me, it is hard for me to control things. So this week I got an infection between scrotum and leg so I tried something new. I have BABA DE CARACOL or snail slime. Used it once yesterday and today forgot about it. I went just now to check and put more slime. It is now completely gone. Also Snail oil is good for burns and if applied will not leave a scar on 2nd degree burns. I don't know how it works on 3rd degree burns but should fair better than regular remedies or medication. It is easy to come by here in Colombia. So 1 YEA for SNAIL SLIME. it kills yeast fast and furiously.

I have been plagued for 2 years by the menace that is recurrent yeast infections. I had been clear for 7 months, but after a recent course of antibiotics it returned two days ago with a vengance. I did the usual OTC treatments and as per usual nothing. By last night I was ready to do some serious damage to myself. So my four hours of research into the early hours and finding this site has been rewarded. I ran down to my local health store first thing this morning, bought some ACV and hey presto! Itching massively reduced in just 20 mins. I also bought some acidophilus and other suppliments so fingers crossed it will go and stay away this time.

We think my boyfriend carries it as I never had it before being with him but he is always asymptomatic, and all the GYN tests are always negative for him and have only ever found it on me onece so I plan to introduce him to ACV in his water and the probiotics too. Will keep you updated. Thanks again.

I had a yeast infection that persisted for 2 months. I couldn't understand why I got it because I didn't have any of the risk factors except for stress which completely undermined my immune system. I have to say that I tried everything--and finally when I started taking large doses of garlic tablets, my symptoms subsided and when I got better I stopped taking them. My symptoms came back with a vengeance. I had persistent almost unrelieved itch for over 2 weeks, although I had the intermittent itch for 2 months. I was crying it was so bad. The only thing that really helped was the ACV douche and bath. I had been douching with garlic and baking soda for almost 3 weeks until I read about the ACV, which I did twice a day for a week, and also ACV baths in between to help with the itch. It took about 45 minutes of sitting in the bath for the itching to subside. I didn't sleep for 2 months because of the itch and had to get up several times a night to bathe. I finally went to the doctor and got the fluconazole 150mg dose which didn't touch my symptoms, along with an antifungal/steroid cream for the itch which also did nothing. I was tired of the baths, the sleepless nights. I was back on megadoses of garlic, oregano oil, 3 types of probiotics, candidase, parasite cleanse capsules, a total vegetarian candida diet and even the ACV baths did not completely relieve me.

Finally, I got the book "Who Killed Candida?" and started to follow the program outlined within. It works! Get the book!!!! It's a lifestyle change which includes walking everyday before 7am and going to bed early. I was too weak and tired and ITCHY to walk, but I made myself get up and do it because I was so desperate and each day got stronger and stronger and the itch got less and less, especially after walking. I also did the garlic tampon--just a clove of garlic slathered in vitamin e oil inserted into my vagina every night for 7 nights which controlled the itch the best. I also have been doing contrast showers--3 minutes hot and 30seconds of cold water X3 every day to my vagina which creates almost an unbearable tingling sensation with all the blood rushing to the area, but subsides after 1 hour. After just 7 days of doing the program, I am virtually symptom free!!! You need the strongest garlic capsules--Kyolic to help restore your immunity, and I am doing 8 capsules a day. NOTHING has worked as well as the lifestyle program. NOTHING. The supplements alone will not do it. You need to do the whole program to rebuild your body's immune system to help you fight this stubborn mutating yeast. Few doctors will tell you this, but this is what worked for me!!!