Ladies don't use garlic to treat yeast infections, Gynecologist warns

A gynaecologist has urged women to not put garlic in their private regions to treat yeast infections.

Dr Jen Gunter, based in California, went on a Twitter rant about the old wives' tale, which recommends putting a clove inside the private regions for up to three days.

There are no studies to support the claim garlic has antifungal properties – apart from in a petri dish – and it could be a serious risk for further infections, Dr Gunter said.

The private area is the ‘perfect’ environment for the botulism bacteria to grow, which can be life-threatening and lead to paralysis.

It's not the first time doctors have busted similar myths, including one claiming parsley can induce periods.

Dr Gunter, a health columnist and author of a book called The V**ina Bible, wrote on Twitter: 'My advice, do not take medical advice from anyone recommending garlic for yeast or anything else.'

The now viral twitter thread started off by explaining that garlic contains allicin, which in the lab has shown to have antifungal properties.

'This is in a lab, not even in mice. Just a dish of cells. Your private region is not a dish of cells,' Dr Gunter said.

She delved into the serious risks of garlic, firstly because it could have bacteria from the soil on it.

'Bacteria from the soil can be pathogenic - bad for the body. That's why we clean wounds,' Dr Gunter wrote.

'If you actually happen to have an inflamed yeasty private region that soil bacteria would be more likely to infect.'

Garlic could also cause biofilms to form, which are a collection of microorganisms such as plaque on teeth.

'You do not want them to form especially when you have yeast,' Dr Gunter said.

But the most concerning risk Dr Gunter warns of is clostridium bacteria, found in soil, which may be on the garlic.

The bacteria themselves aren't harmful, but they can produce one of the most poisonous toxins when deprived of oxygen, such as in closed cans or bottles.

Dr Gunter said: '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 private region is an anaerobic environment, so perfect for clostridium.'

Botulism, a condition caused by clostridium botulinum bacteria, can be caused when someone eats food containing the toxins because it hasn't been properly canned, preserved or cooked.

It needs hospital treatment as the toxins attack the nervous system and cause paralysis. This is fatal in five to ten per cent of cases, according to NHS.

Part of the problem, Dr Gunter said, is women self diagnosing and treating problems that may not be there, further throwing off the balance of the private region.

She said: 'As 50 to 70 per cent of women who self treat for  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 [sic].'