Natural Yeast Infection Remedies: Herbal Solutions & Lifestyle Tips

Every time I feel a yeast infections coming on I take about 1500 mg of potassium. That seems to stop it in its tracks. Not sure if its because the body ph increases.

good info! Thank you. and you are right, everyone is different!

Thanks for all this great information. and btw I don't feel you did too much TMI... this is our body and our bodies have orifices... not gross... just natural. I have had ongoing yeast issues and I will try some of the essential oil (diluted) approaches too. my yeast currently is breaking out on my crack around my (large. lol) butt. I used to get yeast infections around my clit! Annoying!! Things will go well for a few days or weeks or months and then things happen up again.

I do think my partner and I give it back and forth also. we have been treated for bv although his docs said his treatment was unnecessary. LOL. what dopes. I read that ongoing yeast infections can be a warning of having diabetes eventually so I am working on more of a palio diet.

Everyone's body is different. it took me about 5 months to get rid of the rosecea I had but trying different methods from EC. but it's gone now. I make a list of all the treatments that speak to me and slowly go down the list.

Really happy I found Earth Clinic.

Jillery!!!

How did you use the grapefruit seed extract? Did you take it orally or douche with it?

I always get a yeast infections if I am low in potassium. So, when I feel a yeast infection coming on I take some extra potassium. And within one day I am better!

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!

I think you are right, because I did that the other day, and I got a yeast infection now.

Dear All Women and Men out there who suffer from yeast infection. I can't wait to share my experience using the betel Leaves for my yeast infections. It's been more than six months I have been suffering from yeast infections (nobody trusts me including the doctors), but I know that it's yeast infection.

At first, there was white thing in my genital area (I am a guy). I just washed it, and it kept coming back, then I searched internet, and found it was yeast infection. Then using monistat and few drops of vinegar, it was gone in a week, then came back again, diet, using a lot of remedies were not working like: ginger, garlic, coconut oil, turmeric, lemon water.

I knew for a long time about this betel leaves benefit. My friend and my sister already told me about it, but it didn't cross in my mind of using it. Well, one day I met my friend in the bus, and told her bout the yeast infection. Then she told me how to use it. I bought it following day. Here is what happened:

I went to the asian market (Hawaii supermarket in Alhambra, CA), I couldn't find it in other markets. I took the bus, it was a little bit late and cold, but I gotta do something for myself. I bought it, then used only 5 leaves (tore it in small pieces), put 3 bottles waters each 500ml, then boil it for about 20 mins. I mixed a little bit of the turmeric powder in it. Wait until cold, then drink it. Also important thing is to apply the water to the infected area. You will see the color changes to its normal color without any side effect like burning instantly.

I didn't do it that way. Instead, I used the still wet boiled torn leaves to apply it to the area. instantly the color changed, and I didn't see the peeled off skin anymore. I did it for few times before going to bed. Next morning, it looked great. but I still continue doing it for the next couple weeks until it's really gone. I apply it every 3 hours on day time.

On the 3rd day, I tested my spit into a clear cup of water, a lot white separate thing into the water, but I did't see the 'spider net' going down to the bottom anymore. I think the white spread like wet powder in the water are the dead yeast parasite.

Hopefully this post will help everybody in this world, no matter where you are. God bless, and thank you for reading my experience. Naga

First of all, boo to Monistat. I tried it for 3 days and it didn't touch it. So this morning when I woke up and still had a full blown yeast infection, I started researching and came across this site. I found this cure and several others so I thought I'd give it a shot. First, I decided to try the salt only method. I made sure my finger was wet, then salted it and put it where the infection was (even inserted up into). Wow, that burned insanely bad but I just distracted myself by folding laundry and hanging up clothes. After about 15 minutes, I peed and washed it all off. Felt better and continued on. I then took a tampon and soaked it in ACV for about 10 minutes. Then, I tried the salt/ACV bath. This is what really helped. I poured 1 cup of ACV and 2 cups of salt into a very warm bath, sat there for about 30 minutes while I studied. This totally worked! No more redness, no more itching, I feel awesome. Thank God for this website!

Castor oil?

I used to use hydrocortisone cream to treat razor bumps in my bikini area. I found out the hard way that this can result in yeast infections - cortisol is like steroids for yeast! I found myself with my first yeast infection a day or two after applying the hydrocortisone cream.

I mixed up a solution of 50% each water and ACV, dipped a tampon in for a few seconds, then inserted it in my vagina. This burns like no other, but once the burn goes away, the itching is gone completely! Note that this can be drying, so don't leave the tampon in for too long. After inserting the tampon, I would then dip a cotton ball in the solution and clean up the yeast gunk from my labia. I would do this a few times a day, whenever I felt itchiness or had yeast buildup. The yeast infection was gone in less than a week, never to return again.

I also bought some acidophilus tablets and would take the maximum dosage per day, so this might have helped. I did insert one tablet inside my vagina and left it overnight, but it didn't dissolve very well, so I didn't try it again and just stuck with the ACV.

Hi, I've used Earthclinic so many times, that I wanted to share my own yeast infection remedy, to express my gratitude!

Step 1: douche with a mixture of ACV and warm water

Step 2: wait for appx 5 minutes, then douche with Borax (buy at target, really cheap) and water

Step 3: dry and wear loose underwear. I work at home and simply stay in my pajamas.

Works like a charm, usually just 1 application is needed. If not, another application usually does the trick!

I think Borax can be replaced with baking soda, because I believe it's the PH that enables the cure. You first acidify the environment, then you alkalize it (either with borax or baking soda). Then, drying it out helps tremendously too. The feeling a little after you douche is as if you just applied a soothing ointment - the inflammation is gone!

Things NEEDED:

• Qtips
• Minced Garlic
• Towel

I get yeast infections quite often, I was looking for relief outside of the usual RX that I receive from my gyno.

I placed a towel underneath my body and then put fresh minced garlic on a QTIP and rubbed it around my inner labia and inside of my vagina. (I know... TMI). But I repeated this several times and laid down for about one hour. When I got up, I went about my business aound the house for almost three hours and then took a shower. Eventually most of the garlic came out after a thorough washing.

I still smelled like garlic (I am very sensitive to scents) so I took another shower.

I felt complete relief from the yeast after my second shower and the scent was not as strong.

Cassy, you can try JUST the coconut oil for a week and see what it does.

Hi Cassy,

So sorry you are miserable!

You might try diluting the ACV and garlic more when you use them. Both are very strong, especially on sensitive skin areas.

Castor Oil may work well as a follow up moisturizer and is also anti-fungal. You could even mix it 1/2 1/2 with the cconut oil. I put castor oil on my face most nights and I do not wake up feeling greasy. (But I try to keep my hair out of my face when I sleep! )

Tea Tree essential Oil and Lavender Essential OIi together (and diluted in another oil) are good anti-fungals, too. But on your face I would dilute them a good bit...Maybe 5 drops of each per 2 teaspoons oil.

Let us know how it goes...I hope you feel better soon.

~Mama to Many~

I have been using apple cider vinegar in warm water with garlic as a face wash to clear up an oral yeast infection. Wondering how long I need to do this for until it clears up my lips and face are cracking dry and itchy and I put coconut oil on afterwards but now what? This is day 2 and I'm pretty miserable.

For some reason, my body doesn't digest sugar properly. I was having a very hard time living. I was plagued by constant yeast infections. I only had the burning, not the rest. Enough to make me very, very miserable. Eons ago; I tried grapefruit seed extract & low and behold I haven't had one. Life is once again worth living. Thank God for my grapefruit seed extract!!

I have recently (within the last month) started taking anywhere from 1 tsp 1X a day to 1 tsp 3X per day, depending on my level of stuffiness. I have been taking it for my allergies and digestive issues) of Bragg's Organic Apple Cider Vinegar. Both my allergies and digestive issues are GREAT now.

I am having hormone imbalance issues (totally unrelated to the ACV) but because of my age. (entering Peri-menopause)

I have now gotten a yeast infection (I think...still need to get in to the doctor to be sure since we first thought I had a UTI but the test for that was negative) and I haven't had one since I was pregnant with my youngest child (who is now 18 years old)

Has ANYONE had anything like this happen? I am wondering if the ACV, along with the hormone imbalance has caused this issue?

I understand that ACV is supposed to kill candida but could this be a die-off issue? I have not cut sweeteners out of my diet (I don't eat junk or processed food but I do consume raw honey, raw cane sugar (on occasion) and 100% maple syrup.

Any advice????

I drink 1tbsp. of ACV with 1/4 cup of water twice a day before meals and it helps me. I swear by it.

I too am plagued with end less yeast infections. The grapefruit seed oil works for me too. Kudos to it!!! I was soo desperate, I didn't know what to do. I even wanted to die!!!!

Hi Dave, thank you for your detailed response. Fortunately my bronchitis/pneumonia (first one ever) finally resolved, but it seems time, sleep, and my own immune system helped more than the prescription and natural remedies. Since lung infections have a way of recurring once bacteria/viruses have made their initial tracks/roads in the pulmonary tree I will keep your lung/sinus advice in mind for the future.

Nystatin is a prescription antifungal medicine (comes in both oral and topical versions). Am hoping to balance my body without antifungal meds just yet, although I do have some fluconazole (Diflucan) as a backup. I will read more about CS as I have some concerns about toxicity (especially the argyrosis) with long-term use.

Hello Bethany,

You ask why the formula worked... Well your combo of 9 items?... are all anti viral/fungal. A great combo.

So you got both infections under control... for a while.

But the infection is apparently systemic. And so comes back after being pushed off the field, but it's still on the sideline and jumps back into play as soom as it can. (Can sure tell I'm writing this during football season. ) So you need something to go with for a longer period of time.

Check out nystatin. I've had experience with it and it is a great anti yeast substance. And my old stand by is colloidal silver. On an empty stomach will over months get rid of virus/fungus and bacteria.

"Nystatin" is not a statin or at least I've never heard that. And use the CS as an irrigation also. Wherever the infection is where it is subject to direct application, it is especially effective. I mean if you can get it "squirted" where ever the infection is... Do it. High PPM from my experience is best. (Controversy on that. Some think a low concentration also works... Like 15 ppm. ) Nystatin comes in a cream form and I used that plus as a powder in water and taken orally.

CS...take one tablespoon on empty stomach twice a day for four to six months. Consistency and taking enough of it are the key.

On the lung infection, you'll need a nebuliser... A steamer... And the CS goes into the pan and you breathe in deeply the CS for five min after the steam is well under way. Twice a day for a month.

Make sure you give yourself a sinus/ear canal irrigation... five or six irrigations a week for a month. Yes, it's there too. You must get the ears so that the eustacian tubes can get the effect also.

I know this is frustrating for you, and it's the long term app that will nail the problem. As long as you leave ANY in your system it will come back. What you've done so far is good and demonstrates you are onto the real problem but persistence over many months is the answer. Using the right stuff is the answer. (Make sure you take some probiotics since you will be on CS for a while. Some say long term CS can hurt "beneficial bacteria" although I've not found that to be true.)

Dave

Yeast Infection Prevention:

I took antibiotics for pneumonia. I always get a yeast infection with antibiotics ever since taking tetracycline as a teenager. Since the antibiotic didn't really seem to work for my lung infection, I continued several home remedies. These didn't seem to help my lung infection, but they prevented a yeast infection -- at least temporarily. About 2 weeks after I stopped all remedies I got the dreaded yeast infection 2 days before my period. Less severe than my usual, but still itchy and uncomfortable. Now I'm trying to figure out exactly what kept the yeast at bay and wonder if readers can help. Here's what I did while on antibiotics:

- Fresh pressed or chopped raw garlic: 1-3 cloves 2x/day

- Olive leaf extract (liquid form in a capsule): 2 caps 3x/day

- Cayenne tea with 1 TB ACV and 1/2 T honey added

- Lomatium extract: 10-15 drops 2x/day

- Astragalus/reishi tincture: 2 droppers 2x/day

- Jatoba tincture: 1 dropper 2x/day

- Vit C: 500 mg 2x/day

- Probiotic: expired and no consistent amount but ~5 tabs a day of 1 billion organism non-refrigerated

I thought it might be the olive leaf that helped but I've been taking it for 2 days now and still have a mild yeast infection. I realize yeast infection prevention is probably more effective than treating an active infection, but I'm starting to wonder if it was one or more of the other remedies that led to my initial escape from yeast.

I could just take everything above to try for a cure but doing all that took a great deal of effort and I smelled like garlic at work (easy to explain during the weeks I had a bad cough, but not so easy to explain now).

Any thoughts?

Jenni: I have taken whole-body hot bath w/ Boric acid (also many other minerals) and also drank C.S. to treat a fungal infection, and had no appearance of a reaction. Spacing their use as you spoke of would be the wise way to go.

To Jenni re interaction of Colloidal Silver and Boric acid:

Any time there is a question of interaction, you can proceed cautiously by first applying a little CS to wrist and then a small amunt of Boric Acid to the same place and judge the reaction, if any. Your Boric Acid application I presume is diluted in water, correct?

I am only talking about a very small amount to first test. Then if no adverse reaction, try more but at a little higher amount. Again, if no adverse reaction try at higher amounts until you are confident that there is no adverse interaction.

Finally, when actually applying to infected area, only apply a small amount of CS first and then the BA. Next day, if no problem, increase CS a bit.

This idea is the same way you test for allergic reactions... small amounts and raising the level over a number of test applications.

Hi, this question is for anyone who knows. I was using colloidial silver to treat a yeast infection and uti. I was taking a lot of the silver orally (alternating between a tablespoon over the tongue and a teaspoon held under the tongue for 20 seconds and then swallowed) every hour. Ex: 4pm tbspn over tongue, 5pm tspn under tongue, 6pm tbspn over tongue for as long as I was awake. Internally I was instructed to put 3 oz of the silver solution into my vagina and let it sit there for 20 minutes. Then empty out and wait 30 minutes and then put a probiotic in. After all sorts of ups and downs with the uti and yeast and other symptoms I decided to try the boric acid suppositories. Decided not to douche with the silver tonight and only use the boric acid because I was unsure if these two methods are safe to use around the same time.

Long story short, would it be safe to let's say douche with the silver in the am, follow up with a probiotic after and then use the boric acid in the evening? Would it also be an option to douche with the silver in the evening and then maybe an hour later use boric acid? Any advice/knowledge would be appreciated:) Thank you.

Thank God for this site! I suffer from a number of chronic disorders and recently had to go on a course of antibiotics. This gave me one raging yeast infection, the likes of which I've never had. At one point I was putting cold packs down there in the middle of the night in between bouts of tears because the itching was so intense. I bought a generic Monistat kit, but all it did was give me serious cramps, nausea, and made me so miserable I would have rather sufffered from the flu I'd had! Then I found your site and about how Apple Cider Vinegar might help with my symptoms. I soaked in the bath and that helped stop the itch, but about an hour later I started feeling it again. So I soaked a cotton ball and put it up against my vag. The first minute or so, the burn was crazy, but once it subsided, there was no more itch! I think now that I can finally stop scratching, I'll be able to heal. Thank you SO MUCH for all the advice, I've been miserable for days. Acv is a miracle cure!

It was likely a die-off reaction. It was discovered that I had candida so I had to start an intense detox. Even though I had not suffered from a yeast infection, after starting the detox, I got a yeast infection and thrush. Just have to fight through it. It was eventually all cleared up but it took a few weeks to subside.

I read about you trying the baking soda for a yeast infection and wanted to relay what I have learned works phenominal. I used to get them constantly and could count on one every time I took antibiotics. I read one day about all the properties of raw garlic. I think it was posted on this site to insert a peeled clove of garlic into the vagina and let it sit in there as long as you could stand it. The first time I tried this it burned, so I could only leave it in for about 5 minutes. The infection went away quite rapidly but upon taking antibiotics the next time here came the yeast infection again. I managed to hold a clove of garlic inside for about an hour and whola! , the infection went away and I have not had one since. To tell you how well it worked, I have not had a yeast infection in over 7 years! Good luck to you in your endeavors..

Hello ladies, I suffered for years with vaginal yeast infections. I was convinced it was sugar related. Then, in solidarity with my hubby who has gout, I started to DRINK 2 teaspoons ACV at night before bed (mixed in 1/2 cup water). This cured me!!!! I have since found out that the PH of my body was off due to too much caffeine and stress. We focus sometimes too much on curing the symptoms, when the PH balance of the whole body is the answer. Don't forget to rinse teeth after drinking as ACV can damage your teeth. God Bless and hope this helps you as much as it had helped me.

For me, ACV only works so-so for yeast infections. Boric acid is very effective against yeast.... I've used coconut oil on a cotton ball and put a light sprinkling of boric acid (pharm grade) on it (you can buy it on amazon, etc). Wipe down the area whenever you feel the itch. Works wonders for me!

I have been reading all this advice, and no one has ever mentioned how drying the ACV is, I used it diluted with water on a cloth and just blotted the itchy, sore areas.... Only did it three times and my skin has dried so much where I blotted I have lost the first layer of skin! But I will say the itch and burning was gone, for the last few days, but as I type this I can feel it creeping back, and I am afraid to use the vinegar again, on my raw skin. I have tried coconut oil on it and some aveeno lotions, but I am still pretty raw. Just wondering if this happens to everyone and they just are not mentioning it? Or is it just me?

Kelli, coconut oil for dryness.