How to Use Honey Vaginally to Cure Yeast Infections
As you may have read on the other in-depth articles on honey and Candida, honey really does stop a yeast infection. But, the question remains, “how should you go about using honey vaginally?” The answer is by adding a few safe, natural herbs or essential oils to the honey and simply placing the mixture in the vagina. This home remedy for yeast infections will deliver a powerful blow and knock out your yeast infection.
One thing to remember is the excellent advice of one of the best experts on medicinal herbs: Dr. James A. Duke. Dr. Duke suggests in his book, The Green Pharmacy, that mixing herbs together can bring about a synergistic effect. Often, phytochemicals in one plant work one particular way to treat a condition. When you add more plant chemicals to the mix, you have a cure that attacks a malady in a variety of ways; resulting in a healing synergy. Consequently, you should choose a few different herbs to mix with honey to create the best vaginal honey yeast infection home remedy.
Honey and Cinnamon Yeast Infection Cure
One treatment that tastes good and really does help stop a yeast infection is honey and cinnamon. The other articles in this section have demonstrated the efficacy of honey’s anti-Candida properties; so, let’s discuss cinnamon a little.
What we all normally have on hand is cinnamon bark powder. One study tested how Candida species that were resistant to fluconazole responded to Cinnamon bark powder. The study was published in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine (1996;24(2):103-9). The study found that Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) bark inhibited the growth of Candida species at a minimum concentration of about 0.05-30 mg/ml. Therefore, you should be able to use this safe natural remedy to achieve the same results in your vagina. This should be a great herb to use for drug resistant strains of Candida as well. Just put a generous helping of fresh cinnamon powder in your honey and mix it well!
Cinnamon bark contains a few various phytochemicals that are responsible for its Candida killing powers. These chemicals were isolated in a study published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The study has an interesting table on cinnamon. This table shows all the major chemical constituents of the various parts of the plant. The plant component we are interested in is of course the bark. The bark contains these two chemicals:
- 65.00 to 80.00%
- Eugenol: 5.00 to 10.00%
There has been a lot of research done on Cinnamon and Cinnamaldehyde and their effects on Candida species. One study was done on how Cinnamaldehyde affected Candida albicans (the yeast responsible for about 80% of yeast infections). This study was published in Medical Molecular Morphology (March 2013, Volume 46, Issue 1, pp 8-13). The results of this study showed that a very small concentration of Cinnamaldehyde can inhibit and kill Candida albicans.
If you are already taking an antifungal drug to cure a vaginal yeast infection, cinnamon has also been shown to help reduce biofilm activity of Candida; and, it creates a healing synergy when used in tandem with such drugs. A study that proves this was published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy [(2012) 67 (3): 618-621]. Preformed Candida biofilms are a big deal if you have a yeast infection. The study reported that Candida with such biofilms, when present, give Candida about 1024 times its normal resistance to antifungal drugs! Consequently, destroying these biofilms should be done if you want to effectively cure your yeast infection.
The study did have promising results; it showed that both major components of Cinnamon bark (cinnamaldehyde and eugenol) showed promising antibiofilm activity. Eugenol and fluconazole also were seen to be a good combination for fighting Candida albicans.
If you have cinnamon essential oil, you can use this in your honey as well.
Honey and Garlic Candida Cure
Garlic is another safe food that is available at nearly every grocery store. Fortunately, garlic is also a great Candicidal herb! Garlic has been used at least since the time of the ancient Pharaohs; and, garlic and honey mixed together was used in antiquity to treat tooth problems. You can make a great vaginal Candida cure by mixing honey and crushed garlic; and it should cost a lot less than a prescription, or over the counter treatment!
There are probably a plethora of studies that demonstrate garlic’s anti-Candida ability; but, we will look at one published in the Journal of Medicinal Food (7 (3) 2004, 327–333). The study used 10 different strains of Candida obtained from various infected patients. The study showed that around 15 milligrams of garlic was capable of killing Candida yeast. Feel free to do more research on this topic; there certainly is no shortage of information!
To use garlic, you will want to take a few cloves and mix them in a blender. Let this mixture set for about 10 minutes as this will allow alliin and alliinase to combine and form the powerful chemical allicin. Once it has rested, mix it into your honey and simply apply it liberally to your vagina. You should probably wash your vagina out with water before you apply the honey and garlic mixture.
Try doing this at night and let the mixture set in your vagina overnight. In the morning, wash it out and add some live culture acidophilus to the vagina. You can even use homemade acidophilus yogurt; just make sure the acidophilus is indeed alive. This helpful probiotic will help mitigate future yeast infections by consuming sugars and excreting lactic acid.
Mixing Herbs Together with Honey
You would do well to follow Dr. Duke’s advice about mixing herbs. If you have a few of these herbs on hand, include them with your honey. Use garlic, cinnamon, black walnut husk, or a Candicidal essential oil together to create a great yeast infection treatment. This website is full of natural cures that you can use in your treatment plan.
Using Raw, Organic Honey for Candida Albicans
Are there any benefits to using raw honey to cure Candida? The answer is not really. In fact, even artificial honey can stop Candida; albeit not as well as natural honey. So, the short version of the raw organic honey treatment is that specialty, exotic honey does not provide enough antifungal power to validate its high cost. You might not hear this too much around the internet as many people are trying to promote their expensive honey product or derivative. But, we will go into some research that proves this to be the plain truth!
If you have some time, and want to educate yourself on using honey for Candida, feel free to check out this comprehensive article below “Honey and Yeast Infection”. Skim through the linked scientific journals listed on this page as well for a real in-depth analysis of this topic.
Raw Honey for Candida
There was one study that is of very much interest to the topic of raw honey vs processed honey Candida treatments. The study was published in Frontiers of Microbiology (2012; 3: 265), and analyzed the antimicrobial effects of honey before it was processed (thus it was raw) and after it was processed. The processing of the honey was primarily heating and filtering of the honey. The species of Candida used to evaluate the antifungal properties of the honeys was Candida albicans (this species causes the vast majority of yeast infections).
The study used a wide variety of honey samples that included 17 different samples of honey. The plants which the bees utilized to create the honey were primarily the following plant species:
- Spotted gum (Eucalyptus maculata) (samples S1–S5),
- Red stringybark (Eucalyptus macrorhyncha) (samples R1–R5)
- Yellow box (Eucalyptus melliodora) (samples Y1–Y5)
- One mixed sample of canola/red stringybark (R6)
- One pure sample of canola honey (Brassica napus) (C1)
The study can be summarized in one table where the minimum inhibitory concentration of each honey is stated. As this table table from the study shows, there was little difference in processed honey and raw honey’s ability to inhibit Candida albicans. In some cases, Candida was stopped even better by processed honey!
If you examine the chart, you will see that hydrogen peroxide production seemed to be significantly inhibited by the processing of honey. Thus, if you want a good antibacterial honey, you should opt for one better able to produce hydrogen peroxide; and this would mean using a raw honey product.
Another study, as cited on other parts of this website, was conducted on various honeys and artificial honey. The study was published in the journal of Medical Mycology [(2006) 44 (3): 289-291] and showed that artificial honey also cures Candida. The caveat, however, was that natural honey did work to cure Candida better than artificial honey. But, this does show you there is not much need to procure a specialty honey to treat a yeast infection.
An interesting study was also published that demonstrated how artificial honey compared to organic heather honey in terms of antifungal ability. This study was published in the Journal of Medicinal Food (14 (0) 2011, 1–5). The organic honey was monofloral heather (Erica sp.) honey, and 80 different samples of this honey were used. The organic honey was harvested in Portugal according to European organic beekeeping rules. The artificial honey was synthesized by dissolving 1.5 g of sucrose, 7.5 g of maltose, 40.5 g of d-fructose, and 33.5 g of d-glucose in 17 milliliters of sterile, deionized water.
The study found that the organic honey stopped Candida far better than the artificial honey; as the Medical Mycology study also reported. The study concluded that the component responsible for antifungal ability is not solely based upon sugar content.
As discussed in the article about honey and yeast infection, the species of plants the bees gather nectar from determines how effective a particular honey will be at getting rid of a Candida infection. The various phytochemicals that remain in the honey are responsible for this difference. Consequently, you can simply add antifungal plant chemicals to your honey by mixing it with essential oils or powdered herbs. This could be a much easier way to make effective Candida fighting honey than scouring honey retailers to find the best type of honey.
Does Honey Feed Candida
Eating honey for a Candida diet is probably not a good idea; yes, low concentrations of honey does feed Candida. When applied topically to the vagina, mouth, or other external area of the body, honey is a viable natural cure. However, when you eat honey, your stomach acid and enzymes break down the sugars and dilutes the honey. Of all the studies specified here, various concentrations of honey were necessary to top Candida. When you dilute honey with other substances in your stomach, it is sure to lose its ability to control yeast overgrowth. Additionally, the yeast will feed on the sugars that honey will provide. Consequently, you are not going to be able to allay a digestive system yeast infection by eating honey. You will likely just aggravate your problem by taking in excessive amounts of sugar as this is food for Candida.
For systemic Candida problems, focus on antifungal herbs, essential oils, and supplementing your diet with good probiotics (such as Lactobacillus acidophilus). Team that up with a low sugar diet and you are going to give a powerful blow to Candida in the gut!
Honey and Yeast Infections
So can you really use honey for yeast infections? Yes you certainly can! A honey yeast infection cure will work well. You can also mix honey with other antifungal herbs to strengthen the effect. At this section of the site you will learn several different herbs you can use with honey; and, this entire site is full of natural strategies to cure a yeast infection. So after you are done learning about how to use honey; consider checking out some other facts on this site to create a dynamic, natural, and safe treatment plan!
Why Honey Will Cure a Yeast Infection
The primary reason why honey will get rid of a yeast infection is due to its high sugar content. Just as candying foods will preserve them, bacteria and fungus can be inhibited by high concentrations of sugar. Honey has a very high osmolarity (high degree of solute particles that are present in the solvent; this ratio is known as osmolarity), thus it is packed full of various types of sugar. This is perhaps the major reason why honey has scientifically proven antimicrobial properties and makes an excellent wound dressing. Lastly, honey has a low pH; and Candida does not like low pH environments.
One study seems to have proved that high levels of sugar alone is enough to stop yeast infections. The study demonstrating this was published in the journal of Medical Mycology [(2006) 44 (3): 289-291]. Several different types of honey were used, one type being an artificial honey. The study applied honey to several different strains of Candida and found that they all inhibited the growth of Candida. But, the natural honeys were superior at stopping yeast studied than the artificial honey; this is likely a result of the natural chemicals from the plants the honey was derived from.
Several different strains of Candida were studied; included species were: C. albicans, C. glabrata, C. dubliniensis. C. glabrata was the most resistant to honey, and C. dubliniensis was the most susceptible to honey. Yet, at appropriate concentrations, all honeys stopped these yeasts. The study concluded by stating that using 100% honey topically would deliver much more honey than was needed to inhibit the growth of these yeasts (as demonstrated by the minimum inhibiting concentration, i.e. MIC). Thus, applying honey to the skin or using it in the vagina will be very effective. The study states:
A pilot study by English et al. 28 found a significant reduction in mean plaque scores and bleeding sites in patients given a chewable ‘honey leather’; this same technique could be applied for the treatment of oral candidiasis. At other body sites, regular application of 100% honey would maintain a concentration well above the desired MIC. Honey could also be incorporated into a pessary for the treatment of vaginal candidiasis.
Natural Honey Containing Plant Chemicals
The flowers that produce the nectar gathered by bees certainly influences the ability of honey to stop a yeast infection. Some types of honey will perform less efficaciously than other honeys; this is all dependent upon what type of plant the nectar is gathered from.
One study illustrated this difference in honey antifungal activity very well. The study was published in Medical Mycology [(2009) 47 (7): 707-712]. The study related that honey contains polyphenols (an organic chemical that contains many phenols; a phenol is an aromatic organic compound, also known as carbolic acid) and flavonoids (a class of plant metabolites that may help physiologically via cell signalling pathways and antioxidant effects), and that these chemicals are major factors for biological effects; e.g. antifungal activity.
The study in Medical Mycology used several different types of honey; each being produced from different types of flora. Each honey was collected by professional beekeepers from the country Turkey. The honeys used in the study were the following:
- Rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum L.) from Rize (Black Sea Region)
- Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) from Mersin (South Anatolia)
- Orange trees (Citrus spp.) from Mersin (South Anatolia)
- Multifloral (Thymus spp., Astragalus spp.,Brassica spp.) from Erzurum (East Anatolia)
The study also used many different species and strains of Candida yeast and Trichosporon yeast. All in all, 40 different types of yeast organisms were tested in the study; hence, it should be very relevant to the type of yeast that is causing your infection. The species of Candida that were studied included: Candida albicans, C. krusei, and C. glabrata.
The best of the honeys for fighting off Candida was multifloral honey. The study noticed very significant differences in anti-Candida activity between honeys. The worst performing of the honeys was orange honey. The study cites another research paper and states that orange honey typically has the lowest amounts of phenolic derivatives in it. This lack of phytochemicals in the orange honey could be the primary reason why it was less effective. Despite the variety of honey, all honeys did inhibit all the fungi tested–just more honey was needed to achieve the desired Candida stopping effect.
Since the multi floral honey was collected from some varieties of the herb thyme, it could very well be that thyme honey would also be very good at stopping yeast infections. Thyme essential oil has very strong antifungal capabilities.
The efficacy of the honeys from strongest to weakest was shown to be the following pattern: multifloral > rhododendron > eucalyptus > orange.
Since artificial honey will even stop Candida, you could try to simulate the natural chemicals of real honey by adding some essential oil to your honey before you use it. This could be a great way to get rid of a vaginal yeast infection naturally!
Hydrogen Peroxide in Honey; Good for Candida Infections?
If you’ve done some looking around online for advice on honey that produces hydrogen peroxide you may have heard that this will help your yeast infection. This, as proven by science, is a lie and a claim of someone who thinks hydrogen peroxide will kill Candida. Hydrogen peroxide won’t kill Candida yeast. In fact, hydrogen peroxide can actually stimulate the growth of Candida! There is one caveat to this, Candida glabrata will not grow as well in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. However, as you may have learned in other places on this site, Candida glabrata is the cause of a very small minority of Candida infections. About 5% of all Candida infections are caused by C. glabrata. About 80% of yeast infections are the result of the most pathogenic species: Candida albicans (Clinical Microbiology Reviews [1999 Jan; 12(1): 80–96]).
The study that proves hydrogen peroxide promotes the development of Candida albicans was published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology (1991 Feb; 29(2): 328–332). The study reported that Candida albicans grew better in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. Nearly all natural honey will produce some hydrogen peroxide when it comes in contact with body fluids. This amount of hydrogen peroxide produced may not have much of an effect on yeast growth, as it is so small. But, you may want to consider using a honey that doesn’t produce any hydrogen peroxide. An example of non-hydrogen peroxide honey is manuka honey.
Conclusion
All in all, honey is a very good natural remedy for yeast infections. It is all natural, safe, and can be acquired easily. Even artificial honey will work; albeit not as well as natural honey. If you can’t seem to easily find a multifloral honey to use, just try adding antifungal herbs or essential oils (oils and herbs that are safe to use where you infection is) to your honey to give it a boost of phytochemicals it lacks.
Hydrogen peroxide production of honey is something you may not have to really worry about. But, if you want the best, you can always use a non-hydrogen peroxide honey like manuka honey.
This site is full of herbs and essential oils that work well to treat a yeast infection. If you’ve got the time, check out some of the pages on these natural cures and start mixing them in honey! You should be able to develop a great comprehensive treatment plan to totally wipe out the yeast that is overgrowing in your body with a little reading! Check the menu out on the top right-hand corner of this page for all the other articles on using honey as a yeast infection treatment.
