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Can cloves, ginger, turmeric, and garlic cure vaginal infection?

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Claim:  A Facebook user claims that consuming cloves, ginger, turmeric, and garlic mixture can effectively eliminate all types of vaginal infections in women.

Can cloves, ginger, turmeric, and garlic cure vaginal infection?

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The World Health Organization estimates that 80 per cent of the global population relies on herbal medicine for some aspects of their primary healthcare. 

MC Mfresh, a Facebook blogger, has claimed that soaking cloves, ginger, turmeric and garlic in water and drinking the mixture can cure vaginal infection in women. 

According to his instructions, the ingredients should be soaked overnight and consumed the following day. Once the mixture runs out, he suggests adding more water to the remaining ingredients for continued use.

He further emphasised that if a woman does not have cloves in her home, she will struggle to eliminate infections. He also claimed that this method will keep infections at bay and eliminate the need for costly hospital treatments. In his view, cloves have many benefits, including antiviral, anti-infection and anti-bacterial properties. 

As of Sept. 26, 2024, the video has garnered 29,700 likes, 1,200 comments and 6,100 shares. 

Believing the information put out, Alex Ikpasa, a user, asked if the claimant could offer similar solutions for conditions like diabetes, arthritis, weak erections and mouth odour. 

Another user, Abraham Blessing, shared her experience: “I remember one time my period did not show up. I did a lot of tests, but everything was negative. A woman recommended cloves, ginger, garlic, and turmeric. I drank it for days, and my period came out. I was so ecstatic that I did not go to the pharmacy to spend thousands of naira.”  

Given his followers’ confidence in this remedy and its likely implications on public health, DUBAWA decided to fact-check the claim.  

Verification

According to Healthline, cloves contain eugenol, a powerful antioxidant that helps manage oxidative stress. Concentrated clove oil has been shown to kill cancer cells in the oesophagus and may help treat various health conditions. Additionally, clove extract and nigericin can aid in regulating blood sugar levels, preserve bone mass, and treat stomach or peptic cancer.

In a recent article, Marie Johson, a certified nutritionist, explained that while ginger has known anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties, there is no clinical evidence supporting its effectiveness in treating vaginal infections. 

Another article by The Candida Diet explains that turmeric has natural anti-fungal properties, particularly from its active compound called curcumin, which may help in managing candida-related vaginal infections. However, further research is needed to confirm its effectiveness.

Meanwhile, Healthline highlights garlic as widely recognised for its antibiotic properties, primarily due to allicin, an antibacterial and antifungal potency compound. 

Experts’ Opinions 

We consulted Henry Iwunze, a gynaecologist at Simone Hospital  Aba, who explained that while the mixture of cloves, turmeric, ginger and garlic may provide some relief for vaginal infection, it is not an effective cure.

He stated, “Certain infections respond to specific drugs, and some do not. For example, if a drug like Ampiclox is sensitive to a particular infection, even though cloves, ginger, turmeric and garlic have antiseptic properties, their use will only suppress or temporarily alleviate the infection. However, they will not cure it, as the infection’s sensitivity to treatment must be considered.”

DUBAWA also spoke to Dr Hussain Adamu, a medical officer, to inquire whether a mixture of garlic, turmeric, ginger, and cloves could cure infections. He responded by saying, “that it could not and emphasised that proper treatment requires antibiotics or antifungal medications.” 

He further explained that while these ingredients may possess antiseptic properties, they are ineffective against certain organisms due to their structure and other characteristics. In contrast, pharmaceutical drugs remain the best option, as they have been scientifically tested and proven effective.

Conclusion

While cloves, ginger, garlic and turmeric may offer some general health benefits, the lack of specific, scientifically validated evidence makes it unreliable to claim that they can cure vaginal infections

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