Biochemical Evaluation of Homeopathic Remedies as Over the Counter Treatments for Vaginal Yeast Infections

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A growing number of women around the world are turning to homeopathic remedies to cure vaginal yeast infections. Along with natural suppositories and yeast arrests, a new social media driven product known as Yoni Pearls are becoming an online sensation. While many women take to social media to give testaments to the product's efficiency, little research has been done on the usage, effectiveness, and safety of using these Yoni Pearls as well as other homeopathic options. To attempt to decipher this, yeast arrest, Yoni Pearls, boric acid, suppositories, and tea tree oil suppositories were placed in fermentations performed on Saccharomyces cerevisiae in simulated vaginal fluid. The first major finding seen was the difference in yeast growth for each media. The yeast was inhibited more in the simulated vaginal fluid than when in only an aqueous glucose (5 g/L) solution. This difference was attributed to chemical inhibitors in the simulated vaginal fluid. When the effect of the homeopathic treatments was studied in the aqueous glucose solution, significant (P<0.5) differences were observed in the amount of CO2 produced. Fermentation yields were measured stoichiometrically as CaCO3 by capturing the CO2 in a Ca(OH)2 saturated solution. The homeopathic treatments decreased the fermentation yields in this order: Tea tree oil suppository, Yoni Pearl, Yeast Arrest, boric acid suppository. Further directions include determining which chemicals in the simulated vaginal fluid are inhibiting S. cerevisiae fermentation, replicating the experiments on Candida albicans, and using Bovine Serum Albumin assay to determine anti-inflammatory characteristics.