Stopped and killed 9 in 10 Candida strains at 0.25%. That held for 81 C. albicans isolates and for 33 isolates of other species. Three vaginal tea tree products worked as well as the pure oil.
Hammer 1998, J Antimicrob Chemother · Source
Yeast Infection
What's actually happening when you have a yeast infection?
A yeast infection happens when Candida, a yeast that usually lives quietly in the vagina, grows out of balance and starts to invade the skin. Here's what drives it, why it keeps coming back for some women, and what research shows when Momotaro Apotheca's ingredients meet Candida.
75%of women have at least one yeast infection
1 in 3women who treated themselves for yeast actually had yeast alone, in one study
0.25%tea tree oil stopped 9 in 10 Candida strains in the lab
What is a yeast infection, really?
Candida is a yeast that lives quietly on and in many healthy bodies, including the vagina. Most of the time the lactobacilli and your immune system keep it in check, and you never notice it.
A yeast infection (vulvovaginal candidiasis) starts when Candida overgrows and changes shape. As round, budding yeast cells, it is mostly tolerated. When it switches into long threads called hyphae, it can push into the vaginal lining and release a toxin, candidalysin, that sets off the itching, swelling and soreness. Unlike BV, a yeast infection usually leaves vaginal pH in the normal range.
What are the symptoms of a yeast infection?
The CDC lists these as typical, though none of them on its own proves it's yeast:
Itching
Of the vulva and vagina, often intense.
Thick, white, curdy discharge
Sometimes described as looking like cottage cheese.
Soreness, redness and swelling
Sometimes with small cracks in the skin of the vulva.
Burning when you pee, or pain during sex
The sting is usually where urine touches irritated skin outside.
Yeast is easy to mistake for BV or another infection. In a study of 95 women who bought yeast medicine for themselves, only about a third actually had a yeast infection alone. A quick test from your clinician tells you for sure. Not sure which one it is? Try the symptom sorter.
Where do yeast infections come from?
Most people who get a single yeast infection have no clear trigger. These are the things that make Candida more likely to take over.
Antibiotics
Antibiotics can knock back the lactobacilli that keep Candida in check. In a survey of 1,117 women, about a third said they'd had a yeast infection after taking antibiotics.
High blood sugar
Diabetes, especially when it isn't well controlled, is linked to yeast infections that keep coming back.
A lowered immune system
Steroid medicines and conditions that weaken immunity make yeast infections more likely and harder to clear.
It isn't usually from sex
The CDC says yeast infections aren't usually passed through sex, and treating partners isn't recommended.
Which yeasts cause yeast infections?
Most yeast infections come from one species, but the others matter when infections keep coming back.
The usual suspect
Candida albicans
Causes most yeast infections. It's the species that switches into invasive threads.
The holdout
Candida glabrata
Found in 10 to 20% of women with yeast infections that keep coming back. Standard treatments work less reliably against it, so a culture helps.
The rare ones
C. krusei, C. tropicalis, C. parapsilosis
Less common species that clinicians look for when the usual treatment doesn't work.
The protectors
Lactobacillus
The vaginal bacteria that help keep Candida in check. When antibiotics knock them back, yeast gets room to grow.
Why do yeast infections keep coming back?
About 75% of women have at least one yeast infection, and 40 to 45% have two or more. For fewer than 5%, they become recurrent: three or more in a year. Antifungal medicine clears most single infections, and it's the right first step. Recurrent infections are harder.
75%
of women have at least one yeast infection in their lifetime.
at least one none
Weekly medicine holds it off while you take it
In a trial of weekly fluconazole for six months, 91% of women stayed infection-free during treatment. Six months after stopping, 43% still were. The CDC calls this approach effective but rarely a cure.
Some yeasts don't respond as well
C. glabrata and other less common species are more often behind repeat infections, and they respond less well to standard medicines.
The triggers are still there
Repeat courses of antibiotics, blood sugar and hormones can keep tipping the balance back toward yeast.
That's where the research below comes in: ingredients that hold back Candida, including strains that resist standard medicines, and probiotics that, in trials, helped alongside treatment.
Which Momotaro Apotheca ingredients have been studied against Candida?
Human study tested in people Lab study tested in the lab
| Ingredient | C. albicans | Other Candida species | Medicine-resistant strains | Yeast in women | Spares lactobacilli |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tea Tree OilSalve, Suppository, Tonic | Lab study | Lab study | Lab study | Lab study | |
| CalendulaSalve, Suppository | Human study | ||||
| Berberinein Oregon Grape and Goldenseal | Lab study | Lab study | Lab study | ||
| Coconut Oil and monolaurinCoconut Oil and its main fat | Lab study | Lab study | Lab study | Human study | Human study |
| Lactobacillus speciesin the Daily Probiotic | Human study | Human study |
What did the studies find?
Tea Tree Oil
Worked on Candida that resists fluconazole. Terpinen-4-ol, tea tree's main active compound, stopped resistant strains at 0.06% and cleared vaginal infections in rats as well as whole tea tree oil.
Mondello 2006, BMC Infect Dis · Source
Tea tree suppositories killed all 20 Candida strains, while probiotic lactobacilli were unharmed below 2%.
Di Vito 2015, Phytother Res · Source
Calendula
A month after treatment, 77% of women on calendula cream tested clear of Candida, vs 34% on clotrimazole. Clotrimazole worked faster: at 10 to 15 days, 74% tested clear vs 49% on calendula. Symptoms were lower with calendula at the later check.
Saffari 2017, Women Health · Source
Berberine (in Oregon Grape and Goldenseal)
Kept C. albicans from sticking to vaginal cells. Berberine also calmed the cells' inflammatory signals.
Zhao 2022, Front Pharmacol
Helped fluconazole work again against a resistant strain. Against a fluconazole-resistant C. tropicalis, berberine and fluconazole together worked far better than either alone.
Shao 2016, Front Microbiol · Source
Coconut Oil and monolaurin
Every C. albicans isolate tested was sensitive to coconut oil. All 17 were stopped by coconut oil diluted to 25%.
Ogbolu 2007, J Med Food
Monolaurin outperformed fluconazole against a resistant strain. It also cut the amount of yeast in Candida biofilms.
Seleem 2016, PeerJ · Source
A monolaurin vaginal gel lowered Candida without touching lactobacilli or pH. The plain gel didn't lower Candida. In the lab, monolaurin killed every Candida species tested.
Strandberg 2010, Antimicrob Agents Chemother · Source
Lactobacillus species (Daily Probiotic)
These studies used other strains of the same species found in the Daily Probiotic, not our exact strains.
Yeast on culture in 10% with probiotics plus fluconazole, vs 39% with fluconazole alone. Women took oral L. rhamnosus and L. reuteri or a placebo for four weeks after one dose of fluconazole.
Martinez 2009, Lett Appl Microbiol · Source
More women had healthy, lactobacillus-led flora after three months of oral L. plantarum. It rose from 25% to 42% of women, with less redness and swelling than on placebo.
Vladareanu 2018, Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci · Source
About three times fewer yeast infections while eating L. acidophilus yogurt daily. A small study in women with repeat infections.
Hilton 1992, Ann Intern Med · Source
How can Momotaro Apotheca help?
Start with your clinician. If you think you have a yeast infection, get checked, especially the first time or if it keeps coming back. A test confirms it's yeast, and which kind.
Then care for your body every day. Our products are made for everyday vulvar comfort and for the lactobacilli that keep your vaginal ecosystem in balance.
Soothe & Restore Salve
Calendula, tea tree oil (about 2%), coconut oil and berberine-rich Oregon grape and goldenseal, to soothe itchy, irritated outer skin.
See the SalveVaginal Suppository
Calendula, tea tree oil and Oregon grape in a cocoa butter and coconut oil base, with homeopathic beechwood, northern white cedar and echinacea.
See the SuppositoryDaily Probiotic
Ten strains, including L. rhamnosus, L. reuteri, L. plantarum and L. acidophilus, the species studied alongside yeast treatment.
See the Daily ProbioticCommon questions about yeast infections
Is a yeast infection a sexually transmitted infection?
No. Yeast infections aren't usually passed through sex, and the CDC doesn't recommend treating partners.
How can I tell a yeast infection from BV?
Yeast usually brings itching and thick white discharge with little change in pH. BV more often brings thin gray discharge, a fishy odor and a pH above 4.5. They overlap a lot, so a test is the only sure way.
Do I have Candida if I don't have symptoms?
You might. Candida lives harmlessly in many healthy people. It only becomes an infection when it overgrows and causes symptoms.
Why do I get a yeast infection after antibiotics?
Antibiotics can reduce the lactobacilli that keep Candida in check, which gives yeast room to grow.
Is it safe to use these ingredients alongside yeast treatment?
Ask your clinician before adding anything during treatment, and always if you're pregnant. Tea tree oil can irritate some skin, so patch test on your inner arm first; the Salve uses about 2%. Stop if you notice burning. Lab results show what an ingredient does to yeast in a dish, at set strengths. They don't show that a product treats yeast infections, and our products haven't been tested as yeast infection treatments.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Momotaro Apotheca products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Sources
- Workowski KA et al. 2021. CDC STI Treatment Guidelines: Vulvovaginal Candidiasis. MMWR Recomm Rep 70(4).
- Ardizzoni A, Wheeler RT, Pericolini E. 2021. Front Microbiol 12:692491.
- Ferris DG et al. 2002. Obstet Gynecol 99(3):419.
- Pirotta MV, Gunn JM, Chondros P. 2003. Med J Aust 179(1):43.
- Sobel JD et al. 2004. N Engl J Med 351:876.
- Hammer KA, Carson CF, Riley TV. 1998. J Antimicrob Chemother 42:591.
- Mondello F et al. 2006. BMC Infect Dis 6:158.
- Di Vito M et al. 2015. Phytother Res 29(10):1628.
- Saffari E et al. 2017. Women Health 57(10):1145.
- Zhao et al. 2022. Front Pharmacol 13.
- Shao J et al. 2016. Front Microbiol 7:1516.
- Ogbolu DO et al. 2007. J Med Food 10(2):384.
- Seleem D et al. 2016. PeerJ 4:e2148.
- Strandberg KL et al. 2010. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 54(2):597.
- Martinez RC et al. 2009. Lett Appl Microbiol 48(3):269.
- Vladareanu R et al. 2018. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 22:262.
- Hilton E et al. 1992. Ann Intern Med 116(5):353.
Reviewed by the Momotaro Apotheca medical team, including OB-GYNs and naturopathic doctors. Educational information, not medical advice. All ingredient research