Essential Oils: Herbal Remedy for Treatment of Vaginal Infections

Vaginal infections caused due to Candida species are very common in recent years because of current stressful lifestyle of women. Though these infections are not life threatening but can affect daily routine and standard of living of an individual female, hence care must be taken. Various vaginal infections can be treated using variety of synthetic dosage forms like oral tablets, capsules and topical tablets, suppositories, creams etc. that are available in market. The microorganisms develop resistance with prolong use of synthetic chemicals, so there is a need to reduce the use of synthetic antimicrobials. In this review article, we have focused on natural remedies for the treatment of vaginal infections which will ensure better results with lesser side effects. Over previous years a large number of essential oils isolated from various parts of the plant have been investigated for their antimicrobial properties against bacteria and fungi. The treatment of vaginal infections with essential oils has shown rapid recovery due to site specificity by exposing the individual's infected part. This article enlists various essential oils obtained from diverse natural sources, their source of procurement, chemical composition and their role in treatment of vaginal infections. The article also includes the directions for use whether in diluted form or in combination with other additives. The article justifies the use of essential oils for the treatment of vaginal infections like vulvovaginal candidiasis.