In recent years, people are becoming more aware of the potential hazards of some prescription medications and treatments. Because of this, more and more people are seeking out homeopathic or all-natural solutions to common health problems. This isn’t really a new thing. Even back in the youth of our grandparents, home remedies were popular. In fact, in many cases, home remedies were all they had. Today’s thinking seems to have become, “If it worked for Granny, it will work for me.” That may sometimes be true, but it’s good to keep in mind that Granny’s life expectancy was much shorter than yours. So was infant mortality rate, for that matter. Without antibiotics and advanced medical care, a lot of babies and children died of common ailments that are easily treated with a pill today.
Recently, stories are surfacing about women trying to improve the quality of their vaginas using a very unsafe practice. To rejuvenate and tighten their vaginas, some women are putting crushed oak galls in their vaginal openings. Oak galls are the nests that housed the larva and eggs of wasps. According to the University of Kentucky, oak apple galls are large round growths filled with spongy masses. In the hard seed-like cell in the center of the gall, a single wasp larva is located.
You’d think that people would know better than this, and for sure women are usually smarter than to do something like this. But I guess that some people are just desperate to try anything that might work. For some reason, these women have come to believe that this practice will restore the uterine wall after a woman gives birth. Some people are even suggesting that it will help an episiotomy heal and that it cleans out the vagina. The fact is, there is nothing about this practice that is good for the vagina. The astringents found in oak galls dry out and irritate the vagina, leading to pain during intercourse and nasty infections.
jcbeni, Pixabay
Ladies, from one woman to another, don’t put weird stuff in your vagina. To clean out your vagina, talk to your doctor about using a mild vinegar and water douche or see if there’s something else your medical provider recommends. To tighten your vagina, you can try some Kegel exercises. For episiotomy care, do whatever your doctor suggests. Be aware that oak galls are available for sale online, but that does not mean you should use them. Just don’t. Here’s a short video on the subject.
Featured image: RobinHiggins via Pixabay
