Are 'Yoni pearls' for vaginal detox safe?

Hyderabad: A Facebook post advertising the many benefits of "herbal tampons" or "Yoni pearls" is doing the rounds of social media. It claims that Yoni pearls are "great for cleansing out the vagina from yeast, bacteria, and other issues the womb may be dealing with."

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First thing first, what is this 'Yoni pearl'?

According to Healthline, yoni pearls, also called vagina detox pearls, are small, cloth-covered balls full of herbs, such as motherwort, angelica, borneol, rhubarb, rhizome, and osthol.

FACT CHECK

Herbs belongs in your pizzas, not in your vagina.

Healthline says "these pearls are dangerous" and that there is no research to support the safety of putting herbs inside your vagina. There also isn't research that doing so is going to support vaginal or uterine health.

Another Healthline article said yoni pearls aren't approved by the Food and Drug Administration and aren't considered safe by doctors for a number of reasons.

Newsmeter ran a keyword search and found a report by CBC that said Health Canada has barred the sale of Goddess Vaginal Detox Pearls, a natural health care product that is marketed as a way to "detox" vaginas, following an investigation by CBC's Marketplace back in 2019.

A 2020 report by Independent reported that a company, Goddess Detox, that sells vaginal "detox pearls" is facing a class action lawsuit for false, misleading, and deceptive marketing. "According to the class action suit, the false claims include the product's ability to treat infertility, despite not being FDA-approved, and of being safe, as the pearls contain "at least one ingredient that has been recognised as toxic"," it read.

Healthline further warned of vaginal infection from using yoni pearls. "Yoni pearls don't detox, cleanse, or help medical conditions. In fact, they can cause infections, which can be dangerous to your health and the health of your pregnancy," it warned.

Vaginas are self-cleaning. Consult your gynaecologist before consulting internet baba.

It is evident that yoni pearls are not only unsafe but could lead to unpleasant trips to the doctor. Hence, the claim is false.