This article is contributed by my friend, Lily Tan. She has done some extensive reading on natural remedies and tried a lot of them herself, especially for thrush and yeast infection, which she has suffered from. She recently relied on these natural remedies for her pregnancy-induced yeast infection and is now yeast-infection free!
She has very generously allowed me to share this on this site so that what she learned can also benefit other moms who may be suffering from thrush and yeast infection. I have done some editing to protect her privacy.
These are some of the yeast remedies I have used when my son and I had ongoing thrush for the longest time when he was a baby and also recently when I had on-off pregnancy-induced yeast.
1. Coconut Oil
We use organic cold-pressed Extra Virgin Coconut Oil but any kind of coconut oil would do. Drink it by the spoonful – 1 tablespoon after each meal. Prepare a water chaser; the taste may need getting used to. You can also apply it onto your nipples. Coconut Oil has amazing properties. It has a very soothing effect and gets absorbed by the skin, so you won’t have to clean it off before nursing.
Read more here: http://www.coconutdiet.com/candida.htm
Where to get coconut oil?
I get mine from Vitakids and Organic World. Any organic healthfood store should have coconut oil on its shelves.
True Coconut: $26.30 per 350 ml jar
Cocos: $19.95 per 250ml bottle
Spectrum Organics: $16 for 414 ml jar
Coco Vida: $29 – $32 per jar depending on who’s selling it
Cocos – Produced In Singapore
* 100% Natural Premium Virgin Oil
* Cold Pressed Extracts from coconuts
* All natural non-hydrogenated oil
* Cholesterol / Gluten / Lactose Free
* Contains MCT (Medium-Chain Triglycerides)
Can order by phone or fax and it will be delivered (No delivery charges). Minimum purchase of two bottles.
Price is $15.00 per bottle of 150 ml
$48.00 per bottle of 750 ml
Available at:
Fujairah International Pte Ltd
25 Tagore Lane
# 03-01B
Singapore 787602
Tel: 64678322 / 64677322 ( Arthur Foo / Alice Foo)
Fax:64679015
Dr Mercola loves coconut oil too. I use it for everything now, even rubbing on my belly!
2. Probiotics
You need lots of this because the Diflucan and any anti-fungal medication you are taking will also kill all the good bacteria in your gut and cause even more imbalance. Yeast infection is essentially a condition of imbalance between good and bad bacteria (yeast). We used 3 different probiotics:
and a super food probiotics powder:
http://www.onegrp.com/resources/General/IN-LIVEN.pdf
Before using these, we tried normal probiotics from GNC but these didn’t do a thing for us. We were advised by my son’s cranial sacral therapist to rotate the probiotics because Culturelle only has one strain (Lactobacillus GG), Kirkmans has 8 strains and Miessence has 13 strains of good bacteria. Take 2 capsules before each meal.
You can also break open the Culturelle capsule and dab a little of the powder on your baby’s tongue.
3. Garlic or Garlic Extract
I used to be unable to stomach raw garlic, so we got Kyolic Liquid Aged Garlic Extract. My son drinks it by the spoonful now. I am also using raw garlic to help kill Group B Strep bacteria.
4. Oil of Oregano
If you are breasfeeding, use with care because it is known to reduce milk supply. But I was so desperate I used it anyway! It is super potent, good for inflammations and any bacterial infection. Product :
Oreganol P73
You can also get the Solaray brand of encapsulated Oil of Oregano from GNC. I broke the capsule and rubbed the oil on my son’s soles and cover with socks before he slept. Now that he is older, he can bite and swallow the capsules too.
5. Grapefruit Seed Extract
I used Source Naturals Citricidex – put 5 drops diluted in 30 ml of water in a spray/squirt bottle and used it to clean my baby’s mouth and my nipples.
Further Reading – http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/bf/thrush.asp
6. Gentian Violet
We have not tried this ourselves.
7. Diet
Very strict diet of : no wheat, no dairy, no sugar. All these promote yeast growth.
Read The Yeast Connection by William Crook. it’s a very good book and made me realize how a lot of medicines that are supposedly to cure us can sometimes make us even sicker!
Further Reading : The Yeast Connection (website)
8. Hot Water & Vinegar
Wash your underwear in the hottest water possible. Change breast pads at every feeding. Wear 100% cotton t-shirts. A cup of vinegar or tea tree oil in the wash will help.
9. Air Time
Air affected parts as much as possible (e.g. go topless). Sunning (if you can do it) helps too.
10. Do Not Use Lanolin based Breast Cream
E.g. Lansinoh. It seals the moisture in your nipples and traps the yeast. Lanolin is contraindicated in thrush.
Disclaimer : The information shared in this article is not meant to substitute professional medical advice. Please consult the doctor if you have questions or concerns regarding your health or the health of your child.
Parenting Joy 