Natural Cures for Yeast Infections

Yeast infections occur from an overgrowth of Candida. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, it's common for Candida to live in the mouth, on the skin and inside and around the vagina with no problems. It's when these fungi meet the right conditions, like excess heat and moisture or lack of beneficial yeast-inhibiting bacteria, that they overgrow and cause an infection. If an infection occurs, there are several popular natural cures that you can try.

Oral Yeast Infections

• Oral yeast infections, often called "thrush," cause white patches inside the mouth, especially on the tongue. According to the Home Remedy Reference Center, apple cider vinegar is a particularly potent anti-fungal treatment. Make a mouth rinse with half water and half apple cider vinegar. Rinse with it every three hours until all signs of infection have cleared. You can also make a rinse by adding one tablespoon of sage and one tablespoon of rosemary to one cup of water. Steep for 20 minutes, then rinse.

Vaginal Yeast Infections

• Vaginal yeast infections cause severe itching and burning, as well as a cottage cheese-like discharge and bread-like odor. Natural cures are specially effective at curing vaginal infections, and many women prefer them to prescription or over-the-counter methods. Yogurt is the most popular of these methods. To use it, simply insert plain, unsweetened yogurt into the vagina each night before you go to bed. Use it until your symptoms clear.

  Another popular treatment is garlic. Garlic is widely renown for its anti-fungal properties. At the first sign of a yeast infection, insert a clove of garlic into your vagina for a few hours. Remove it, then add a fresh clove around the same time the next day, continuing until the day after symptoms are gone.

Skin Yeast Infections

• Skin yeast infections happen commonly in athletes and people who sweat a lot. The yeast that naturally lives on the skin's surface overgrows, causing a red, itchy, inflamed rash. The same natural cures used for other parts of the body work well on the skin. For example, use a cotton ball to dab on the half water, half vinegar solution three times per day. You can also cut a clove of garlic in half and rub it over your infection. If this stings, try mashing a clove of garlic and placing it in a light carrier oil for several hours to infuse, then applying the oil to irritated skin.