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Stephen Ohene Sabi, a pharmacist, has warned against the use of clove water to eliminate vaginal odour, tightening, and yeast infection by some women.
Mr. Sabi said that although there were several health benefits of cloves, there was no scientific evidence to prove that adding cloves to water and leaving it for some time before drinking could fight vaginal odour, cure yeast infection, or help in vaginal tightening.
Mr Sabi, who is also Head of Pharmacy at Pleasant Medical Centre in Ashaiman, Middle East, lamented that there was no adequate measurement of the quantity needed to cure a particular problem, which could have a negative impact on one’s overall health.
Mr. Sabi said this at the weekly “Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility! A Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office initiative aimed at promoting health-related communication and providing a platform for health information dissemination to influence personal health choices through improved health literacy
The Ghana News Agency’s Tema Regional Office developed the public health advocacy platform “Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility” to investigate the components of four health communication approaches: informing, instructing, convincing, and promoting.
“There has not been any research about that, so science may not be able to tell you that this or that, but I’m sure they are doing that based on experience; people use certain substances, and because of the way they experience it, they also pass it on,” he stated.
He explained that clove was known to be anti-fungi, anti-bacteria, and anti-virus; however, the quantity needed to cure bacteria was unknown, hence the need to visit health professionals for diagnosis and proper treatment in such circumstances.
“It is like you are eating a banana; banana contains potassium, which is good for the heart. If it is medicine, you cannot take more than 600 milligrammes of potassium, but if you are taking a banana, how much of a banana contains 600
milligrammes, we do not know, so that is the challenge we have with herbal medicines,” he said.
The Pharmacist mentioned that even if the concoction works for a particular person, the continuous use of it becomes a challenge. “You can use it once in a while, but the continuous use of it then causes the side effects to manifest.”
Mr. Sabi advised that women opt for feminine wash, which must be used after menstruation, stressing that it was appropriate to use only water for washing the vagina.
Mr. Sabi added that before one can administer a responsible dose of medication, one must read more about the medicine and know its side effects on the body after consumption.
He cautioned individuals that the abuse of medications by taking overdoses should be avoided due to the side effects of the medicine on the patient.
Even though some medicines have minor side effects such as constipation, headache, and diarrhoea, some can cause severe side effects that may end up requiring intervention at the health facility, he said.
He advised that when a physician prescribes a medication, you need to take it as prescribed without overdosing because some medicines, when overdosed, make you addicted; therefore, he urged that one not take more than the prescribed dosage.
