The efficacy of vaginal suppository based on myrtle in patients with cervicovaginal human papillomavirus infection: A randomized, double‐blind, placebo trial

Abstract

Human papillomavirus (HPV) can be detected in most of cervical cancers. Due to antiviral, antimutagenic, and proapoptotic activities of myrtle, this study was designed to investigate the effect of a herbal suppository based on myrtle in cervicovaginal HPV infections. This study was performed as a double-blind randomized trial at the Clinic of Traditional Medicine in Mashhad University of Medical Sciences between 2016 and 2017. Sixty women, 18 to 50 years old, with cervicovaginal HPV infection, were included and randomly allocated to two groups. Sixty placebo or herbal vaginal suppositories were prescribed for 3 months (20 suppositories at each menstrual cycle). Each herbal vaginal suppository contained 10% of myrtle aqueous extract and 0.5% of myrtle essential oil. The HPV test and colposcopic findings were evaluated after treatment. There was no difference between two groups as regards lesion site, diagnosis time of disease, and HPV type before intervention (p ≥ 0.05). At the end of the study, the HPV test was negative in 92.6% and 62.6% of the intervention and placebo groups, respectively (p = 0.036). The change in cervical lesion size was 71.4% and 30.4% in the intervention and placebo groups, respectively, based on colposcopic findings (p = 0.015). It seems that herbal suppository can speed up virus clearance and can be effective in treating HPV infection.

Antiviral Effects of Plant-Derived Essential Oils and Their Components: An Updated Review

“…Many studies showed the direct action against cell-free virions, the broad-spectrum antiviral activities and the antiviral versatility of EOs. The antiviral potency was tested in clinical studies [61,62] and some achieved pleasant results. As an example, myrtle vaginal suppository containing 0.5% myrtle EO was effective in patients with HPV infection with an HPV clearance rate of 92.6% compared with that of placebo (68%) [62].…”

“…The antiviral potency was tested in clinical studies [61,62] and some achieved pleasant results. As an example, myrtle vaginal suppository containing 0.5% myrtle EO was effective in patients with HPV infection with an HPV clearance rate of 92.6% compared with that of placebo (68%) [62]. Taken together, EOs hold promise as candidates for prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of virus-induced diseases in future.…”

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Personal Hygiene Products: The Implications for Human Exposure and Emission to the Environment

“…However, the mean PFAS concentrations in tampons (made of cotton, rayon, or a blend of them) were below the LOQs, which may be due to the fact that tampons must maintain a high water absorption capacity and thus perhaps no fluorinated compounds are used in the production process. As for bactericidal liquids, the ingredients are mainly composed of some components from Chinese herbal medicines (e.g., Radix Sophorae Flavescenti and Phellodendri Cortex ) . The reason for the few PFAS detected in bactericidal liquids may be that they are primarily used for vulva cleaning and as bacteriostatic agents and they do not require any waterproofing feature.…”

Myrtle: a versatile medicinal plant

“…The myrtle efficiency for vaginal suppositories in patients with cervicovaginal human papillomavirus (HPV) infection was investigated [ 54 ]. The results showed that the myrtle vaginal suppository was effective in HPV clearance compared with placebo.…”