Comparison of the Effect of Vaginally Administered Coconut Oil and Clotrimazole on Candida Species

The incidence of vaginal candidiasis and the number of treatment resistant cases are high; moreover, chemical medications are associated with serious adverse effects. Therefore, the use of herbal medicines is taken into consideration because they do not affect the normal vaginal flora and have low side effects. In vitro studies confirmed the favorable antifungal effects of coconut oil on various species of Candida, especially on the resistant species such as Candida glabrata and Candida tropicalis. This study was conducted to compare the effect of vaginally administered coconut oil and clotrimazole on Candida species.
This triple-blind clinical trial was conducted on 71 patients, who were assigned into two groups of coconut oil (35 individuals) and clotrimazole (36 individuals) in Mashhad, Iran, 2017. Data were collected using demographic data form and observation record sheets. The patients received the medicines by applicator for a week. Thereafter, physical examination and re-cultivation were carried out; and the success in the treatment included a negative culture and symptom relief. Data analysis was performed using independent samples t-test, Fisher’s exact and Chi-squared tests with the help of SPSS software, version 19. P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
In this study, there was no significant difference between the groups in terms of the frequency of Candida albicans, glabrata, and tropicalis at the pre- and post-intervention phases (P=0.98, P=0.34, P=0.73, respectively). Regarding the success in the treatment, no significant difference was observed between the effects of vaginally administered coconut oil and clotrimazole on various species of Candida (P>0.05).
Considering the beneficial effects of vaginally administered coconut oil on candidiasis, it is recommended to use it to treat this disorder.