5 Ways Yoni Steaming Supports Women’s Health
The Forgotten Medicine of Steam
Few practices or ideas can be universally traced back to every inch of the globe. Yoni steaming, however, has been used amongst women consistently for hygienic maintenance for centuries, especially after birth, miscarriage, rape, and menstruation. There is evidence of yoni steaming being used today at Daejeon University in South Korea as an alternative cancer therapy. It is referred to as ‘chai-yok.’ Central American cultures call it “bajo.” Steam from mugwort (Artemisa vulgaris) was used in France to onset bleeding and clear out clots as well as a postpartum care practice. In Indonesia it is called a Bakera, an herbal steam for postpartum care. Maasai women have an indigenous practice of steaming with Jasmine the night before their men return from hunting trips. Yoni steaming is a practice that belongs to women.
While google searches and top hits may still seem to ridicule this practice and modern v-lift spas profit off naive clients, there is a proper way to use yoni steaming as a complete rejuvenation for optimal reproductive, sexual, and menstrual health. It is a gentle, noninvasive health practice that supports the womb. It can be inexpensive if proper organic herbs are sourced and a dedicated ceramic, metal, or glass bowl is used. Most importantly for a positive and beneficial experience is working with a certified practitioner so a woman gets matched to the herbs she needs at that time in her cycle and life.
Many modern gynecological, medical, practices exist that women do not question. Hysterectomies, ablations, surgeries, IUDs, are all thrust upon us after years of being gaslit. Women have confided in me that their OBGYNs listened to their vulvovaginal pain and suggested enjoying a glass of wine before intimacy. Our modern health practices for women are not even outdated, they are nearly inexistent. After years of silent suffering the western approach to women’s health is typically surgery without exploring alternatives. Yoni steaming has been used with prestige and obviousness in many parts of the world for centuries and today.
The following examples are not meant to treat, diagnose, or cure any disease or medical condition. Most doctors are not experienced with yoni steaming. Doctors (OBGYNs) are legally liable for recommendations they prescribe to their patients, therefore, they will rarely encourage a practice they are not familiar with themselves. It is best to find a doctor who sees the benefit of pelvic steaming and incorporates it as an integrative practice. The Eudaimonia Center, founded by Dr. Laurena White, offers free consultations for those who want to discuss their medical concerns with an OBGYN.
1. Complement to Radiotherapy in Cervical Cancer
The Nanjing University in China published a study that looked into yoni steaming while also providing radiotherapy to patients who were at a high risk for HPV or had cervical cancer. One control group used only radiotherapy while the other group added steaming, an oral herbal medicine, and an herbal vaginal wash. In the radiotherapy only group, HPV positive lowered by 7.5% while in the complementary therapies group, it lowered 30%. Furthermore, the test group had a significantly higher tumor-free survival rate at the five year mark as well as a lower rate of pelvic lymph node metastasis than the radiation-only group. There is space for alternative therapies to complement modern science. Perhaps prevention is possible too if we help girls understand their wombs and prioritize steaming as a beneficial self-care practice that helps to detoxify the vulva, vagina, and uterus. The cervix is the very top part of the vagina and it is a junction of two different types of cells, the columnar and squamous. This space is called the transformation zone because cells move up and to the top of the uterus to make space for a baby to move through the vaginal canal and create pressure on the top of the uterus to help it push. Since it is a junction of different cells, it is vulnerable to disease.
Spiritually, the cervix is the meeting point, the gate between the energetic and physical world. This area can be a powerful focal point for a meditation and sending an intention of your breath to connect to this magical portal.
2. Clears Irregular Vaginal Discharge
The Society of Korean Medicine Obstetrics and Gynecology conducted a small study in 2015 on leukorrhea. Seven of the sixteen participants also reported having vaginitis (inflammation of the vagina with common symptoms like itchiness and burning sensation). Complementary Korean medical modalities like acupuncture, moxibustion, and herbal medicine were used. Every participant had a significant decrease in the amount and odor of vaginal discharge, itchiness, dryness, burning sensation, and pain during menstruation with no reported side effects. Additionally, many participants also noted better sleep quality, improved urination, and decreased cold hypersensitivity.
Yeast infections, which plague more women in my life than I can count on my fingers and toes, produce vaginal discharge. In 2018, the Pusan National University’s Department of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology analyzed five studies that singled out yoni steaming as a healing modality for yeast infections. In all the studies, vaginal steaming proved more effective than the control group which used antibiotics administered in the form of vaginal tablets and oral medication. Steaming practices were prescribed in one study, for example, for seven minutes a day for ten consecutive days.
While many women silently suffer from vaginal discharge which may or may not have an odor, steaming with proper proportions of herbs can help to disinfect the vaginal area and reduce dampness. The environment of the vagina is either conducive for bacteria and yeast to grow or it is uninhabitable.
3. Natural Fertility Support
While improving fertility relies on a number of factors including nutrition, lifestyle, hormone levels, steaming can be an ally. The process of steam rising into the womb increases circulation in the uterus, which is why it may help reduce fibroids and cysts. Steaming helps to dislodge any ‘yuck’ stuck to the uterine lining that may not have been shed in the last cycle. In order for healthy implantation to occur, the fertilized egg needs a strong grip to attach to the uterine wall. Imagine a suction cup being placed onto a dirty wall. Not so secure. Now think about washing the wall clean and leaving a touch of moisture for the suction cup to have a strong hold. Steaming is metaphorically washing the uterus.
Moreover, it encourages healthy pH levels and a diverse microbiome. India relies heavily on fumigation for womb health, which is using dry smoke for the vulva. An Ayurvedic fumigation study was conducted in women who were one week postpartum. Vaginal culture swabs were taken to test if the smoke disrupted vaginal flora. Both before and after fumigation, the culture swabs showed Klebsiellapneumonae, Enterococcus fecalis, staphylococci, Streptococci, E. coli, etc. and it was argued, based on the study, that dhupan or fumigation helps keep in check pathogenic organisms in the vagina.
While most of the evidence surrounding fertility support is anecdotal, improving the environment of the womb and vagina, while also reducing possible pain associated with sex, is critical for improving fertility. The journey to conception and birth should be pleasurable and intimate, not filled with fluorescent lighting, sterile offices, and doomsday doctor consultations. Steaming can even be effectively used to support labor prep with a certified practitioner.
4. Body Sovereignty
While not a specific ailment like infertility, bacterial overgrowth, or fluid-filled sacs like cysts, this is one of the principal benefits yoni steaming provides to women. If we look past the lack of scientific evidence for healing womb conditions due to the negligible funding women’s health receives, the exclusion of women from clinical trials till 1992, or the origins of the hysterectomy to “fix” amenorrhea or missing periods (unsuccessful, resulting in the death of the African American slave just three months post-surgery), we may ask ourselves how much autonomy have we lost? When did we stop turning to our mothers, our grandmothers, the wise women of our community to guide our womanly troubles and instead played the helpless victims to all powerful male doctors?
The mainstream media channels paint yoni-steaming as an outrageous, scary, unsafe practice and yet never stop to educate women on the meaning of an ‘ablation.’ A uterine ablation refers to using scalding hot water or a blowtorch to burn the endometrial lining. This is used as a contraceptive. Tubal coagulation refers to burning the fallopian tubes to cut off the pathway of the ovaries to the uterus. These same authorities claim women can burn themselves if they engage in yoni steaming. It seems that they have beat us to the punch.
Just as women can adjust their preferred temperature of the steam before they place their private parts over the bowl, they can adjust the temperature of their baths before they get in. Yoni steaming is a practice that belongs to all women, no matter her race, upbringing, cultural, or religious influences. It is a modality for us to take an active part in our reproductive health and womb vitality.
5. Increases Circulation
Steam is the most permeable state of water because gases are small particles and naturally rise. By understanding these properties of the medium used (steam) we can better understand that yoni steaming increases circulation to the womb area. This along with the medicinal properties of the herbs has provided women significant relief from symptoms like back pain, cramps, vulvar cysts, etc. Steaming releases stagnation which supports regular healthy menstrual cycles. Women have experienced shrinking fibroids and cysts, although the medical causes have not been solidified. Many women have reduced the quantity and intensity of PMS cramping with the help of steaming.
The Modern Ritual of Remembering
An open mind and a competent practitioner is all a woman needs to get started with detoxing her physical and energetic womb and experiencing an optimal level of health. Our common knowledge for plants has gotten obscured and working with someone who understands the properties of the herbs they are choosing to recommend is crucial.
When women honor their bodies and their wombs, the center of creation, we invite more healing into the world. Healthy wombs empower women. Get started with a consultation today and walk away educated, with a custom herbal steam blend, diet recommendations and awareness.
Resources:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21910336/
https://www.iamj.in/posts/images/upload/3260_3265.pdf
https://koreascience.or.kr/article/JAKO201826259709326.pdf