Herbal Wash FAQ's

Many new and expectant mothers love Yin-care@’s Herbal Wash as a soothing compress for vaginal soreness, irritation, or imbalance. In over 25 years, we have never received negative feedback about Yin-care®’s Herbal Wash during pregnancy. However, please follow the advice of your trusted practitioner(s). Most importantly, follow your own wisdom: if you feel hesitant about using this (or any product) during pregnancy, we urge you to listen to that nudge. Especially during this powerful phase of womanhood, we encourage you to step into your sovereignty through self-governance. Make mindful choices for yourself and your child and stand by them. This level of responsibility is how we step into our true womanhood. If you want support around accessing your inner guidance, please consider booking a session with Margaret.*

Douching with an applicator is the most common method to use Yin-care@’s Herbal Wash vaginally, but in some situations, women may choose to insert a tampon saturated with the Herbal Wash. This is longer-lasting treatment, most frequently used in the case of a toxic heat condition (often associated with HPV). Treating toxic heat requires a much higher concentration of the Herbal Wash, and targeted application – and we would highly recommend you work with a practitioner or consult with Margaret* if you’re dealing with this situation. Use organic tampons if possible, with a clear applicator so you can observe the absorption. You will receive detailed instructions on this after purchase.

The best you can – but don’t overthink this. Ideally, pure, filtered water is best. It doesn’t need to be distilled or reverse osmosis. If you’re comfortable drinking it, it’s fine.

The Herbal Wash does contain a medical grade, hypoallergenic fragrance. In extremely sensitive individuals, this fragrance can be irritating. But we have only seen a handful of cases of this over many decades of working with this product – it truly is extremely rare. Reminder: the Herbal Wash is an extraction of both essential oils and a water-based extraction of the herbs and therefore some individuals might be sensitive to the product for this reason, not the fragrance. If you know you’re very sensitive – whether to fragrance or to essential oils – we recommend spot-testing the Herbal Wash on the inside of your forearm at the same dilution you’ll be using.

Here’s the story. When Yin-care®’s Herbal Wash was brought into modern, Westernized hospitals in China in the 1980’s, it wasn’t chic to have a product that smelled like ancient Taoist herbs, no matter how effective it was. So the makers searched high and low and eventually found an extremely high-end manufacturer in Japan who created a subtle fragrance that wouldn’t interfere with the wash’s healing properties.

We used to import a fragrance-free version but are unfortunately no longer able to source this. This might change in the future but it’s unlikely due to production logistics.

Absolutely! Men use it to treat similar genital issues as women. Some use it as an intimate cleansing before or after sexual contact, with or without a partner. It can also be used anally or for jock itch. And of course men benefit from all of the other, non-intimate uses of it, too: on skin conditions, on toenail fungus, as a gentle cleanser, etc.

No. As wonderful as this herbal blend is, it’s not meant to be taken internally.

Nope. First, it tastes terrible. Also, it isn’t designed for your mouth. But we love how you’re thinking. The microbiome in your mouth is just as important as the ones in your vagina, your gut, and elsewhere. We used to carry an herbal wash called Supreme Oral Care, designed especially for your mouth, and we’re working on restocking it. If you’re interested in this, make sure you’re on our newsletter list to hear when we get it back. And if you’re a practitioner interested in oral care, please contact us because we may have other ideas for you. 

Our current (and only) batch has a printed date of “expiration” of 10/16/23. This is a little misleading, which is why we’re putting that "expiration" in quotes. It really should be considered a “best by” date, but we were required by the Chinese equivalent of the FDA to call it an “expiration” date. The Herbal Wash is tested every year for efficacy and it is still effective against yeast and non-lactobacilli bacteria at the 10% dilution even after 10 years. That makes us confident in the safety and potency of this batch through at least 2030. 

We are comfortable selling it to you and we want YOU to be comfortable with it, too! If you’d like more information about this, please click here.

Yeah, that was weird to us, too. China required printing an expiration date on this product. But rest assured, it does NOT expire!

You bet. When Dr. Daniel Hudson first discovered Yin-care®’s Herbal Wash in China in the late 1990s, he put it through extensive testing before importing it into the United States. Dr. Daniel is extremely picky and careful about what he gives his patients! So he tested for heavy metals, pesticides and other chemicals at multiple laboratories and found it clean and pure. He has also visited the farms where the herbs are grown and the factory where it’s manufactured on multiple occasions. He has seen the entire production, from soil to bottling, and is supremely confident in its purity and safety.

You might find it for sale through your practitioner, as we offer it wholesale to certain practitioners (after we carefully vet and educate them). But we do not offer it for sale through Amazon or other distributors. We used to. But we found out that it was being resold with a lot of bad instructions and misinformation. Because our product is concentrated, it MUST come with specific instructions for your safety and wellbeing – so we had to put a stop to this. That’s why you might still see it listed on a distributor’s website as “out of stock.” It is not out of stock – it is simply out of stock to them. We are the sole importer and distributor of Yin-care®’s Herbal Wash.

The short answer is: it nudges it back into balance. 

The slightly longer answer is: there have been a number of laboratory studies on this and the results are super cool. At 50% strength, Yin-care@’s Herbal Wash killed pathogens (like gardnerella and candida) but also healthy lactobacilli bacteria – and we don’t want that, except in certain special situations. At a 15-12.5% concentration, all the problematic pathogens were still killed and the lactobacilli were still alive – but they weren’t reproducing. At a 10% dilution, the pathogens were killed and the healthy lactobacilli were proliferating. That’s why we always recommend the 10% dilution as the magic number! 

Sometimes practitioners will recommend a higher concentration for a short period or specific purpose. If you’d like to support your vaginal microbiome by adding in more healthy bacteria, hang tight – we’re working on adding a vaginal probiotic to our store, Yin-care®’s Blossom Biome.

A healthy vagina has a slightly acidic pH, due in part to acid created by the healthy lactobacilli bacteria (many pathogenic bacteria raise the vaginal pH). Because Yin-care@’s Herbal Wash lyses (kills) pathogenic bacteria without affecting the lactobacilli bacteria, women usually find their pH returning to a healthier, more acidic pH. But this isn’t always an immediate or straightforward result. Some women add a little apple cider vinegar to their dilution if they want a little extra acidic boost.

Yeah, go for it! These are times when the vaginal environment is especially susceptible to irritation and imbalance. Many women during these phases of life find Yin-care®’s Herbal Wash soothing and nourishing. However, this product does not assist in replenishing tissue moisture. We’re working on some lovely, luscious vaginal lubricants thanks to your requests – you’ll find these in our Womb Wisdom Store soon!

This is super common and not a problem – just don’t use them at the same time. Some women insert their suppository before bed and use the Herbal Wash in the morning – it depends on what’s practical for you and your schedule. And your healthcare practitioner might have specific instructions for you. Just make sure not to use it within 2 hours of other products like probiotics, prebiotics, suppositories, creams, gels, etc.

This is usually no problem at all. In fact, we have a number of couples who’ve told us they use Yin-care®’s Herbal Wash as an intimate cleansing ritual together before sex. Just have your partner follow the same suggestions as you, beforehand: do a little patch test on their forearm at the same dilution you’ll be using it to check for any irritation.

This isn’t a problem but it can be less than ideal. In Classical Chinese Medicine, it is recommended to avoid introducing anything moving upwards in the vagina during a phase when your body is trying to move things out. We do often hear from women that using Yin-care®’s Herbal Wash at the tail end of their period feels lovely and can remove the last bits of lingering menstrual blood. Use your best judgment and see what works for your beautiful body.

This can be common during menopause or perimenopause. We’re working on getting a high quality lubricant into the store for you. Until then, you might try a few lubricants to see what your body likes. Some women love coconut oil, but it irritates others; some love emu oil, an offering from Living Libations, or another personal lubricant. Please experiment and trust your body.

This definitely happens. And you’ve got options. Both of you could clean up beforehand (or afterwards) and make it a sexually intimate cleansing ritual. You may find you both need to clean up your diet to remove something throwing your microbiome out of balance. You may even need to take a break from sex for a while as things heal. But it boils down to: everybody needs to be on the same team, supporting each other’s wellness with respect and love.

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