Gentian Violet for Vaginal Infections: A Guide

NOTE: While gentian violet is still available over the counter and online in the USA, we are no longer recommending it for vaginal use because of Australian, European and Canadian health warnings. Please read the health warnings and use at your own risk.

Gentian violet is a solid antifungal and antimicrobial, while also having biofilm-busting qualities. Gentian violet (also known as crystal violet or methyl violet) has been used historically to treat bacterial and yeast infections.

Gentian violet causes ulcers to develop in some people, and prolonged contact with the skin should be avoided.

What is gentian violet?

Gentian violet is a coal-tar derivative dye. It shouldn’t be considered a natural remedy and is not considered without its issues, despite a long history of use in humans.

Adverse effects include the possibility of ulcerations. Gentian violet is a known carcinogen, though it takes significant ingestion in animal models. There are no known cases of gentian violet causing cancer in humans.

Gentian violet is an old-school treatment that lost favour when antibiotics came along. It’s very effective at killing fungus and gram-positive bacteria and has some action against gram-negative bacteria. Gentian violet is used in Gram staining – the method developed by Hans Gram for identifying bacteria.

Where to find gentian violet

Many countries have banned gentian violet liquid and it is unavailable for sale. The United States has not banned gentian violet and it remains available for sale over the counter and online. You can buy gentian violet internationally from the US.

The typical solution is 10 per cent alcohol, 1-2 per cent gentian violet mixture. This is NOT a herbal medicine, despite the name. Gentian violet is also the name of a flowering plant that produces essential oils.

If you are still using gentian violet vaginally, here are some safety precautions. Remember, if you are using gentian violet vaginally, you do so at your own risk.

Inform yourself of the risks, discuss the use with your doctor, and read the warnings thoroughly. Informed consent is key! Read the warnings

How to use gentian violet vaginally

Surface area is everything! Don’t just do a squirt up your vagina and hope for the best – aim for the maximum surface area of your vaginal walls, cervix, everything, when using tampons. Remember doctors used to paint this onto the vaginal walls, getting the surface area you are having to guess at with tampon insertion. A thin layer is all you need.
Use only 1 per cent concentration or less – may irritate – 0.5 per cent is ok to use, so dilute as necessary.
Gentian violet stains everything purple including your skin! Use gloves and old underwear and panty liners and dark towels in the bathroom.
A tampon may be the easiest and least messy way to use, but you only want to dunk it in and then take it out once it’s coated the vaginal walls.
Squat over the toilet or dark towels for insertion.
Consider putting Vaseline on labia to avoid skin staining and irritation.
Avoid sex – oral, vaginal, whatever – as it will stain your partner’s mouth, hands, penis/vulva.
Avoid using when you have cuts on your vulva – you could end up with a permanent tattoo!
If you experience irritation, stop using gentian violet immediately, as your risk of developing ulcers is high.

Ingredients you need for using gentian violet vaginally

Disposable gloves
1 per cent gentian violet mix
Water
A plastic container to mix the gentian violet and soak your tampon
Tampons with plastic applicators
A plastic spoon
Dark towels
Vaseline (optional)
Pads/panty liners
Old underwear you are happy to throw away

Instructions for using gentian violet vaginally

Wash your hands
Apply Vaseline to your outer labial area (optional)
Put a pad into your underwear, ready
Put on the gloves
Add one tablespoon of gentian violet 1 per cent to the plastic container
To dilute (if desired) add one tablespoon of water, to dilute by half
Dilute further as you wish
After unwrapping, put the tip of the tampon into the gentian violet mixture
Let the tampon soak up to three-quarters of the way up the length
Insert the tampon as you normally would
Remove tampon after 3-4 hours
If you have irritation, remove immediately – abandon the exercise or dilute your mixture more
Figure out what your treatment strategy will be – how many days, how many times per day, etc.

How to tweak your treatment if your vagina gets irritated

If you are following a treatment schedule and you feel like your vagina is getting irritated, stop immediately and choose another treatment. Some people get irritated, and many do not – you won’t know until it starts to happen if it’s going to happen to you.

If your vagina is very raw and sore to start with, do not use gentian violet. It’s important not to irritate your vagina unnecessarily – the treatment is not supposed to hurt!

Best case scenario is it helps from the first treatment onwards. Feel free to take a break from the treatment and see what’s going on if you need to. If it’s working, you’ll know.

Gentian violet safety

Gentian violet has been used in gynaecology, breastfeeding mothers, and in surgery since about 1880. It went out of vogue when antibiotics appeared, but has a lot of useful applications due to allergies to penicillin or as a non-drug treatment for bacterial or yeast infections.

One of the most popular uses is on the nipples of breastfeeding mothers, where it is accessed by a nursing baby. Over time, the baby’s mouth may become ulcerated and long-term use may be associated with mouth cancer. Don’t overuse gentian violet – use as sparingly as you can.

Make sure to try to treat the underlying cause of your health issue so you don’t have to keep managing symptoms with gentian violet. There are no known cases of gentian violet toxicity with external use, however, it may cause gastrointestinal tract irritation if taken orally (which you will not be doing!).

Gentian violet can decrease white blood cell counts when used intravenously. Gentian violet has been banned in multiple countries due to its carcinogenicity, however, most studies were done in mice and rats, feeding them gentian violet. Do your homework and if it bothers you, don’t use it.

Gentian violet stain removal

Gentian violet stains everything, but you can remove it from the skin by rubbing alcohol or bleach on it. We do NOT recommend rubbing alcohol or bleach on your labia!

Protection using Vaseline or another barrier ointment may prevent staining, but don’t apply this to the area you want to treat – only places you are not treating that may get stained incidentally.