Investigation of Antioxidant, Antifungal, Antibacterial, and Anti-inflammatory Effects of Teucrium polium on Common Pathogens in Vaginitis: A Review

Abstract

Context: Pathological vaginal discharges are one of the most common reasons for referring to gynecological clinics. The use of herbal medicines has been considered as an effective and low-complication treatment method in recent years. In this study, we introduce Teucrium polium according to traditional Persian medicine and modern medicine’s point of view to investigate the antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory effects of T. polium on common pathogens in vaginitis. Evidence Acquisition: This study is a simple review based on studies conducted in PubMed, Google Scholar, SID, and Scopus databases, from October 1984 to June 2019. Finally, 58 articles were selected from 88 for the final review. Results: The results indicate that T. polium is a potential source of antifungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant in producing plant products for vaginal infections treatment thanks to its flavonoid compounds, sesquiterpenes, α-pinene, and linalool. Conclusions: Teucrium polium can be considered as a potential source for vaginal infection treatments. Much clinical research has not been conducted on its use in vaginal infection treatment, so it is recommended to conduct more clinical trials to prove the T. polium’s efficiency against common microorganisms in vaginitis and its treatment.