Six-day randomized safety trial of intravaginal lime juice

Nigerian women reportedly apply lime juice intravaginally to protect themselves against HIV. In vitro data suggest that lime juice is virucidal, but only at cytotoxic concentrations. This is the first controlled, randomized safety trial of lime juice applied to the human vagina. Forty-seven women we...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) Vol. 49; no. 3; p. 243
Main Authors Mauck, Christine K, Ballagh, Susan A, Creinin, Mitchell D, Weiner, Debra H, Doncel, Gustavo F, Fichorova, Raina N, Schwartz, Jill L, Chandra, Neelima, Callahan, Marianne M
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.11.2008
Subjects
Adult
Anti-Infective Agents, Local - adverse effects
Citrus aurantiifolia
Cytokines - analysis
Female
HIV Infections - prevention & control
Humans
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Middle Aged
Vagina - drug effects
Vagina - immunology
Vagina - microbiology
Vagina - pathology
Vaginal Douching - methods
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Summary:Nigerian women reportedly apply lime juice intravaginally to protect themselves against HIV. In vitro data suggest that lime juice is virucidal, but only at cytotoxic concentrations. This is the first controlled, randomized safety trial of lime juice applied to the human vagina. Forty-seven women were randomized to apply water or lime juice (25%, 50%, or undiluted) intravaginally twice daily for two 6-day intervals, separated by a 3-week washout period. Product application also was randomized: during 1 interval, product was applied using a saturated tampon and in the other by douche. Vaginal pH, symptoms, signs of irritation observed via naked eye examination and colposcopy, microflora, and markers of inflammation in cervicovaginal lavages were evaluated after 1 hour and on days 3 and 7. The largest reduction in pH was about one-half a pH unit, seen 1 hour after douching with 100% lime juice. We observed a dose-dependent pattern of symptoms and clinical and laboratory findings that were consistent with a compromised vaginal barrier function. The brief reduction in pH after vaginal lime juice application is unlikely to be virucidal in the presence of semen. Lime juice is unlikely to protect against HIV and may actually be harmful.
ISSN:1525-4135
1944-7884
DOI:10.1097/QAI.0b013e318186eae7