Disclaimer: None of the information in this article constitutes medical advice, and is just the opinion of the writer(s). We recommend that patients follow their doctor’s guidance in regard to yeast infections.
AZO Yeast Plus is an over-the-counter (OTC) supplement used to relieve symptoms of vaginal yeast infections including itching, burning and discharge. It’s a homeopathic medicine, and its manufacturer describes the effects as “yeast infection symptom relief you’ll wonder how you lived without.”
But does homeopathic medicine work, or is it pseudoscience? Does AZO Yeast Plus contain ingredients proven to treat yeast infections? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? And how do real users rate and describe its effects?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze clinical studies on homeopathy to determine whether or not this type of medicine is effective.
We’ll then analyze the ingredients in AZO Yeast Plus to give our take on whether or not the supplement is likely to be effective, feature unsponsored customer reviews, and discuss the risk of side effects.
Do Homeopathic Treatments Work?
Homeopathy is a practice that involves using extremely small quantities of active ingredients to treat a condition.
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) documents how homeopathic practitioners claim that the lower the dose of the medication, the more effective it is, which defies logic.
A meta-study published in the Medical Journal of Australia analyzed data from tens of clinical trials on homeopathy.
The study authors concluded that homeopathy is ineffective for all health conditions: "The findings of currently available Cochrane reviews of studies of homeopathy do not show that homeopathic medicines have effects beyond placebo."
As we discussed in our Emuaid reviews article on another popular homeopathic product, we have not come across any convincing evidence that homeopathic treatments work.
An animated YouTube video on homeopathy has over 10 million views and explains how the treatment is supposed to work, as well as whether or not it’s effective:
Ingredient Analysis
The active ingredients in AZO Yeast Plus are shown above.
Candida albicans is the type of yeast that causes yeast infections, as documented in a 2022 medical review, so it seems like a strange ingredient to take orally to treat a yeast infection.
Kreosotum appears to be derived from wood pellets, according to NIH data.
Natrium muriaticum appears to be the homeopathic name for table salt (sodium chloride), according to Encyclopedia.com.
Sulphur is a chemical element.
We cannot identify any medical research suggesting that these ingredients are effective for treating vaginal yeast infection symptoms when taken orally.
The dosage of homeopathic medicines is strange and counterintuitive. "30x" in homeopathy actually means the ingredient has been diluted 30 times.
Wikipedia’s page on homeopathy documents how a 30x dilution results in such a small amount of the original ingredient that no molecules of the original ingredient would exist if diluted in water.
The good news is that the inactive ingredients in this formulation should be safe and non-toxic.
Overall, we do not consider AZO Yeast Plus likely to relieve yeast infections, because we can't find any clinical evidence that its active ingredients are effective for that purpose.
Can You Naturally Treat Yeast?
A popular health influencer named Nurse Key, who’s a licensed practical nurse (LPN), has a video with over 500,000 views that discusses natural solutions for vaginal yeast infections and how to prevent them in the future:
Customers Rate AZO Yeast Plus
Amazon is a better resource for honest customer reviews than a brand's website in our opinion.
AZO Yeast Plus has been reviewed over 17,000 times at the time of updating this article, with an average customer review rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.
A top positive review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “Alexis Alexander” who gives the product a 5/5 rating, and claims it's effective against active yeast infections and as a preventative measure:
“...these are fantastic and a great accessible option to relieve those yeast infection symptoms and get yourself to a healthy hooha. I started taking these semi regularly as recommended by my gyno and it’s been preventing urgent care visits.”
A top negative review review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “K. Kulig” who gives the product a 1/5 rating, and claims the pills caused a yeast infection in her mouth:
“So I chose to believe the other reviews, and ended up with oral and esophageal thrush. Oral Thrush is an overgrowth of candida albicans, the exact same thing in this product! Who thought dosing someone with candida was a good idea? I really wish I had done more research before trying this, but anyone with problems 'down there' understands how desperate you can be to find relief. So now I have a yeast infection in my mouth and throat”
AZO currently has an average rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars on Facebook.
A TikTok user named Natasha Figueroa claims the supplement has been effective for her:
@natashafigueroa1021 #feminine #femininehygiene #hygieneroutine #femininecare #femininehealth #feminineproducts #yeastinfection #yeastinfections #hygiene #fyp #foryou ♬ original sound - Natasha Figueroa
Will AZO Yeast Plus Cause Side Effects?
AZO Yeast Plus does not appear to have been studied in any clinical trials, which makes it more challenging to determine the risk of side effects.
However, we can make an educated guess based on its ingredients.
We do not believe that AZO Yeast Plus is likely to cause side effects in otherwise healthy adults.
Because it’s a homeopathic remedy, the active ingredients are included at such a low dose that we don’t believe they will have any biologic effect.
The inactive ingredients should also be safe and non-toxic, so there are no ingredients of concern in our opinion.
Our Clean Anti-Yeast Picks
Clairvee by Bonafide is our top probiotic supplement pick for vaginal health.
Oral supplementation with Lactobacillus probiotics improved the ratio of healthy-to-unhealthy bacteria in the vagina in a clinical trial published in the Nutrients journal.
MBG Vitamin D3 Potency+ is our top vitamin D3 supplement.
A 2023 medical review described vitamin D3 as having "a significant inhibitory effect on Candida growth and biofilm formation," and "demonstrated antifungal and antibiofilm properties."
AZO Boric Acid Suppository is our top vaginal suppository pick.
A medical review published in the Journal of Women’s Health concluded that “boric acid is a safe, alternative, economic option for women with recurrent and chronic symptoms of vaginitis when conventional treatment fails.”
All of the products recommended in this section are entirely free of ingredients we consider to be unhealthy.
Where to Get the Best Price
AZO Yeast Plus is sold at a variety of online retailers. Here's a price breakdown for a one-time purchase at the time of updating this article:
CVS: $13.49 (plus shipping, link)
Brand website: $8.49 (plus shipping, link)
Walmart: $7.38 (plus shipping, link)
Amazon: $7.38 (free shipping, link to official Amazon listing)
AZO Yeast Plus is currently around 40% cheaper on Amazon than the brand's website when factoring in shipping fees.
AZO Yeast Plus Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of AZO Yeast Plus in our opinion:
Pros:
- Highly affordable
- Highly positive online customer reviews
- Unlikely to cause side effects
- No unhealthy inactive ingredients
Cons:
- Homeopathic remedy
- We can't find evidence any of its active ingredients are effective
- Actually contains yeast
- Doesn't appear to be clinically studied