ALLIUM SATIVUM ESSENTIAL OIL FOR FUNGAL INFECTIONS IN THE FIELD OF WOMEN'S HEALTH: INTEGRATIVE REVIEW

Abstract

Fungal infections have a high rate of morbidity and mortality in humans. Infectious agents cause mild illness or no illness in healthy people, although they can cause serious illness in immunocompromised people. Currently, there is an increase in fungal infections that harm women's health, one of them is related to candidiasis caused by the Candida albicans fungus that affects women of various ages by some factors, one of them is low immunity, use of tight clothes, use of of antibiotics and others. The fungus lodges in the woman's genital region, causing some symptoms such as: itching, whitish secretions, pain and discomfort in intimate contact. Studies prove that medicinal plants can help in the fight and treatment of this type of infection, one of them is garlic (Allium Sativum), a plant currently used as a herbal medicine with antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral action. Garlic contains a substance called allicin, an active ingredient that is responsible for the characteristic odor of the plant. The objective of this research is to describe ways to combat and prevent fungal infection that affects women's health with emphasis on Candida albicans and the use of essential oils from Allium sativum in the treatment of this infection. The present research is a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative review, based on articles published in Google Scholar, PubMed, Scielo databases in English, Spanish and Portuguese between 2011 and 2021.