Douching is a common practice in women and has been associated with adverse health outcomes. In order to explore douching products and practices we conducted qualitative interviews in ten botánicas (stores that provide healing and spiritual services to immigrant communities) located in New York City. We interviewed 15 people, 14 of whom were botánica owners and employees and ten of whom were women. We found that douching was not easily separated from the more holistic concerns of botánica customers involving health, well-being and spirituality. These issues included abortion, infertility, menopause, the prevention and treatment of infections, sexuality, cleanliness, hygiene and relationship issues. The vagina was seen as a sensitive, even vulnerable part of the body, not clearly distinguished from other female organs. A variety of products were used in the vagina in the form of creams, douches, suppositories, baths and herbal steaming of the urogenital area. Alum, an astringent, was used for the purposes of vaginal tightening to enhance sexual pleasure for the partner, to make the vagina 'younger', or to hide evidence of infidelity. Botánicas are part of a complex healing system with conceptual models different from those of allopathic medicine. These models may not be unique to the botánicas.

Botánicas Douching Dry sex Vagina Health beliefs

infertility Caesalpinia plant extract miconazole pine feltrex immigrant vaginal lavage astringent agent Pinus caribaea Pinus caribaea extract aluminum potassium sulfate Ceasalpinia coriaria extract Vaginal Douching Ruta graveolens extract Ceasalpinia coriaria Aloe vera extract human Health Behavior wellbeing sexuality priority journal Aged sexual satisfaction religion Hispanic Americans Patient Education as Topic human relation Commerce interview United States hygiene Humans male social belief female unclassified drug qualitative analysis sexual health women's health Article infection prevention Questionnaires adult New York City abortion soap Cultural Characteristics Self Care attitude to health metronidazole menopause chamomile