There is no research to support the safety of putting herbs inside your vagina. There is also no research that doing so supports vaginal or uterine health.

Yoni pearls, sometimes called vaginal detox pearls, herbal tampons, cleansing pearls, or vaginal pearls, are basically vaginal tea bags. They’re bundles of cloth-wrapped herbs marketed as vaginal or uterus cleansers and detoxifiers.

The herbs vary from pearl to pearl and producer to producer, but commonly include:

To be very clear: Yoni pearls aren’t doctor-recommended.

“From a gynecological health standpoint, these pearls are downright scary,” says Lauren Streicher, MD, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology and the author of “Sex Rx: Hormones, Health, and Your Best Sex Ever.”

It depends on who you ask.

One product creator says the herbs in these pearls create a “pulling effect that draws toxins, bad bacteria, dead cells, old blood clots, mucus, and more from your yoni, while at the same time tightening your yoni and deterring vaginal dryness and other ailments.”

Another says that the nuggets detox the uterus, cleanse the vagina, quell vaginal inflammation, promote a healthier reproductive system, and help with a variety of gynecological conditions.

“There’s zero research that any of the vaginal pearls, or the herbs in them, are good for your vagina or uterus — let alone that putting them in your vagina for that amount of time would do anything other than cause harm,” explains Streicher.

Felice Gersh, MD, the author of “PCOS SOS: A Gynecologist’s Lifeline To Naturally Restore Your Rhythms, Hormones and Happiness,” offers a similar sentiment.

“Given that there’s zero research, data, or science to back up the use of these pearls, they 100% shouldn’t be put inside your vagina,” Gersh says.

People make yoni pearls because it’s highly profitable to feed into people’s shame about the way their genitals smell, look, and function, Streicher says. And people buy yoni pearls because of that same genital shame.

Spread through marketing, media, and misogynists, “the idea that vaginas are smelly, offensive, and dirty has been going around our culture for a long, long time,” Streicher says.

Combined with a lack of education about the vulva and vagina, this shame leads people to buy products that are downright dangerous.

Yoni pearls are not well researched. As such, “we cannot say for certain what the side effects are, or long-term how bad using these pearls really is,” Gersh says.

Still, there’s reason to believe that yoni pearls can mess with your vaginal microbiome (microorganisms), killing off infection-fighting bacteria and creating a hospitable landing place for yeast infection and bacterial vaginosis, she says.

“In its healthiest state, the vagina is optimized to help you fight off sexually transmitted infections,” Gersh explains. “So there’s reason to believe that, after killing off healthy vaginal bacteria and altering the environment, risk of transmission is higher.”

Another common side effect is gray and green discharge. In fact, many yoni pearls come with panty liners to “collect” the “what comes after” discharge.

“If you put something like this in your vagina and begin to get gray discharge after you take it out, it’s a sign that you’re actually destroying the lining in the vaginal walls,” Streicher says.

So, far from a sign that they worked, funky discharge is a sign that your vagina is irritated and potentially even infected. Other common side effects include:

Although yoni pearls should be avoided as a general rule, they can be especially dangerous for people who are allergic to specific herbs.

If, for example, you have a rhubarb allergy and put a rhubarb-based product inside your vagina, Gersh says you may experience burning, itching, swelling, peeling, or even blisters.

Yoni pearls should also be avoided by anyone who is pregnant or nursing.

It’s important to note that “The longer the ingredients are inside you, the more dangerous these pearls are,” Streicher says.

So, if you’re going to use them against doctor recommendations, please, for the love of your vaginal health, do so for as short a time as possible. Like, really, really, really short!

It isn’t a good idea to insert them for even a minute, let alone the 24 to 72 hours often recommended on the products’ packaging.

Ultimately, it depends on why you’re reaching for — or researching — these pearls.

Is it because you experience chronic infections, unusual discharge, or other symptoms?

If so, Gersh recommends seeking care from an OB-GYN instead. A doctor can prescribe medication that can clear up the underlying cause.

“A doctor may also be able to recommend a probiotic that supports the health of your vagina, as well as look at the underwear and sports clothes you’re wearing to suggest less irritating options,” Gersh says.

Is it because you’re worried about the cleanliness of your uterus?

Don’t be! “The uterus is a sterile environment that’s free of bacteria,” Streicher says. “Anything you attempt to put in your uterus could be harmful to that very sterility.”

Is it because you want to help your vagina detox?

“There’s never a need for your vagina to be detoxed,” Gersh says. It also doesn’t need your help getting clean. You may have heard that the vagina is a self-cleaning machine, and that’s true!

“Attempting to clean or detox the vagina is just going to kill off the good bacteria in the vagina that help fight off infection,” she says, adding that this, in itself, increases the risk of infection.

Is it because you’re worried about the smell of your vagina?

“In all likelihood, your vagina smells exactly as it should,” Gersh says. “Your vagina isn’t supposed to smell like dandelions and tulips. It’s supposed to smell like a vagina.”

The only time to be concerned about the scent is if you’ve noticed a drastic and persistent change in smell.

It’s also concerning if you’re getting wafts of sourdough bread or fish, which may suggest yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis, respectively.

Keep the tea bags in your tea cups and out of your vagina. Should you feel your vagina needs something a little ~extra~ contact a gynecologist.

They’ll be able to offer actual help, should you need it — as well as reassurance that your genitals smell and function just fine.