{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,18]],"date-time":"2026-06-18T07:46:48Z","timestamp":1781768808057,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,18]],"date-time":"2025-11-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1763424000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background and Aim:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), predominantly caused by\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Candida albicans<\/jats:italic>\n                      , is a common fungal infection affecting women worldwide. This randomized, blinded clinical trial aimed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">Hypericum perforatum<\/jats:italic>\n                      (St. John\u2019s Wort) vaginal gel in comparison with 1% clotrimazole cream for the treatment of VVC.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Method:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      In this parallel-group, double-blind, randomized clinical trial, 80 women with microbiologically confirmed\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">C. albicans vaginitis<\/jats:italic>\n                      were randomly assigned to receive either\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">H. perforatum<\/jats:italic>\n                      vaginal gel or 1% clotrimazole cream, administered intravaginally once nightly for seven consecutive nights. Randomization was performed using a block method with concealed allocation. Primary outcomes included changes in clinical symptoms\u2014itching, discharge, burning, and inflammation\u2014from baseline to the end of treatment, assessed both clinically and via patient self-report. All analyses were conducted on an intention-to-treat basis.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Both treatment groups showed significant clinical improvement. The clotrimazole group had a higher rate of itching resolution (73.7% vs. 46.2%,\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">p<\/jats:italic>\n                      = 0.04), while the St. John\u2019s Wort gel group showed greater improvement in vaginal discharge (38.5% vs. 18.4% reported no discharge,\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">p<\/jats:italic>\n                      = 0.03). No adverse events were reported in either group.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>While both treatments improved symptoms, St. John\u2019s Wort gel was not superior to clotrimazole in this superiority trial. Further research is needed to explore its potential as an alternative or adjunctive therapy, particularly in specific symptom domains. Moreover, larger non-inferiority trials are required to assess comparative efficacy.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1177\/27683605251392235","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,19]],"date-time":"2025-11-19T01:25:57Z","timestamp":1763515557000},"page":"284-295","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Comparison of the Effect of\n                    <i>Hypericum perforatum<\/i>\n                    Vaginal Gel and Clotrimazole Vaginal Cream on Vaginal\n                    <i>Candida albicans<\/i>\n                    Infection: A Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"32","author":[{"given":"Leila","family":"Bozorgian","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Medicinal Plants Research Center, Yasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Solmaz","family":"Mohammadi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Midwifery Department, Reproductive Health Promotion Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ali Mohammad","family":"Keshtvarz Hesam Abadi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biostatistics, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hossein","family":"Sadeghi Mansourkhani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medicinal Plants Research Center, Yasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Arash","family":"Asfaram","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medicinal Plants Research Center, Yasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Amir Hossein","family":"Doustimotlagh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medicinal Plants Research Center, Yasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Javad","family":"Mottaghipisheh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zahra","family":"Asadikalameh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Yasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_4_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12879-019-4736-2"},{"key":"e_1_3_4_3_2","unstructured":"Rafiq NB. 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