Nickola Rowe says it works wonders! 

By Telesha Ramnarine 

NICKOLA Rowe can care less about what others say on the matter of steaming the vagina. All she knows is that it did an amazing job for her and resulted in tremendous health benefits, ending all of the woes that she had to deal with every month.

The 39-year-old especially loves to do things that she is passionate about, and is very much into nature, even planning a trip to India next year where she will be able to explore various herbs and spices that can be used in vaginal steaming.

Vaginal steaming, sometimes shortened to V-steaming, is an alternative health treatment, popular in various countries, whereby a woman squats or sits over steaming water containing herbs such as mugwort, rosemary, wormwood, and basil.

Nickola had no idea what a vaginal steam was until she made a life-changing visit to friends and family in Suriname a year ago.

“I was in a village and going through a painful period at the time. The village mother, her English name being Patty, told me they don’t get pains and the works because they take care of themselves by using herbs to prepare their bodies so that it is not susceptive to painful periods. In fact, she said that they welcome their periods,” Nickola recalled during an interview with the Pepperpot Magazine.

This idea appealed to Nickola because she never liked using pills, owing to their side effects. “She told me there are herbs available that I can use and that I can steam my vagina. I didn’t understand what she meant, but she explained that it meant sitting over a pot of water with special herbs before and after the period and it cleans you out. It cleans the area so that the uterus can really work. Like any organ, the uterus needs help. Every month after a period, there’s like backed up blood and other stuff that are left in there, everything is not released.”

Patty, a traditional herbalist, gave Nickola a mixture containing various herbs to drink, and that eased all of her pain. “I felt good the next morning. She then set up a vaginal steam for me, picking specific herbs dealing with my condition. My pain was no longer painful, there was no bloating, and it helped with my mood swings as well. She also gave me another steam to regulate my organs,” Nickola recalled.

She began to realise that no one should really have to endure painful periods, and that skipping periods and having lengthy ones are all abnormal. “I thought this was a very good thing to get into because it’s not only helpful to women but also educational, and it is something that women need.”

Nickola has since been in regular communication with the traditional herbalist in Suriname, a herbalist in Canada and a gynaecologist from India. “I wanted to be a little more out of the scene and into me. For that, sometimes you have to drop the earthly things and the earthly lifestyle and just go back to nature. I am now a herbal vaginal facilitator; not a herbalist as yet. I still have a few more classes to go to. It’s a never-ending educational path, but I’ve started.”

‘Don’t touch it’ 

Gynaecologists, in general, argue that no one should clean their vagina in this manner. “Most gynaecologists say don’t touch down there; it’s a self-cleaning oven. Yes, it cleans itself every month, but if you have hormonal imbalances, it cannot clean. It’s like a sick liver that needs assistance. It needs assistance like every other organ,” Nickola contends, adding, “A vaginal steam is not a cure-all, but it’s an assistant. It helps to keep that area clean and functioning.”

According to her, the process to do a steam is very simple, however, it is recommended that persons wishing to do one visit someone who knows what they are doing because every herb has a specific purpose and benefit.

Nickola has just days ago opened her spa called “Sacred Flower Herbal Vaginal Steam” at Lot 6 ‘A’ Laing Avenue, West Ruimveldt. Her clients will be able to benefit from expert advice from her overseas contacts regarding what type of herbs should be used and so forth.

“It’s a passion for me, so I put myself on the line basically. I show you the herbs, show you the mixtures, it’s nothing hidden. It’s my passion, not just about a business; I want to help people,” Nickola expressed, adding, “My family and friends trust me with it, and I think the general public can trust me also.”

She warns though that persons who are trying to conceive, or who have an active infection should not do a vaginal steam. “We want to take everybody back to nature, but in a sophisticated, trendy and affordable way,” she said.