Doctors are warning women against inserting parsley up their vaginas to induce periods. The strange practice started among women after an article in women's magazine Marie Claire suggested them to do so. Often hormonal imbalance results in irregular periods or at times women may want to get their periods early due to an event in future. In these cases, the article advises women to put parsley in the vaginas to get period.

According to the article, parsley is an emmenagogue, a substance which increases menstrual flow that can 'soften the cervix and level out hormonal imbalances'. However, doctors have urged women to never insert vegetables into the vagina saying it could cause severe health risk including potential death. Summer Vagina and Winter Vagina: Are They Legitimate Medical Conditions?

The Marie Claire article said: 'While few of us would feature parsley as the main part of a dish, it turns out the herb is a mild emmenagogue and can help to kick-start your period, so you might want to look into some parsley recipes ASAP. Parsley can help to soften the cervix and level out hormonal imbalances that could be delaying your cycle, helping your period come faster. If you're struggling to find a dish based on parsley, don't panic – the most effective forms are said to be parsley tea and parsley vaginal inserts.' Following the backlash, the article has since then been removed. Depressed Vagina: Beware! Your Vaginal Wall Could Be Thinning Because of Not Having SEX.

Dr Shazia Malik, a London-based obstetrician-gynaecologist, told The Independent, "There is no evidence of any benefit to a woman of doing this, and clear risk of significant harm as deaths have been reported. I would urge women not to insert anything unless they have taken proper medical advice." While there are ways to manipulate the menstrual cycle, it should be only under the guidance of a doctor.

In herbal medicine, emmenagogues is defined as a stimulant for menstrual flow, however, there is no scientific study to support this. In the past too, there have been claims that parsley can help women in getting their periods early. In August last year, a 24-year-old mother in Argentina died after trying to induce a miscarriage using parsley. Reportedly, she died of septic shock and infection.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 18, 2019 07:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).