Glossary of key terms

Antibiotic • Substance produced by or derived from a microorganism able to inhibit or kill another microorganism, used to treat bacterial vaginosis, trichomoniasis, and other infections.

Antifungal • Substance that destroys fungi or inhibits their growth, fungicidal or fungistatic, used to treat yeast infections.

Antimicrobial • Destroying or inhibiting the growth of microorganisms, especially pathogenic ones.

Bacteria • Plural of bacterium. Domain of round, spiral, or rod-shaped single-cell microorganisms that often aggregate into colonies or move by means of flagella, that typically live in soil, water, organic matter, or the bodies of plants and animals, and that are noted for their biochemical effects. Nirena supports healthful bacteria and inhibits pathogenic bacteria in the vagina.

Bacterial vaginosis • Vaginitis marked by a grayish vaginal discharge and foul odor, associated with the presence of excessive Gardnerella vaginalis bacteria,  treated with antibiotics, often avoided by using a low-pH intimate cleanser such as Nirena.

Brazilian peppertree oil • Spicy-scented essential oil of a shrub indigenous to South and Central America that has narrow spiked leaves, small flowers formed in panicles, and small berry-like fruit. As an herbal remedy, it treats several conditions with antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties. In Nirena, the compound protects the delicate balance of the vaginal ecosystem to help prevent infections.

Essential oil • Class of volatile oils that give plants their characteristic odors and are used for perfumes, flavorings, and treatments. Nirena employs natural essential oils, not synthetic chemicals, for cleaning.

Flora • Plant or bacterial life, especially characteristic of a region, period, or environment, such as the vagina.

Fungus • Single- or multi-cell organism, formerly classified as a plant without chlorophyll, that obtains nourishment from organic decay, including molds, rusts, mildews, smuts, mushrooms, and yeasts.

Herb • Plant or plant part valued for its medicinal, savory, or aromatic qualities. Nirena derives essential oils from herbs.

Herbalist • Person who practices the healing arts by the use of herbs such as Brazilian peppertree leaves, bark, and fruit.

Hormone • Product of living cells that circulates in bodily fluids or sap and produces a specific effect on the activity of remote cells. Estrogen and testosterone are two hormones.

Hypoallergenic • Having little likelihood of causing an allergic response, like Nirena but unlike commercial bar soaps and detergent shampoos.

Infection • Establishment of a disease-causing agent, usually a bacterium or virus, in a host.

Lactobacilli • Plural of lactobacillus. Genus of bacteria that produce lactic acid, important to the natural flora of the vagina, supported by Nirena.

Mucous membrane or mucosa • often confused with skin, a lining rich in mucous glands, which lines bodily passages and cavities that communicate with the exterior, such as the alimentary, respiratory, and genitourinary tracts, that functions in protection, support, nutrient absorption, and secretion of mucus, enzymes, and salts, and that naturally remains soft and smooth, lubricated by secretions of the cells and glands.

Organic • Produced without chemically formulated fertilizers, stimulants, antibiotics, or pesticides.

pH • A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution, using a number on a scale where 7 represents neutrality, lower numbers indicating increasing acidity and higher numbers increasing alkalinity, and on which each unit represents a tenfold change. Nirena preserves the natural vaginal pH, which ranges from 3.8 to 4.2.

Skin • The two-layered bodily covering consisting of an outer epidermis that is cornified and penetrated by the openings of sweat glands, sebaceous glands, and hair follicles, plus an inner dermis composed of connective tissue richly supplied with blood vessels and nerves.

Sodium hydroxide and sodium lauryl sulfate • Chemicals used in cheap commercial soaps, shampoos, and detergents that raise pH levels into the unhealthy alkaline range, not found in Nirena.

Trichomoniasis • Infection with or disease caused by a parasitic flagellated protozoan called trichomonas vaginalis, usually transmitted sexually, marked by a persistent discharge and unpleasant odor, treated with antibiotics, sometimes avoided by using a low-pH intimate cleanser such as Nirena.

Vagina • Canal in a female mammal that leads from the uterus to the external orifice, called vulva.

Vaginitis or vaginosis • Inflammation of the vagina, symptoms of which include redness, irritation, itching, strong odor, or unusual discharge.

Virus • Large group of submicroscopic infective agents, regarded either as simple microorganisms or complex molecules, that typically contain no semipermeable membrane, that multiply only in living cells, and that cause various important diseases.

Vulva • External part of the female genital organs, including the labia majora and minora, clitoris and hood, urethral and vaginal orifices, and other structures.

Vulvitis • Inflammation of the vulva, symptoms of which can include redness, irritation, or itching.

Yeast • Unicellular type of fungus.

Yeast infection • Overgrowth of candidal fungus in the vagina, characterized by discharge and inflammation, treated with antifungal creams, often avoided by using a balanced-pH intimate cleanser such as Nirena.