Women have been putting things in their vaginas for ages. And while some things, like tampons and lube, are considered perfectly fine, others are... questionable. Now, there’s a new vaginal suppository that falls into the “hmm” camp: wasp nests.

According to the Daily Mail, women are putting ground-up wasp nests in their vaginas with the goal of tightening and cleaning them. Of course, the nests are not marketed as "wasp nests;" instead, they’re called “oak galls” and they’re being sold on Etsy. One seller, who says the powder can be eaten or used as a vaginal wash, claims oak gall powder is good for “natural vaginal tightening,” has anti-inflammatory properties, reduces vaginal discharge, and is “believed to remove unpleasant odor and itching on female's private parts.”

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As you’d probably suspect, this isn’t a good idea. At all. Christine Greves, M.D., a board-certified ob/gyn at Winnie Palmer Hospital, calls the practice “dangerous.” For starters, using oak galls in your vagina hasn’t been studied, so there’s no indication that this is a good idea or even safe, she says. Not only that, it can cause vaginal dryness, which increases your risk of infection, including scary STIs like HIV. It can even cause vaginal odor, since vaginal dryness makes it easier for pathogens to enter your vagina.

Related: 5 Questions Every Woman Should Ask Her Gynecologist, ASAP

Plus, Greves says, throwing some oak gall powder up your vagina doesn’t address the root issue, which is why you want to put something random in your vagina in the first place. (Hit the reset button—and burn fat like crazy with The Body Clock Diet!)

"That is far from what women should be placing in their vaginas and should not be a practice that is considered helpful or therapeutic," says Jessica Shepherd, M.D., an assistant professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology and Director of Minimally Invasive Gynecology at The University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago.

Related: 4 Things You Should Never, Ever Do To Your Vagina

What's more, oak galls may reduce a woman's discharge, but if a woman has discharge due to an underlying condition, it could go undetected and undiagnosed by her doctor, Shepherd points out.

If you want to tighten your vagina, have vaginal itching, or are concerned about vaginal odor, talk to your doctor. He or she should steer you in the right direction—no sticking wasp nests up your vagina necessary.

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Korin Miller
Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.