Up to 75 percent of women deal at some point with the itchiness, discharge and sexual discomfort and pain of vaginal yeast infections caused by Candida species, the most prevalent being Candida albicans. Egyptian laboratory researchers tested fennel oil and eight other plant-based essential oils on 19 Candida albicans strains that were resistant to the antifungal medication fluconazole. They found that the fennel oil had significant antifungal properties against the strains, outperforming chamomile, jojoba, nigella, fenugreek, cod liver, peppermint, clove and ginger oils. When combined with fluconazole, fennel was effective on seven strains, theoretically lowering the need for higher doses of the medication.