Urinary Problems: Urine for a Treat

Best Single Herb: Uva ursi

Best Combinations: Uva ursi, hydrangea, parsley, dandelion, schizandra, Siberian ginseng, lemon, dong quai, cornsilk, horsetail, hops (for strengthening)

Other Helpful Supplements: B-complex vitamins

Possible Causes: Infection; constipation

Complementary Help: Dry-skin brushing; Kegel exercises; bowel cleansing; treatments for bladder problems or kidney problems

We have already addressed problems with the urinary tract during our discussions about bladder infections and kidney problems. But for general malice wrought on the urinary tract, such as incontinence, infections of the urinary tract, and water retention, I’d like to introduce you to a popular herb that you will probably see more and more of for its positive effects on the urinary system. The herb is called uva ursi.

Uva Ursi Is Good for U

Uva ursi (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) is also called bearberry. The Greek translation of uva is “grape,” and ursi means “of the bear” — put together, this plant can also be referred to as bearberry, although I cannot verify whether bears eat the berries from the uva ursi plant. I plan to question the next one I run into!

For human consumption, the berries can be cooked or made into a cider. When chewed raw, they are bland but will stimulate the flow of saliva in your mouth and help you quench your thirst — in fact, uva ursi has been used as a survival herb.

It was only a decade earlier, when I consulted with an herbalist who put me on capsules of uva ursi for a bladder infection, that I found its medicinal uses for the urinary system.

Warnings about the use of herbs

Uva ursi contracts the tissues in the genito-urinary region, so you should not take this herb if you are pregnant because it may limit blood flow to the uterus. Too much of this herb and frequent doses can irritate the stomach. Use uva ursi as you would an antibiotic — not for more than 10 days in a row.

Uva ursi acts as an antiseptic, astringent, diuretic, and vasoconstrictor (that is, it reduces blood flow). It can be helpful in cases of severe diarrhea to slow things down, and it has been used as a mouthwash for thrush and as a douche for urinary trouble and infection. Uva ursi should be used as a medicine, for temporary use as needed. For urinary tract infections take two capsules twice daily, not more than 10 days in a row. Or you can make a tea (add chamomile for a better taste) and take V2 cup two times a day. Uva ursi is best taken for wet conditions such as water-retentive type ailments. Don’t take it if you are dehydrated.

Herb Lore: information related to holistic health

If you live in the West, you have probably seen uva ursi growing. This is a green, leafed plant with small red berries and small, oval, shiny leaves that grow low to the ground and spread wide. I first discovered this plant on my parent’s mountain property in Colorado, where a distant, elderly neighbor of ours (who was also a mountain man and a teacher of nature) identified it as kinnik-kinnik. He told me that the Native Americans used to smoke a mixture of kinnik-kinnik and tobacco, and that they would use it as a cleansing smoke in their sweat lodges.

And Don’t Forget…

When there is infection in the body, a bowel cleansing is always helpful to eliminate excess toxins from circulating throughout the body. Do a dry-skin brush daily to take a load off your kidneys; read for more on kidney and bladder health.

For overall nutrition for the urinary tract, see the combination of herbs listed in the table at the end of this chapter. This table contains nutrients that will act as an antiseptic for the urinary tract. Use this combination to strengthen the urinary system, and then maintain your health with proper nutrition and your daily herbal program. (I’ll give you a daily program later in the book.) Also incorporate Kegel exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, and sip cornsilk and/or parsley tea each night for urinary nourishment.

About overcoming an ailment with herbs

Kegel exercises were designed especially to help women prone to bladder prolapses or anyone with incontinence (trouble holding back urine). To perform Kegels, tighten your lower pelvis muscles as if you were restricting urine flow. Contractions should be held for six to 10 seconds, followed by relaxing the muscles completely. This should be done four or five times in a row, three to four times a day.

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