Medical Herbalism: Clinical Articles and Case Studies |
Urinary tract Materia Medica
by Chanchal Cabrera
Medical Herbalism 3(4):6
The following materia medica listing gives some of the most important herbs in the treatment of UTIs.
Antimicrobials
Allium sativum garlic
Barosma betulina buchu
Thymus vulgaris thyme
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi uva ursi
Chimaphila pipsissewa
Anticatarrhals
Solidago virguarea goldenrod
Hydrastis canadensis goldenseal
Galium aparine cleavers
Demulcents
Althea off. rad. and fol. Marshmallow root and leaf
Agropyron repens couchgrass
Symphytum off. rad. and fol. comfrey root and leaf
Diuretics
Petroselinum sativum parsley
Agropyron repens couchgrass
Taraxacum
off. fol. dandelion
leaf
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2001 Paul Bergner 382
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Medical Herbalism: Clinical Articles and Case Studies |
Galium aparine cleavers
Anti-spasmodics
Viburnum opulis cramp bark
Hyoscyamus niger henbane
Valeriana off. valerian
Other tips
Keep the genitals clean and dry. Always wipe from front to back after going to the bathroom. Avoid the use of hygiene sprays and douches. Women should empty the bladder before and after intercourse and should not use tampons if they are prone to get UTIs. Use natural fiber underwear and avoid nylon and tight clothing.
Hot sitz baths with one cup of apple cider vinegar in the water or with chimaphila infusion are soothing and anti-inflammatory.
Drink plenty of fluids, avoid caffeine and alcohol.
For people with a tendency to recurrent UTIs a cleansing and detoxification program may be appropriate, along with herbal support of the immune system. After recovery from a UTI it may be useful to give a formula to act as a general tonic to the system. Appropriate herbs could include:
Achillea millefolium yarrow
Hypericum perforatum St. Johnswort
Aphanes arvensis parsley piert
Equisetum arvensis horsetail
Avena sativa wild oat
Parietaria diffusa pellitory-of-the-wall
A final
word of warning concerns the fact that in young girls with repeated UTI
you may need to consider the possibility of sexual interference. Urethral
trauma is a significant etiological factor and I have had one patient of
eight years old whose infection occurred every time she visited a certain
friend’s house. It turned out that although each herbal prescription was
successful, she was being assaulted by the friend’s father and thus kept
on getting new infections.
Copyright
2001 Paul Bergner 383
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Medical Herbalism: Clinical Articles and Case Studies |
UTI: clinical notes
by Paul Bergner
Medical Herbalism 3(4):5
Urinary tract infections require a medical diagnosis to rule out sexually transmitted disease, candida infection, or kidney infection. Do not assume that the patient has accurately diagnosed the condition.
If fever, chills, and other systemic symptoms are present, consider a severe infection or a spread to the kidneys.
Before treating UTI with natural methods, it is important to consider the overall picture of the patient. To use terminology from traditional Chinese medicine, a UTI patient will usually have a condition involving “heat” and the appropriate treatment is “cooling” foods, drinks, and herbs, and avoidance of “heating” substances (fats, heavy protein, hot spices). However, some UTI patients have a different picture entirely. They have a “deficiency” condition characterized by low constitutional vitality, and are unable to resist an infection. This kind of patient primarily needs strengthening of the entire system, and possibly strengthening of the reproductive system, as well as treatment for the infection.
Diaphragm use is implicated in up to 10% of women who suffer from recurrent cystitis.
UTI is extremely common in institutionalized elderly men and women, reaching levels of 30-50% of the institution population.
The typical conventional treatment is antibiotic therapy. In recurrent disease, daily doses are given for long-term use. Ironically, long-term antibiotic use may aggravate iinfections by promoting the growth of resistant strains of bacteria.
Diuretics
The
principle is to maintain adequate urinary flow and prevent stagnation rather
than to stimulate heavy urination. The chief way to this should be through
increased intake of fluids rather than forcing urination through stimulating
diuretics. It is important to rule out any kidney disease before using
diuretics, as diuretics that act on the kidney may cause further irritation
or damage. Commercial diuretic teas should be avoided in acute infections
unless you know that none of their constituents are contraindicated. Increasing
urinary flow can increase pain if there is much inflammation.
Copyright
2001 Paul Bergner 384
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Medical Herbalism: Clinical Articles and Case Studies |
Demulcents
These are soothing to inflamed tissues. Marshmallow and Corn Silk are both excellent examples for use in UTI. If giving the UTI formula in the form of a tincture, the demulcents may best be given as accompanying teas, because most demulcent substances dissolve best in water. Better still, put the tincture drops into the hot tea to evaporate the alcohol.
Immune stimulants.
The body can normally resist infection through the urinary tract and an infection may be a sign of underlying immune weakness. A review of eight clinical cases of UTI treated with herbs showed that those treatments which included echinacea resolved faster than those which did not (Bergner)
Reproductive Tonics.
Tonification of the entire female or male reproductive system may be necessary in chronic infections. Examples of female tonics are vitex, helonias, black cohosh, and blue cohosh. A classic male tonifier is saw palmetto.
Caution in pregnancy
Many diuretic and urinary tract herbs are contraindicated during pregnancy. Avoid all commercial diuretic tea combinations. Demulcent teas may be drunk freely, and bearberry may be used with caution in moderate amounts in pregnancy without indications of risk of miscarriage.
Will cranberry juice cure bladder infections?
Cranberry juice is a folk remedy for bladder infections. Research has found it effective only to prevent such infections, but not to cure them. (Kilbourne 1991; Kilbourne 1986; Sobota) In one study, 4-6 ounces of a commercial cranberry juice daily significantly prevented infections in a nursing home population (Kilbourne, 1991). Another study used doses ranging from 5 to 20 ounces a day.
UTI References
Kilbourne JP. “Cranberry juice in urinary tract infection.” Journal of Naturopathic Medicine. 1991:2(1):45-47.
Kilbourne JP. “Cranberry juice appears to prevent urinary tract infections.” CCML newsletter. January 1986
Jensen B. Foods That Heal. 1988
Ni M. Tao of Nutrition. Los Angeles. 1986
Sobota
AE. “Inhibition of bacterial adhesion by cranberry juice: potential use
for the treatment of urinary tract infections.” J Urology 1984:
131:1013
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2001 Paul Bergner 385
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Copyright
2001 Paul Bergner 386
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