Herbs & Herbal Remedies @ Green Papaya

The Urinary Antiseptic

Family: Ericaceae; (includes Heath, Azalea, Rhododendron)

Genus and Species: Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

Also known as: Bearberry, Bear’s Grape, Upland Cranberry, Arbutus

Parts used: Leaves

Uva Ursi has been used as a diuretic and urinary antiseptic for more than 1,000 years by cultures as widely separated as the Chinese and American Indians. Today it is an ingredient in most herbal diuretics and urinary remedies and many weight-loss formulas. Even herbal conservative Varro Tyler, Ph.D., calls it “a modestly effective urinary antiseptic and diuretic.”

But uva ursi may not be effective if consumers eat certain foods while taking it-information some herbals fail to mention.

The Mark of Marco Polo

The Roman physician Galen used uva ursi’s astringent leaves to treat wounds and stop bleeding. But this herb was largely ignored by Western herbalists until the 13th century, when Marco Polo reported Chinese physicians using it as a diuretic to treat kidney and urinary problems. Polo’s famous travelogue repopularized uva ursi in Europe as a urinary and kidney remedy.

Uva ursis association with the kidney was strengthened by the medieval Doctrine of Signatures-the idea that a plant’s physical appearance revealed its Healing virtues. The herb grew in rocky, gravelly places, and at the time kidney stones were called gravel.

Kinnikinnik

North American colonists found the Indians had independently discovered uva ursi’s use as a urinary remedy. Native Americans also mixed its leathery leaves with tobacco and created the smoking mixture, kinnikinnik.

Uva ursi was incorporated into the U.S. Pharmacopoeia in 1820 as a urinary antiseptic and remained there until 1936. Chemists isolated the herb’s active constituent, arbutin, in 1852.

The 19th-century Eclectics recommended the herb for diarrhea, dysentery, gonorrhea, bed-wetting, and “chronic affections of the kidneys and urinary passages.”

Today homeopaths recommend a microdose of uva ursi for incontinence, blood in the urine, and kidney and urinary tract infections.

Contemporary herbalists continue to recommend uva ursi for kidney and urinary problems.

In the urinary tract the arbutin in uva ursi is chemically transformed into an antiseptic chemical, hydroquinone, according to several studies. In addition, the herb contains diuretic chemicals, including ursolic acid, powerful astringents (tannins), and a chemical that helps promote the growth of healthy new cells, allantoin.

Urinary Ailments - Together, the actions of uva uri’s active chemicals support its age-old use in urinary tract infections (UTIs), and other urinary ailments.

Some herbalists report uva ursi has cured UTIs unresponsive to pharmaceutical antibiotics. This is certainly possible, but scientific sources say pharmaceutical antibiotics are generally more effective. For mild urinary symptoms, try uva ursi as herbal first aid. For urinary problems requiring professional care, use the herb in addition to standard therapies.

But there’s an important catch to using uva ursi. To receive the greatest antiseptic benefit the urine must be alkaline, which means you must avoid acidic foods and supplements, such as sauerkraut citrus fruits and their juices, and vitamin C, while taking it.

Women’s Health - Diuretics may provide relief from the premenstrual bloating that bothers many women. Pregnant and nursing women should not use diuretics, however. Uva ursi also stimulates uterine contractions in animal studies, making it even more off-limits to pregnant women.

High Blood Pressure - Physicians often prescribe diuretics to treat high blood pressure. High blood pressure is a serious condition requiring professional care. If you have it and would like to include uva ursi in your overall treatment plan, do so only with the supervision of your physician.

Diuretics deplete the body of potassium, an essential nutrient. If you use them regularly, increase your consumption of foods high in potassium, such as bananas and fresh vegetables.

Congestive Heart Failure - Physicians often prescribe diuretics to treat this condition, which involves serious fatigue of the heart. Congestive heart failure requires professional care. If you would like to include uva ursi in your overall treatment plan, discuss using the herb with your physician.

Wound Healing - Uva ursi’s allantoin may help spur wound Healing. Allantoin is the active ingredient in several over-thecounter skin creams, such as Herpicin-L Cold Sore Lip Balm, for relief of oral herpes, and Vagimide Cream, for irritation associated with vaginal infections.

Diarrhea - The astringent tannins in uva ursi are binding and help relieve diarrhea.

Rx for Uva Ursi

For wound treatment, apply fresh, crushed leaves to minor cuts and scrapes after they have been thoroughly washed with soap and water. Or dip a clean cloth in a decoction and apply the compress to the affected area.

To minimize the unpleasantly astringent taste of this hightannin herb, soak the leaves in cold water overnight. Then, for a decoction to help treat urinary symptoms or diarrhea, simmer 1 teaspoon per cup of boiling water for 10 minutes. Drink up to 3 cups a day.

In a tincture, use ¼ to 1 teaspoon up to three times a day. Uva ursi should not be given to children under age 2. For older children and people over 65, start with low-strength preparations and increase strength if necessary.

Uva ursi often turns urine a dark green. Do not become alarmed.

Herbal weight-loss formulas typically contain diuretics.

Uva ursi is the diuretic most often used. Because they boost urine production, diuretics temporarily eliminate some water weight. Weight lost using diuretics almost invariably returns, however. Weight-control experts do not recommend diuretics. The keys to permanent weight control include a low-fat, high-fiber diet, and regular aerobic exercise.

Some herb conservatives warn against using uva ursi because they say it causes vomiting, ringing in the ears, and convulsions. The source of this warning is one study reported in 1949, which did not use bulk uva ursi but rather very large amounts of its isolated antiseptic chemical, hydroquinone. Recommended doses of the whole herb are considered safe, if nausea or ringing in the ears develops, use less or stop using the herb.

High in Tannins

Uva ursi has such high levels of tannins that it has been used to tan leather. Large doses of tannins may cause stomach upset.

Tannins also have both pro- and anti-cancer action. Some authorities warn against their use, but tannins’ role in human cancers, if any, remains unclear. However, those with a history of cancer should either add milk, which appears to neutralize tannins, or not use large amounts.

Other Cautions

The Food and Drug Administration lists uva ursi as an herb of “undefined safety.” For otherwise healthy non-pregnant, non-nursing adults, uva ursi is considered relatively safe in amounts typically recommended.

Uva ursi should be used in medicinal amounts only in consultation with your doctor. If uva ursi causes minor discomforts, such as nausea, use less or stop using it. Let your doctor know if you experience unpleasant effects or if the symptoms for which the herb is being used do not improve significantly in two weeks.

Better to Buy Bearberry

Ancient Mediterranean bears must have loved the bright red, mealy, currant-size berries of this delicate, branching, perennial groundcover, because both its generic name, Arctostaphylos, from the Greek, and its Latin-rooted specific name, uva ursi, mean bear’s berry. The plant is often called bearberry in English. Not the berries but the leaves are used in herbal Healing, however.

Uva ursi grows throughout the temperate world. It has a long, fibrous root, woody stems and branches, inch-long, leathery, evergreen, paddle-shaped leaves and tiny white flowers tinged with red. The plant rarely grows taller than a few inches and prefers a dry, rocky, or sandy habitat.

Uva ursi is typically propagated from cuttings. Be patient.

This plant takes an unusually long time to root. It’s more convenient simply to buy small plants from a specialty herb nursery.

Uva ursi does poorly in rich soil. It prefers poor, gravelly, acidic soil. under full sun or partial shade. Keep your uva ursi patch well weeded until the plants have become established. It does not transplant well. Once established, uva ursi spreads to become a hearty, attractive groundcover, which can survive temperatures of -50°F.

Harvest leaves in autumn before the first frost. Because of their leathery texture, they are difficult to air dry. Spread them in a single layer and dry them in your oven.