Bladder infections herbal teas

Agrimony * Buchu * Butchers Broom * Corn Silk * Cleavers * Couch grass * Cranberry * Damania * Dandelion Root * Elm, Slippery * Goldenrod * Horseradish root * Horsetail * Juniper Berries * Lovage * Marsh Mallow Root * Oregon Grape Root * Parsley * Pumpkin Seed * St. Johns wort * Uva Ursi *

>Drinking herbal teas is a time tested method of combating bladder and urinary tract infections. Increasing the amount of liquid you are taking in helps to increase the amount of urine and helps flush out harmful bacteria. Drink herbal teas in place of soft drinks to cut down on the sugars that feed bacteria infections. Adding a pinch of baking soda to these herbal teas will help decrease the burning sensation that signals a bladder infection.

Bulk Herbs	Bitters & Syrups	Herbal Extracts	Herbal Health

Herbal diuretics : buchu and cornsilk teas. Extracts of corn silk are potent diuretics for the water retention and tissue swelling that accompany cystistis and urinary tract infections. Over-the-counter premenstrual diuretics contain buchu as an active ingredient. The diosphenol in buchu helps kill bacteria, and the diuretic action helps to flush out the urinary tract. ^{(Duke,James, Ph.D.)} Cleavers is a reliable diuretic used to help clean gravel and urinary stones and to treat urinary infections. ^{(Mabey,Richard)} Butchers Broom is known for it's cleansing and diuretic properties, which makes it useful for treating bladder infections According to M. Grieve, broom was recommended by Dioscorides and other ancient physicians as a diuretic in dropsy,edema, urinary obstructions and nephritic cases. ^{(Grieve, Maud)} Lovage is an old English garden herb whose use dates from the fourteenth century. Lovage's properties are similar to closely related plants like celery and parsely and like them is as effective diuretic for treatment of urinary tract inflammations, according to Commission E reports. ^{Commission E Monographs} Both parsley leaf and root can be used in teas as a diuretic to rid the body of excess water.

Antibacterial Herbs: Cranberry juice helps flush out the urinary system by keeping bacteria from getting a foothold in the lining of the urinary tract. ^{(Hoffmann, David, 589)} Unlike most herbs which can have a wide range of uses, uva-ursi is a specialist in infections and inflammations of the urniary tract. Pipsissewa, a native North American evergreen, contains arbutin - the same active constituent found in uva-ursi and cranberry, and is very similar in properties and actions. Studies show that the berberine in Oregon grape may kill many types of bacteria, including E.coli, and prevent bacteria from adhering to the bladder lining. ^{White, Linda B. M.D.} Goldenrod stands as one of the safest and most effective diuretic-antiseptic herbs. Goldenrod is an amazingly useful plant especially for one whose mainstream reputation is that of an allergy inducing weed. ^{(Duke,James, Ph.D.)}

Bladder stimulating oils: Damiana leaf , better known as an aphrodisiac , contains a mildly irritating oil that stimulates the urinary tract making it useful in urinary and vaginal infections. Horseradish may be an option for you if you enjoy the zesty taste enough to use it liberally. It is effective for urinary infections because mustard oil it contains is eliminated through the urninary tract. Due to their oil, juniper berries are a potent diuretic, imparting to the urine a smell of violets. The oil is antiseptic, making the plant valuable in treating cystitis and urethritis.

Bladder infections can worsen nightime incontinence. Drinking a cup of St Johns tea before bedtime can help children and adults troubled by incontinence, and M. Grieve recommended it be used in all bladder troubles, in suppression of the urine, dysentery, worms, and diarrhea. ^{(Grieve, Maud)}

Calming irritation: Herbs that contain mucilage help to coat the urinary tract and ease irritation. marsh mallow root has demulcent and emollient properties that make it useful in inflammation and irritation of the urinary and respiratory organs. ^{(Grieve, Maud)} Couch grass it valued by herbalists for its mucilage rich rhizome. A tea made from the roots is useful for treating urinary infections because of the herb's broad antibiotic and diuretic properties.