Common Names: Arberry, bear’s grape, kinnikinnick, mealberry, mountain box, mountain cranberry, red bearberry, sagackhomi, sandberry, upland cranberry, uva ursi.
Description: Bearberry is a small, evergreen shrub found in the northern U.S. and in Europe, especially in dry, sandy or gravelly soils. A single long, fibrous main root sends out several prostrate or buried stems from which grow erect, branching stems 4 to 6 inches high. The bark is dark brown or somewhat reddish. The leaves are entire, oval or obovate, rounded at the apex, often puberulent, ½ to 1 inch long, and slightly rolled down at the edges. The white or pink flowers grow in sparse terminal clusters. The fruit is a bright red or pink berry containing several one-seeded nutlets.
Properties and Uses: Astringent, diuretic, tonic. Bearberry helps to reduce accumulations of uric acid and to relieve the pain of bladder stones and gravel. Use it to alleviate chronic cystitis; it usually will change the color of urine but this need not cause alarm. The tea or tincture can also be used for bronchitis, nephritis, and kidney stones. It may also help where bedwetting is a problem. CAUTION: Excessive use of bearberry can lead to stomach distress, and prolonged use can produce chronic poisoning.
Preparation and Dosage: Fall is the best time to pick the leaves.
Infusion: Soak the leaves in alcohol or brandy, then add 1 tsp. soaked leaves to 1 cup boiling water. Drink 2 to 3 cups a day, cold. You can also let the leaves soak in brandy for a whole week before making the infusion with water and add a teaspoon of the brandy to each cup of infusion.
Tincture: Take 10 to 20 drops in water, 3 to 4 times a day.
