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UVA-URSI

In herbal medicine we use the leaves of Uva-ursi which, when fresh, are small, green, shiny and oblong. Uva-ursi itself is a small evergreen shrub that grows best on dry rocky hills where it can form an extensive ground cover.

Marco Polo reported Chinese physicians using Uva-ursi to treat kidney and urinary tract problems and this served to bring it into popular use in Europe. That said there are also records of the Welsh Physicians of Myddfai already using it in the 13th century so it may already have been known about in European herbal medicine -- at least by some.

When Europeans later began to colonise North American they found that the Native Indians had already been long using it as a urinary remedy (they also smoked it along with tobacco in the mixture known as 'kinnikkinnik').

Rudolph Weiss says 'Uva-ursi is indicated for treatment of all inflammatory diseases of the urinary passages especially unspecific urinary tract infections' He instructs that 'patients should be instructed to drink plenty of fluids whilst taking this herbal drug'.

Uva-ursi is described by M. Grieve as 'of great value in diseases of the bladder and kidneys, strengthening and imparting tone to the urinary passages... used in inflammatory diseases of the urinary tract, urethritis, cystitis, etc.

WM Cook writes 'these leaves are principally astringent, with which they combine mild tonic and soothing properties. They increase the flow of urine; and while their powers are more or less expended upon all mucous membranes, they particularly show their influence upon the urino-genital structures. In chronic and sub-acute mucous discharges–such as catarrh of the bladder, leucorrhea, gonorrhea, and gleet–they serve an admirable purpose in lessening the discharge gradually, and giving tone to the parts. We have cured several cases of lingering gonorrhea, in females, with them alone; and have found them a valuable addition to the usual tonics, in leucorrhea. So, in aching of the kidneys and bladder, congestion and ulceration of the bladder and prostate gland, involuntary seminal emissions, and incontinence of urine, they serve a good purpose. They may be used in chronic diarrhea and dysentery; and are especially suited to an ulcerated condition of the bowels in such cases–when they may advantageously be combined with hydrastis (Golden Seal) They are more gentle to the stomach than nearly any other astringent and give relief to the achings that usually accompany the above maladies'

H Felter writes 'Uva Ursi is a true diuretic acting directly upon the renal epithelium. Owing to the presence of arbutin it is decidedly antiseptic and retards putrescent changes in the urine, and acts as a mild disinfectant of the urinary passages. It is to be used where the tissues are relaxed and toneless, with dragging and weighty feeling, and much mucoid or muco-bloody discharge. There is always a feeble circulation and lack of innervation when uva ursi is indicated. It is especially valuable in chronic irritation of the bladder, in vesical catarrh, strangury, and gonorrhea with bloody urination. It is claimed that when cystic calculi are present uva ursi, by blunting sensibility, enables their presence to be more comfortably borne. Pyelitis and mild renal haematuria sometimes improve under the use of uva ursi. Arbutin, in its passage through the system, yields hydroquinone, and this body, further changed by oxidation, may render the urine dark or brownish-green. This may be explained to patients taking the drug in order to allay any unnecessary fears the phenomenon may produce'

King's Dispensatory writes The rapid effects of Uva-ursi depend entirely on its stimulant, astringent, and tonic powers in physiological doses, though, in the smaller doses, it will relieve chronic irritation of the bladder. In chronic affections of the kidneys and urinary passages, it is frequently useful; in vesical catarrh, chronic gonorrhoea, strangury, leucorrhoea, and excessive mucous and bloody discharges with the urine. The keynote to its use is relaxation of the urinary membranes, as is evidenced by catarrhal discharges and a feeling of weight and dragging in the loins and perineum. It undoubtedly lessens lithic acid deposits in the urine, if there are bloody and mucous discharges, and pain in the vesical region, it speedily allays all these unpleasant symptoms. Cystic spasm is relieved by it, and, when calculi are present, it obtunds the cystic membranes to such an extent that the offending material is comfortably borne.

The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia (BHP) describes Uva ursi's actions as diuretic, urinary antiseptic & astringent and says it is indicated for cystitis, urethritis, dysuria (painful urination)pyelitis, lithuria (stones in the urine) and specifically indicated for acute catarrhal cystitis with dysuria & highly acidic urine. The BHP suggests a dose of 1.5-4 gms or by infusion (a heaped tsp = 2 grams) or a dose of 1.5-4mls of the ethanolic extract.

Hoffmann writes 'used daily, Garlic aids and supports the body in ways that no other herb can match. It is an effective antimicrobial, acting on bacteria, viruses and parasites of the alimentary tract. The volatile oil is largely excreted via the lungs, making Garlic useful in infections of the respiratory system, such as chronic bronchitis, respiratory catarrh, recurrent colds and influenza. It may also be helpful in the treatment of whooping cough and as part of a broader approach to bronchial asthma' Hoffmann suggests 'a clove should be eaten for prophylaxis (prevention) during acute infections, 1 clove three times a day is indicated' (equivalent in capsules)

King's Dispensatory writes 'Garlic is stimulant, diuretic, expectorant, and rubefacient; it is used both for medical and culinary purposes. The medicinal effects are owing to the absorption of its volatile oil, the stimulating action of which promotes the activity of the various excretory organs, as the skin, kidneys, and mucous membrane of the lungs air-tubes, communicating its odor to their excretions. It has been beneficially used in coughs, catarrhal affections, pertussis, hoarseness, worms, and calculous diseases. When applied along the spinal column and over the chest of infants, in the form of poultice, it is very useful in pneumonia; and placed over the region of the bladder, it has sometimes proved effectual in producing a discharge of urine when retention has arisen from torpor of the bladder. The odor imparted to the breath by garlic and onions, may be very much diminished by chewing roasted coffee grains, or parsley leaves and seeds'

The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia (BHP) describes the actions of Garlic as 'diaphoretic, expectorant, spasmolytic, antiseptic, bacteriostatic, antiviral, hypotensive & anthelmintic'. It says it is indicated for 'chronic bronchitis, respiratory catarrh, recurrent colds, whooping cough, bronchitic asthma and influenza'. The BHP suggests combining it with Lobelia in bronchitis and asthma and with Echinacea in conditions associated with bacterial or viral activity. It recommends a dose of 2-4 grams or a tincture at 1:5 in 45% ethanol at a dose of 2-4 mls.

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