Leanne Pratt - Herbal Tea for Preventing Urinary Tract Infections

Many people suffer from either occasional or frequent urinary tract infections and they can be very annoying or even potentially dangerous.  A great way to help manage urinary tract infections is to drink herbal teas that have specific anti-inflammatory and antiseptic actions on the urinary tract.


Constant Urinary tract Infections
An occasional bout of cystitis can be triggered by stress, antibiotic treatment, pregnancy, menopause and activities that cause the urinary tract to be irritated like sex. It is more common in women than in men.

It’s not unusual for some people to experience ongoing urinary tract problems with almost constant inflammation, leading to repeated infections and antibiotic treatment.

If this is happening all the time it is a sign of an imbalance in your system that needs to be addressed.  It can be caused by stress, poor nutrition, allergies or even the antibiotics that you have taken to stop infection.  The cycle you can get into of repeated antibiotic treatment for these infections actually aggravates the problem in the long term.


Urinary Tract Infections are Serious
Whilst you need to be aware that antibiotics can lead to repetitive urinary tract infections, you should never be complacent about UTI’s – if you have an infection that is causing lower back pain, blood in your urine and fever, you must go to your doctor immediately.   A serious urinary tract infection is dangerous and can cause irreversible damage to your kidneys if the infection travels up.

Once you have finished your antibiotic course, you can then concentrate on improving your health so it doesn’t keep happening.


How Herbal Teas can Help
So what can herbs and herbal teas do to help?  There are two situations where they can be useful:

1.    The early stage of a urinary tract infection: When you have a slight increase in the urge to urinate and some annoying inflammation causing some burning.  Herbal teas may prevent an infection taking hold so it resolves itself if you catch it early enough.
2.    Those who suffer from ongoing inflammation and infections, herbal teas can be part of the treatment to help the process of strengthening your bladder, creating a healthier urinary environment and providing antibacterial actions.

The reason that herbal teas are so great for UTIs is that just by drinking them you are increasing the amount of water you drink.  One of the first things you should do if you have early signs of a UTI is to drink lots of fluid.  This may just be enough to flush out any bacteria and prevent them from getting hold.

Blended properly a herbal tea can provide a powerful combination of anti-bacterial, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, soothing and diuretic actions, as well as providing extra nutrients to help strengthen and heal the bladder tissue.

If you start drinking teas specifically for bladder infections at the very beginning of any signs of irritation, within 3 days you should be back to normal.


Herbal Tea blend for Cystitis.
Herbs work best in combination so you can take advantage of the synergistic actions they have.  I have blended a tea using the following herbs that is very effective for helping with urinary tract infections.   An easy to drink mild tasting blend with a hint of sweetness on the back of the tongue, it contains the following herbs:

• Cornsilk: is exactly as it says, it’s the fluffy bit you see growing at the top of corn cobs and it’s very specifically used for the urinary tract due to its diuretic and soothing action.  It helps to reduce inflammation and directly calm the tissue.  It is specifically indicated for chronic or re-occurring inflammation of the urinary tract and its gentle action makes it great for treating children with urinary tract issues.
• Horsetail: Another herb that is used primarily to help treat urinary tract problems.  Its diuretic action helps to flush away irritants and infectious agents.  Horsetails other use is to help strengthen and heal the tissue that lines the urinary tract due to its high silica content.
• Yarrow: This is the herb that will help prevent infection.  Yarrow acts as an antiseptic on the tissues of the urinary tract.  This prevents over-growth of bacteria in those who suffer from chronic bladder infections.  It is also anti-inflammatory and very rich in nutrients.
• Celery: Another herb with diuretic and antiseptic actions means it is perfect for preventing infection taking hold.  
• Licorice: A fabulous healing herb for the ‘mucus membranes’ or your internal skin.  Its soothing  action will help reduce the irritation to the surfaces of the urinary tract.   Also possibly enhances the defense mechanism of the bladder and inhibits bacterial adherence to the epithelium.  Adds a lovely flavour to this blend too.

Taken together these herbs will have a faster and more effective action than a single urinary tract herb.

Another benefit of many of these urinary tract herbs is in their diuretic action, which can help reduce excess fluid retention.

For more information on this tea go to Pratty’s Website here:  http://www.prattys.co.nz/shop/healing-teas/make-it-wee-asy-peasy/


Berry Fruit Teas Containing Hibiscus also Reduce Urinary Tract Infections
It is worth mentioning that there are other plants found in teas that can also help, outside of the traditional herbal teas.  A great example is the beautiful coloured Hibiscus flowers. These flowers, often found in fruit teas, were found in a recent study to help prevent Urinary Tract Infections.  This study followed 90 subjects for 6 months who received either Hibiscus extract or a placebo.  The results showed a significant decrease of 60% less incidence in UTIs experienced by those taking the Hibiscus extract.

Hibiscus has a lovely taste: slightly tangy, mildly lemon like and fragrant.  It is used to give Fruit teas their red colour and to balance the sweetness and it is also fabulous made into an iced tea which makes it easy to drink larger quantities.


Other ways to fight Urinary tract Infections
The bacterium E. coli, which normally lives in the bowel, causes about 90 percent of all UTIs, which is why doctors often prescribe antibiotics for the problem.

• Start by drinking plenty of water (alongside a urinary tract herbal tea) to flush out the bacteria. You need about half your weight in ounces each day, so if you weigh 120 pounds, you would need to drink 60 ounces of water (about eight glasses).
• Probiotic-containing fermented products such as kefir and yogurt increase immunity-boosting bacteria and should be a staple of your anti-UTI diet.   But make sure the yoghurt is low in sugar as the sugar can have the opposite effect.  I recommend taking probiotic capsules, especially if you have been on a course of antibiotics, as this will help increase the good bacteria, which helps keep down bad bacteria responsible for UTI’s
• Avoid sugar as this is what the bacteria feed on!
• Vitamin C. Besides maintaining the health of the bladder and urethra, this antioxidant has an acidifying effect on the urine, generating large amounts of nitric oxide that inhibit the growth of the organisms responsible for UTIs. For an acute infection, take 1,000 mg vitamin C every two hours for two days then 1,000 mg three times daily for five to 10 days. If the vitamin upsets your stomach, look for gentler acid buffered versions like calcium ascorbate or sodium ascorbate.
• Cranberries. Research has shown that the antimicrobial hippuric acid in cranberries and cranberry juice effectively helps women fight off active urinary tract infections. Cranberries also decrease the ability of E. coli to adhere to the lining of the bladder and urethra, preventing infection. Bear in mind that most cranberry juice contains high amounts of sugar, so I recommend cranberry supplements—ensure they have the correct dose though.   My favourite is Blackmore’s Cranberry 15,000 which is based on the successful clinical trials. http://www.blackmoresnz.co.nz/products/cranberry-15000

For more tea and health information go to www.prattys.co.nz