Bladder infections / 1995

Date: Wed, 13 Sep 1995 21:49:52 +0000
To: Medicinal and Aromatic Plants discussion list
From: christopher hedley
Subject: re Bladder infections

>> I have a friend who gets many many bladder infections. Does anyone know of an herb/combination of herbs that would help rather than taking antibiotics numerous times a year.

> I know that taking Echinacea and drinking cranberry juice has worked wonders for me.

Also Uva ursi = bearberry leaves and garden thyme and... sensitive bladders will benefit from regular use of a soothing, demulcent herb such as Mallow or barley water.

St John's wort is not poisonous. Large doses cause a photosensitive reaction in cattle, ie. a nasty rash only brought out by strong sunshine.
There are reports of humans with HIV having such a reaction when given large doses of an extract of the herb, but we are not talking concentrates here.

Yarrow is not poisonous, in theory it could cause a photosensitive reaction, but I have never come across this. Pregnant women should avoid large doses, except with expert advice.

There is much misinformation about, concerning herbal toxicology and very little hard data.

Your friend should also find out why they get recurrent bladder infections.

Christopher Hedley