Uva Ursi
Updated Mar. 09th, 2022
Uva ursi has been well studied for its ability to prevent and decrease the severity of urinary tract infections, kidney infections, and kidney stones. It contains a compound called arbutin, which kills bacteria, especially in alkaline urine. Arbutin is also analgesic and studies show its pain relieving effect is equivalent to some other pharmaceutical pain relievers.
Uva ursi can be purchased as a raw herb for tea, encapsulated herb or tincture. Standardized supplements give the consumer the assurance that some active chemicals are present in the formula.
Combination products for urinary tract infections and kidney stones may contain uva ursi. Whole plant preparations, as opposed to formulas of purified, extracted chemical constituents, work best. There are other molecules in uva ursi that protect the active chemicals as they pass through the digestive tract and alkalinize the urine.
Uva ursi may cause a harmless green-brown discolouration of the urine. Do not use uva ursi if you are pregnant or lactating. Do not use uva ursi if you have kidney failure. Uva ursi should not be used for longer than 7-10 days. Children should not use Uva ursi.
I had never heard of uva ursi before this article. I wonder what the name comes from. Is the ursi portion referring to "bear" and if so, I am curious why that connection has been made.
Anyway, it is interesting how the leaf can help with UTIs as well as conditions of the kidneys. As a future microbiology Phd (currently a graduate student), the component arbutin struck my interest for its bacteriacidal effect. I'll have to read more about it and the ph-dependent mechanism of action. It's cool how arbutin also has a pain relieving effect that can even be equivalent to some other pharmaceutical pain relievers.
Thank you for sharing this article and teaching me something new!!!
Hello Rachel,
You're welcome! We're thrilled you're learning new and exciting information about natural health through our articles. There are many interesting nutrients and herbs available that have offer great benefits to our health! You can find other natural supplements that also help support urinary tract health by reading this article, https://www.nationalnutrition.ca/articles/health-concerns/urinary-tract-infections-bladder-health/
Have a healthy day!