Effects of Bearberry: Uva Ursi for Urinary Infections

Potent Herbal for Pee Problems

Attracting bears to its succulent but bitter pink fruit, this low shrub earned its name: Arctostaphylos uva ursi, the species part being Latin for “bear’s grape.” The leaves of this potent herb are alternately known as bearberry and uva ursi. Used by both Native Americans and the Chinese for centuries for urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted diseases that affect urination, the effects of bearberry are well-established. Though its use has declined over time and though it remains controversial, bearberry is still popular as an herbal remedy in many countries, including Great Britain and Germany. Readily accessible via web stores, bearberry may be the potent herbal solution to a urinary tract problem.

What makes bearberry effective as an herb?

Bearberry contains arbutin, a compound that is composed of sugars and hydroquinone, an antiseptic agent. In addition to the arbutin, bearberry contains several acids (gallic, ursolic, tannic) and flavonoids. So how does that bacteria-fighting hydroquinone get into the urine stream? Well, in people with alkaline urine, the hydroquinone in arbutin gets separated from its sugars and then remains unattached, staying in the urine as an antiseptic agent capable of killing bacteria. If the urine is not alkaline, then the hydroquinone still separates from its sugars but then recombines with other urine compounds and flows out of the body in inert molecular form. The success of bearberry as an herbal treatment, then, depends on the pH of a person’s urine. In order to keep the waste liquid alkaline, foods and beverages high in vitamin C should be avoided. Milk and cheese are good options for keeping the flow alkaline so that bearberry’s hydroquinone antiseptic can be exploited.

What specific urinary problems can bearberry treat?