Is there a herbal remedy to help cystitis?

Cranberry has been shown to counter the ease with which bacteria adhere to the surface of the bladder lining. This makes it harder for them to establish themselves in the bladder and cause infections.

Products containing Cranberry are therefore favoured for prevention of bladder infections. Most people prefer to take a supplement containing cranberry to drinking cranberry juice or eating cranberries because pure cranberries are extremely tart in flavour, and making them more palatable involves the addition quantities of refined sugar, which in itself promotes infections.

Uva-ursi is a herbal remedy that has a remarkable effect on the bladder. It is bladder-specific, in that it works specifically in the bladder rather than anywhere else in the body.

Uva-ursi travels through the body without doing anything, until it reaches the bladder. There it changes its chemical structure, being hydrolysed to produce a substance called hydroquinone that disinfects the bladder. This disinfecting action is not commonly accompanied by any side effects and it does not cause thrush.

For this reason Uva-ursi is popular for dealing with attacks of cystitis and for women who have suffered from recurrent urinary tract infections.