I’ve had bouts of cystitis over the years, the last one a week or so ago and I’ve been given 3 days worth of antibiotics. I suffer from soreness around the vulva too. I am 65. I’ve been taking the cranberry complex but wondered how long I should take them for? Last time I bought the uva-ursi but only used it for a day or so then had to dispose of it as it needs using quickly so felt that it was a waste of money.

Our Cranberry Complex can be taken on a long term basis if you feel it is helping. However, I would be keen for you to try the Uva-ursi for a longer period of time than a day or two. 

I'm not sure why you felt it had to be used quickly. Our advice is that if your symptoms don't start to improve after 10 days you should stop taking it and seek help from your doctor, but this is only because if the remedy isn't working, we would want you to get some other form of treatment. However, if the uva-ursi seems to be helping, you can take it safely up to 5 times daily for up to a period of 6 weeks, and we would hope this would help to get most infections under control.

Keeping properly hydrated with plenty of water and limiting sugar and alcohol would also be useful here.

I hope this helps, if you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Best wishes,

Emma