botanical name(s): Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
synonyms: uva ursi, bearberry, kinnick-kinnick, upland cranberry
part(s) used: leaves
qualities: cold, dry
affinities: renal epithelium
actions: antiseptic, astringent, disinfectant, diuretic, tonic
dosage:
» tincture: 2 - 4 ml.
specific indications: relaxed urinary tract, with pain and bloody or mucous secretions; weight and dragging in the loins and perineum not due to prostatic enlargement; chronic irritation of the bladder, with pain, tenesmus, and catarrhal discharge (Felter, p. 685)
therapy: acts directly on renal epithelium; retards putrescent changes in the urine; mild disinfectant of urinary passages; vesical catarrh; strangury; gonorrhea with bloody urination; cystitis, pyelitis (Felter, p. 685); dysuria; acute catarrhal cystitis with dysuria and highly acid urine (British Herbal Pharmacopoeia, p. 30); cystitis in paraplegics (Weiss, p. 245)
AHPA Botanical Safety Rating: 2b, 2d
toxicity: 1
» use with caution during pregnancy, oxytocic effects (Duke, p. 56)
» overdose may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, urethrocystitis, tenesmus, and bloody discharge (Phillips, p. 228; Felter and Lloyd, p. 2039)
» CNS effects: tinnitus, delirium, collapse, convulsions and death may ensue (Duke, p. 56)
» darkening of the urine (von Oettingen, p. 129)
» excessive long-term use, especially in children, may cause impairment of the liver (Duke, p. 56, Brooks)
» avoid in cases of kidney disorders (Brooks) possibly due to the urinary
Footnotes