CYSTITIS, URINARY INFECTIONS

CYSTITIS, URINARY INFECTIONS, MEDICINAL PLANTS AND ESSENTIAL OILS

INTRODUCTION

Common urinary tract infections of the lower urinary tract are common and can be treated with herbal medicine and aromatherapy.
Those that affect the upper part of the urinary tree, ie the kidneys, are formidable and absolutely require appropriate antibiotic treatment under medical supervision.
Cystitis can be treated with plant extracts, but pyelonephritis and infections that affect the kidney do not fall under herbal medicine.
However, medicinal plants and essential oils can help prevent these serious infections.

LITTLE ANATOMICAL REMINDER

Urine is excreted by the kidneys and descends to the bladder through the ureters.
The bladder is an organ for storing urine.
When urinating (urination) urine passes through the urethra.
In women, the urethra is short and its meatus (orifice) is close to the genital orifice and the rectum.
In men, the urethra is much longer, its orifice is more protected and further from the rectum but is also used for the exit of sperm and prostatic fluid.
Urine leaving the kidney is normally sterile.
The urinary tract infection that causes urethritis or cystitis is most often of external origin, it goes up the urethra (giving urethritis) then infects the bladder, it is cystitis.

The anatomy promotes the appearance of cystitis in women, they are much rarer in men in whom, on the other hand, the infection of the bladder is quite often accompanied by that of the prostate (prostatitis).

We will limit this page to female cystitis outside of pregnancy.

SIGNS OF CYSTITIS AND URETHRITIS

Infection of the urinary tract mucosa is accompanied by inflammation giving pain and pus or small bleeding:

in urethritis the pain is low and manifest when urinating, pus often appears at the beginning of the urination at the urinary meatus.
in CYSTITIS the pain often present in the bladder is accompanied by a frequent and pressing urge to urinate (pollakiuria), with the sensation of urinary burning sometimes sharp especially at the end of urination, the urine is cloudy and smells bad.

THESE INFECTIONS OF THE LOWER URINARY TRACT ARE NOT ACCOMPANIED BY HIGH FEVER OR PAIN IN THE LUMBAR REGION
These last symptoms signal the rise of the infection towards the kidneys (PYELONEPHRITIS), it is then imperative to consult a doctor who will prescribe an antibiotic treatment with sometimes hospitalization.

URETHRITIS is most often a sexually transmitted and transmitted disease (example: gonococcus) which requires appropriate antibiotic treatment and does not come under herbal medicine.

CYSTITIS is generally an infection with a germ of faecal origin (such as Escherichia Coli), herbal medicine and aromatherapy help in the treatment and prevention of this condition and often make it possible to avoid antibiotic treatment.

The DIAGNOSIS OF CYSTITIS is facilitated by the use of reactive STRIPS (found in pharmacies or hospitals) which show the presence in the urine of leukocytes (white blood cells indicating the infection) and nitrites (linked bacterial activity) sometimes blood cells (red blood cells) but this last test is less reliable.

CYSTITIS A FREQUENT DISEASE IN WOMEN

Rare are the women who have not experienced an episode of cystitis.
It is a common, frequent and sometimes recurrent .

WHAT ARE THE CIRCUMSTANCES FAVORING THIS INFECTION?

Anything that facilitates the pollution of the urinary orifice by bacteria of faecal origin: poor hygiene, maceration of the perineum (especially pants or underwear that are too tight or made of synthetic material), digestive disorders with diarrhoea, contact between faecal matter and the urinary orifice when cleaning oneself,
intense sexual activity,
incomplete emptying of the bladder,
stubborn constipation (the bacteria probably arrive via the lymphatic route in this case),
insufficient drinking with concentration and stasis of the urine: the normal flow of urine manages to eliminate the majority of bacteria and prevents them from attaching themselves to the mucous membrane of the urinary tract,
sampling of urine by catheter or permanent urinary catheter,
unbalanced diabetes,
prolonged bed rest.

TREATMENT OF CYSTITIS

TREAT CYSTITIS WITH MEDICINAL PLANTS AND ESSENTIAL OILS

THE MAJORITY OF CYSTITIS remain isolated infectious episodes which pass spontaneously when the quantity of water which one drinks is significantly increased (up to two liters per day) and when the cause of the infection is removed (defective hygiene or clothing that is too tight).
If the INFECTIOUS SIGNS (pain, significant pollakiuria and cloudy and foul-smelling urine, a little fever) are evident or if the cystitis is recurrent and disabling, it must be treated more vigorously.

by an appropriate short or slightly longer ANTIBIOTIC TREATMENT according to your doctor’s assessment,
by combining it with COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENT with medicinal plants and essential oils.
PREVENTION OF RECURRING CYSTITIS which is difficult to achieve by conventional medicine is a particular indication of medicinal plants.

Several plants or plant extracts are useful for treating or preventing cystitis:

URINARY ANTISEPTIC PLANTS:
Cranberry or cranberry, blueberry, canche or cowberry, bearberry, strawberry tree, heather.

TROPICAL PLANTS:
Orthosiphon, several species of very widespread Phyllantus which look very similar (notably Phyllantus urinaria, Phyllantus niruri) with various vernacular names (seed-under-leaf, chanca piedra, stone breaker).

DIURETIC PLANTS:
Pilosella, meadowsweet, elderberry, tea.

ESSENTIAL OILS:
Essential oils of white sandalwood, cajeput, more incidentally of niaouli, eucalyptus (globulus and radiatus) or Scots pine

CRANBERRY, BLUEBERRY

Cranberries and blueberries are small colorful fruits from the cold regions of the northern hemisphere, cranberries are endemic to northeastern North America.
A fraction of the tannins they contain has the property of preventing Escherichia Coli or coli bacteria from attaching themselves to the epithelial cells of the walls of the intestine and especially of the urinary tract (urethra and bladder).
Recurrent urinary tract infection (recurrent cystitis) is in fact most often due to this colibacillus, an intestinal bacterium but which can infect the urinary tree.
The « anti-adhesive » substances inactivating Escherichia Coli are mainly present in the fruits of the cranberry or cranberry, those of the blueberry are much less effective.
These « anticolibacillus » tannins do not have an antibiotic power, they do not kill the bacteria, but inactivate them, the urinary flow eliminates them without them having the possibility of anchoring themselves on the urinary mucosa, first stage of the infection..

The extracts of CRANBERRY exist in the form of tablets, capsules, drinkable ampoules:
To TREAT AND PREVENT URINARY INFECTION it is necessary to consume daily the equivalent of 20 to 60 g of fresh fruit by dividing the dose into twice .
We must therefore read the leaflet of the drug or food supplement to reach this dose.
You should also drink at least 1.5 liters of water or herbal tea in small quantities throughout the day.
Cranberry extracts are not standardized, however the recommended daily dose is between 300 and 500mg of cranberry extract per day.
The treatment is prolonged because preventive, from 3 to 6 months according to the recurrence of the episodes of cystitis.

BLUEBERRY EXTRACTS (including the tincture of blueberry, Vaccinium myrtillus, 150 drops per day) can be used to prevent the appearance of cystitis but are less effective than those of cranberry.

Another heath, VACCINIUM VITI-IDAEA , ‘lingonberry’ or ‘cowberry, has intermediate properties between cranberry and bearberry, we use the mother tincture of leafy branches with fruits, 100 to 150 drops in preventive treatment of cystitis.

BEARBERRY, ARBUTUS

The BEARBERRY or Common bearberry, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, a small shrub cousin of blueberries (ericaceae) is found in the cold and mountainous regions of the northern hemisphere.

The ARBUTUS UNEDO or « strawberry tree » is a bushy shrub known for its edible fruits, common in the Mediterranean regions and southern Europe but which also grows in Brittany.

The LEAVES of these two plants contain arbutoside (or ARBUTIN) which, hydrolyzed by the intestinal bacteria releases hydroquinone (a phenol), which will be excreted in the urinary tract after transformation in the liver then new release in the urine .
This substance which has several pharmacological properties is a powerful urinary antiseptic.
Its urinary release is favored in a basic medium (alkaline) so avoid acidifying the urine (no fruit or acidic fruit juice).
Hydroquinone is TOXIC in HIGH DOSE and the daily dose is limited to 500mg per day which corresponds according to pharmacologists to approximately 10g of dry leaves.
The arbutus is usable but less known and little studied.
The leaves of these plants are used to treat urinary tract infections and cystitis, but not to prevent them, the TREATMENT WILL BE LIMITED IN TIME and bearberry can be combined with another plant, cranberry or heather.
Hydroquinone plants are contraindicated in pregnant or breastfeeding women.
EXAMPLE OF DOSAGE:
10 grams of dry leaves in infusion or aqueous maceration (cold) in 1/2 liter of water to consume in 3 or 4 times while drinking at least 1 liter 1/2 of water well distributed during the day, for a ten days.
We stop the treatment in case of secondary constipation due to tannins.
One can also make a mother tincture or an alcoholic tincture of bearberry or strawberry tree leaves at 1/10, 100 to 150 drops per day for one to two weeks.
There are specialties containing extracts of bearberry, comply with laboratory indications.

HEATHER

Several species of heather are prescribed as a complementary treatment for cystitis (antibiotic + heather or bearberry + heather).
The most commonly used are bell heather, Erica cinerea, and calluna heather, Calluna vulgaris.
These plants do not contain arbutin in significant amounts and their active parts appear to be proanthocyanidins and flavonoids which are harmless.
EXAMPLE OF DOSAGE:

Heather powder: 2 g 3 times a day
Heather infusion: a small handful of flowering twigs with leaves in 1 liter of very hot water, 3 minutes of infusion. 1 cup 3 to 4 times a day.
ethanolic tincture of Calluna vulgaris or Erica cinerea: 50 drops 3 times a day.

TROPICAL PLANTS TO TREAT CYSYTITIS

Orthosiphon stamineus JAVA TEA

The orthosiphon is native to Southeast Asia but grows in many tropical or sub-tropical countries.
See the complete file on phytomania.com/
It is above all a diuretic plant but which also has a slight urinary antiseptic power. As we have seen above, it is essential to treat cystitis by using the « flushing » effect of the urinary flow on the bacteria which have invaded the lower urinary tract.
Orthosiphon herbal tea is palatable and safe.
Orthosiphon is available in pharmacies or herbalists in the form of an infusion bag, extracts and simple galenic preparations (ex ethanolic tincture, 50 to 100 drops per day),
You can also prepare the maceration (but also the infusion) with the leaves and the fresh or dry flowering tops of the orthosiphon or Java tea in the manner of an infusion of mint or tea.

PHYLLANTUS NIRURI, PHYLLANTUS URINARIA

The genus Phyllantus includes many species that are sometimes difficult to distinguish from each other.
Phyllantus niruri is a small herbaceous species very common especially in the coastal regions of the tropics (seed-under-leaf in the West Indies).
This species is best known for its ability to fight urolithiasis (urinary stones) but it also increases urinary flow (diuretic) and has urinary antiseptic power, so it is interesting for treating cystitis.
Phyllantus urinaria is another very similar species which has the same properties.
The phyllantus described are very commonly used in India and South America.
We recommend using the aerial parts rather than the whole plant with these roots, as a cure for 10 to 15 days.
EXAMPLES OF DOSAGE:

Infusion: a small handful of fresh plant without the roots (aerial parts), infusion in 1 liter of very hot water for 3 to 5 minutes to drink during the day in 3 or 4 times.
It’s quite bitter!
ethanolic tincture of the aerial parts: 30 drops 3 to 4 times a day.

DIURETIC PLANTS

Diuretic plants do not all have a urinary antiseptic power but they are interesting to help treat bladder infection by their ability to « drive out » bacteria suspended in the urine and prevent their attachment to the mucous membrane of the urine. bladder, first stage of urinary tract infection.
People suffering from acute cystitis are reluctant to urinate because it is painful, yet it is essential to increase the volume of daily drink and therefore the quantity of urine.
Among the diuretic plants three are more interesting:
ORHOSIPHON or Java tea described above.
YARROW , WOUNDWORT , CARPENTER’S WEED, Achillea millefolium, is also useful for controlling urinary tract infections of the lower tract: see the complete file on phytomania.com/

PILOSELLE or hawkweed, Hieracium pilosella.

hawkweed is a small, grassy plant with yellow flowers and fairly common in all regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Its diuretic power is linked to its inulin content and it may also have a slight antiseptic and anti-inflammatory urinary effect.
EXAMPLES OF DOSAGE:

Infusion: a handful of fresh leaves (about 100 g) in a liter of very hot water, 10 minutes of infusion, 3 to 4 cups per day.
Hawkweed tincture: 50 drops 3 times a day if possible before eating.
Piloselle powder capsules: according to the indication of the laboratory.

Other diuretic plants are also useful for participating in the « cleansing » of the bladder and urethra: meadowsweet, elderflower, tea.

ESSENTIAL OILS AND CYSTITIS

The essential oil of WHITE SANDALWOOD OR CITRIN SANDALWOOD (Santalum album) and the essential oil of CAJEPUT (from several varieties of Melaleuca leucodendron) have urinary antiseptic properties.
White sandalwood essential oil can be used as a SHORT CURE of one week: 2 drops 2 to 3 times a day.
Cineole cajeput essential oil is better tolerated: 2 drops 2 to 3 times a day for one to two weeks.
You can use the two essential oils but by cutting the dosage in half.
In case of intolerance (heartburn, allergic reaction) this aromatherapy is immediately suspended.
Other essential oils with eucalyptol (cineole) can help prevent and cure cystitis: essential oils of niaouli and essential oils of eucalyptus (globular and radiated).
Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) essential oil is also moderately urinary antiseptic.

Essential oils with thymol or carvacrol (essential oil of thyme or savory) and essential oil of clove (with eugenol) are sometimes recommended by aromatherapists in the event of urinary tract infection; ceylon cinnamon essential oil is also.
These essential oils are certainly very antiseptic, but quite caustic and must be diluted before absorption otherwise there is a risk of digestive burns with gastric pain.

Example of treatment of cystitis in women

Carefully follow the hygiene and dietary advice:

Drink at least 1.5 liters of water or herbal tea per day,
perineal hygiene using an « alkaline » soap such as Marseille soap without exaggerating,
loose under clothing if possible in cotton,
do not refrain from urinating and do it as completely as possible.

ISOLATED AND MODERATE CYSTITIS:
Increase in the quantity of drink,

a short treatment (one week) of mouse-ear or bearberry is associated with it, which is generally sufficient to stop the infection,
maintain an « artificial » increase in the volume of drink for at least another week.

ACUTE ISOLATED CYSTITIS, with more marked signs of infection:

if possible specific antibiotic treatment (which quickly cuts the symptoms of cystitis),
with concomitant intake of a urinary antiseptic plant (bearberry with heather or piloselle), abundant drink.

RECURRING CYSTITIS:

preventive treatment with 3 to 6 month cures of cranberry
treatment of acute bouts of cystitis with specific antibiotics and urinary antiseptic plants.
Essential oils can be added to the antibiotic treatment or prolong it.
When the symptoms preceding the cystitis appear (small burning during urination, change in the smell of urine, general malaise) we can try to cut the urinary infectious process by using a diuretic plant such as orthosiphon or piloselle.

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