Anti-inflammatory and antibacterial herbs for cystitis

The inflammatory process in the bladder indicates a disease state of the body. On the one hand, this is his natural reaction. But on the other hand, if the body itself cannot cope with the infection, then without outside help, the inflammation will become chronic, noticeably undermining the defenses, which is in the hands of any other infection, especially a viral one.

In the case of a bacterial infection or an acute inflammatory process, doctors do not advise relying only on the forces of the body. Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory treatment are an important point in the treatment of cystitis. And it is very good that these moments can be resolved with the help of herbal treatment in combination with antibiotic therapy (if we are talking about bacterial cystitis) or use herbs as the main treatment when the leading role of infection is not observed in the etiology of the disease.

Using herbs for cystitis, you can achieve a significant improvement in the patient's condition and his tests in a fairly short time. This is much better than enduring pain and waiting for everything to go away on its own. Moreover, in the arsenal of alternative medicine there are many herbs that have a complex effect on the genitourinary system. Such useful herbs include chamomile, St. John's wort, goldenrod, lingonberry, yarrow, wild rosemary, juniper and some other medicinal plants.

Many people know about the anti-inflammatory effect of chamomile, but how else can the herb help with inflammation of the bladder? Chamomile is good not only in bouquets, but also in the form of a decoction or infusion of inflorescences that have antihistamine (reduces sensitivity to an irritating factor), antimicrobial (contains natural antibiotics - bioflavonoids), analgesic, sedative and antispasmodic action (help reduce pain). Taking water formulations based on chamomile, you can establish regular and full urination, especially if you prepare a decoction / infusion with chamomile and one of the diuretic herbs. [1]

The decoction is prepared by taking 1-2 tablespoons of dry inflorescences per glass of water heated to 90 degrees. This composition is kept in a water bath for about 15 minutes. Then the infusion should be cooled, filtered and brought to the initial volume.

It is recommended to take this medicine 2-3 times a day. Single dose - ½ cup. The effect will increase if 1 tsp is added to the decoction. Honey, which is known to have "killer" activity against microbes.

Instead of a decoction, you can take an infusion of inflorescences (2 tbsp per glass of boiling water, insist 1.5-2 hours in warmth). The recommended single dose is ¼ cup. You can drink no more than 1 glass of infusion per day.

If you make the infusion weaker (take 1-2 tsp in a glass and insist for 15 minutes), it will be called chamomile tea. Such tea can be drunk during the day in small portions instead of other teas and drinks.

Warm formulations based on the above herb will also be of considerable benefit in chronic cystitis. In this case, any hypothermia of the legs or the body as a whole can serve as a signal for an exacerbation of the disease. Warm decoctions and infusions, taken immediately after exposure to cold, are a good prevention of exacerbations and pain.

But no matter how useful and safe chamomile may seem, the plant also has contraindications for use. Compositions based on it are not recommended for patients with a tendency to diarrhea and mental disorders. You should not take chamomile for a long time and with diseases of the stomach of an erosive-ulcerative nature, since its effect on the acidity of the stomach is still a controversial issue among doctors. And, of course, pregnant women need to be careful, especially in the early stages, because increased estrogen production stimulated by chamomile can be one of the causes of miscarriage.

Herb St. John's wort can also be actively used for cystitis due to its healing properties. St. John's wort, even in large quantities, contains flavonoids, which provide the herb with an antimicrobial effect. The plant effectively relieves inflammation, shows a moderate diuretic effect, which, in combination with an antiseptic effect, contributes to the effective cleaning of the bladder from pathogens and attached microbes. St. John's wort and flowers have a hemostatic and wound-healing effect, which is very valuable if inflammation is caused by the irritating effect of urinary sediment (sand, stones) with the formation of bleeding micro-wounds on the mucosa (blood elements appear in the urine). [2]

Urolithiasis often becomes one of the causes of chronic cystitis, which is exacerbated by the formation of stones that injure the mucous membrane. Strong diuretics can only worsen the condition, but formulations based on St. John's wort will help to gently remove painful symptoms, especially if the herb is used in combination with chamomile, which provides an analgesic effect.

More often than others, a decoction of herbs is used in the treatment of cystitis. You can prepare it by taking 1 tbsp for one glass of water. Crushed herbal raw materials. Boil the broth for a quarter of an hour. After that, remove from the stove and allow to cool at room temperature. Take a pre-filtered composition should be 50 ml three times a day.

You can also prepare a medicinal infusion of St. John's wort. To do this, take 1.5 tbsp. Herbs, pour a glass of boiling water and keep for half an hour in a water bath. The cooled and filtered broth is brought up to 200 ml with boiled water. A glass of decoction is drunk in three doses, which must be done half an hour before meals.

It must be said that a pure decoction or infusion of St. John's wort is not often used in the treatment of cystitis. Usually this herb is included in the composition of medicinal fees along with chamomile, yarrow, knotweed, goldenrod and other herbs.

Contraindications to the use of formulations with St. John's wort can be: high blood pressure (persistent arterial hypertension), exacerbation of problems with blood vessels, a tendency to constipation. Grass is not recommended for pregnant women. Breastfeeding may also be a problem, as St. John's wort tends to give milk a bitter taste.

Goldenrod (aka golden rod) can be called the gold standard for treating cystitis in alternative medicine. This plant is one of the best herbal antibiotics, which, among other things, has a pronounced anti-inflammatory and diuretic effect.

Goldenrod is used both in the form of a decoction or tea, and in the form of a cold infusion.

A decoction is usually called an infusion prepared in a water bath. For him, take 1 tbsp. Dry vegetable raw materials in a glass of boiling water. The composition is kept in a water bath for 10 minutes, after which it is left to cool in heat and filtered.

Such a decoction is useful for cystitis, provoked by kidney or urolithiasis. The composition should be taken in small portions, no more than 50 ml per day, since the plant is quite poisonous.

Cold infusion has a pronounced antimicrobial effect, close to pharmacy antibiotics. To prepare it, take a glass of cold boiled water and 2 tsp. Herbs. The remedy is infused for four hours, after which it is filtered and drunk during the day for 3-4 doses. The infusion should be taken before meals.

Goldenrod is an excellent bladder cleanser that is actively used in homeopathy. But due to the high toxicity of the plant, it is necessary to take formulations based on it with great care, after consulting with your doctor.

It is clear that goldenrod is not suitable for the treatment of pregnant women and nursing mothers. It is contraindicated in glomerulonephritis (inflammatory disease of the glomerular system of the kidneys). Caution in taking herbal infusions should be observed by people with diabetes and high blood pressure.

Another of the well-established urinary antiseptics is lingonberries. In the treatment of cystitis, the leaves of the plant are used, which is able to relieve inflammation, having a bactericidal effect (phytoncides are especially active against staphylococcal infections), and also effectively cleanse the bladder, due to the complex antiseptic and diuretic effect.

An important point in lingonberry therapy is the fact that the plant, which is practically not inferior to goldenrod with its antibacterial effect, is non-toxic and can be taken in courses for a long time (more than six months without consequences, which is very important in the chronic course of pathology). The good tolerance of lingonberry-based formulations and the absence of side effects make this natural “medicine” almost universal.

With cystitis, an infusion of lingonberry leaf is popular (the whole plant can also be used). For 2 cups of boiling water, they usually take 2 tbsp. Lingonberry leaves, insist for at least half an hour. You need to take the infusion before meals for half a cup. Multiplicity of reception - 3-4 times a day.

You can also prepare a healing decoction. 1 tbsp leaves are poured with hot water (half a glass) and the composition is kept on low heat for 15 minutes, after which it is removed, cooled and filtered. The resulting infusion should be taken in the morning before meals.

No less useful, but more tasty will be a decoction of the leaves and berries of lingonberries. For a glass of water you need to take 2 tbsp. Vegetable mixture, bring the composition to a boil and remove, leaving to cool naturally.

With cystitis, you can take decoctions, teas, lingonberry fruit drinks, which become even more useful if honey is added to them (with good tolerance to beekeeping products).

Lingonberries are not recommended for patients with low blood pressure and severe kidney disease. For those who have high blood pressure or a history of gastritis with high acidity, lingonberry formulations should be taken very carefully after consulting a doctor.

Juniper, which is considered an excellent natural antiseptic, is not used so often in the treatment of cystitis, however, experience shows that such treatment shows good results. With inflammation of the bladder, the greatest healing effect can be expected from the infusion of plant berries prepared in a water bath. [3]

For 200-220 ml of hot boiled water, you need to take 1 tbsp. Berries. A bowl of hot mixture is placed in another bowl of boiling water (water bath). You need to remove the composition from the stove after a quarter of an hour and filter it chilled through gauze, carefully squeezing the berries. During boiling, the volume of the infusion decreases. You will need to add boiled water so that the glass of infusion is full.

Take the infusion 4 times a day after meals in the amount of 1 tbsp. L. For the reception. It has a diuretic effect and cleanses the urinary tract of pathogenic microbes, relieves inflammation, improves bowel function (this is also important, because when the rectum is full and distended, it creates an obstacle to the passage of urine).

Juniper is not suitable for pregnant women (risk of miscarriage), patients with chronic pathologies of the kidneys and gastrointestinal tract in the acute stage (in remission, short-term treatment in small doses is allowed with the permission of a doctor). An overdose of juniper-based formulations can cause problems with the heart and blood vessels.

Yarrow is a plant with anti-inflammatory and antiseptic action. It is effective both in the bacterial nature of the infection, and in diseases provoked by fungi. [4]

Yarrow infusion is prepared from 1 cup boiling water and 1.5 tbsp. L. Herbs. The composition should be infused for an hour, after which it is filtered and drunk in 4 doses.

Such an infusion can be prepared in a water bath. 15 minutes is enough, after which the composition should still stand for 45 minutes until it is ready for use. Given that while in the water bath, the volume of the liquid decreases, the strained infusion is brought to the original volume with boiled water. Take this infusion in a warm form 2-3 times a day for half an hour before meals. The recommended single dose is 100 ml. If the bitter taste and specific smell of the medicine are difficult to tolerate, you can limit yourself to 1/3 cup per dose.

A decoction of yarrow is a potent concentrated remedy that must be taken 3-4 times a day, 1 tbsp. L. Prepare it from 1 glass of water and 4 tbsp. L. Dry grass. The composition is boiled for 10 minutes, after which it is left to infuse for half an hour.

Grass can not be used with increased blood viscosity and a tendency to form blood clots. Caution should be observed for hypotensive patients, as well as for people with acute gastrointestinal diseases (strong formulations are not shown for gastritis and stomach ulcers). High doses of herbal formulations have a toxic effect.

Yarrow is not suitable for the treatment of cystitis in pregnant women and nursing mothers. In the first case, the risk of miscarriage increases, especially in the early stages, in the second case, the baby is more likely to refuse the breast due to the specific taste of milk.

Ledum with cystitis can be considered an excellent antimicrobial and analgesic (antispasmodic effect). But at the same time, it is worth considering the toxicity of the plant used in high doses or for a long time. 

In the treatment of cystitis, the infusion of the plant is more popular, which is prepared from 2-3 tbsp. L. (10g) finely chopped herbs and 1 cup boiling water. The composition must be sent to a water bath, where it will have to be for half an hour. After that, the herbal infusion will need to be cooled in natural conditions, filtered and boiled water should be added to it so that the total volume is 200 ml. Ready "medicine" is recommended to be taken after eating. Single dosage s - 2 tbsp. L. Multiplicity of reception - 3 times during the day.

Hypotension and pregnancy are contraindications to the use of wild rosemary. Due to the fact that the plant is considered poisonous, it should not be taken by nursing mothers.

When using herbs for cystitis, one should not forget about nettles. Although this plant does not have a significant antimicrobial effect, it helps to strengthen the body and maintain its protective properties, which is very important in the prevention of complications (and relapses in chronic cystitis). Useful properties of the herb are diuretic and wound-healing effects (the latter property helps to relieve inflammation when microerosions appear on the bladder mucosa), the ability to reduce tissue swelling and pain.

Despite the burning properties of young nettle leaves covered with tiny hairs, the plant is not poisonous, so treatment with it can be considered quite safe. If you pour boiling water over a spoonful of dry grass and insist for half an hour, you can get a pleasant-tasting nettle tea, which you can drink up to 3 glasses a day warm after eating.

By adding chamomile, raspberries, echinacea, St. John's wort to nettle leaves, you can change the taste properties of the drink, while its healing qualities will be even higher.

Nettle with cystitis can be used in the form of decoctions and infusions, alone or in combination with other herbs, add fresh leaves to salads, soups and fresh juices, but it must be remembered that the plant has contraindications. [5]

The hemostatic properties of nettles will not benefit people with a tendency to thrombosis and high blood viscosity. The herb is also not recommended for low blood pressure, as well as during pregnancy (increases the tone of the uterus).

A pronounced anti-inflammatory and diuretic effect is also characteristic of horsetail. Like St. John's wort or nettle, this medicinal plant tends to stop the blood and heal wounds, which is important in chronic cystitis against the background of urolithiasis. [6]

A decoction of horsetail is considered popular for inflammation of the bladder. You need to cook it at the rate of 2 tbsp. Herbs per 1 liter of water. The composition is kept on fire at a low boil for 5 minutes, after which it is removed from the stove, allowed to cool and filtered.

You need to take such a composition 3-4 times during the day, 3 tbsp. For the reception.

Horsetail herb goes well with chamomile, bearberry, nettle. A combination of grass with birch leaves, juniper is allowed. Such collections of herbs have a comprehensive effect on the genitourinary and immune systems, so the effect of their use is stronger and faster.

Decoctions and infusions of horsetail, chamomile, yarrow and many other herbs can be used not only inside, but also used to prepare therapeutic baths (warm foot baths that relieve spasms and pains, sitz baths with a temperature of about 37 degrees), add to the bath for swimming. But at the same time, it is important to understand that thermal procedures are useful only in the absence of purulent processes in the organ and bleeding, therefore, before practicing them, it is necessary to consult a doctor.