From Herbal Medicine for Preppers, Homesteaders and
Permaculture People:
https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/02/herbs-for-kidney-stones-bladder-and.html
Kidney Stones Bladder and Urinary Tract infections
In normal times, such issues may be minor, but in an emergency situation when there is no doctor or pharmacy, they could be debilitating. Stones are obviously very painful. But, bladder and urinary tract infections can cause lasting damage if left untreated. Fortunately, there are many herbs that have been used traditionally for these concerns.
Kidney and bladder stones were often referred to simply as "gravel" in German Folk Medicine. Fr. Kneipp offers the following advice on herbs for gravel.
Wild Rose (Rosa canina L.) - A mother who takes care of her apotheca, not only picks the pretty roses from the wild rose tree (Rosa cariina), but she also carefully gathers the socalled hips, and this not only for making sauces, but also for sanative purposes. She will search with still greater zeal in her own garden or elsewhere, if there is any one in the family suffering from gravel or stone in the kidneys or bladder, these dreadful and painful diseases. She knows that brier (rose)- tea will ease the pain and purify the affected parts.
I know a very old gentleman who in former years had suffered much from gravel and stone, and often did not know what to do, or where to seek for help. This tea was recommended to him, and he got so accustomed to it and so fond of it, that for years past, the usual cup is never allowed to fail at night before going to bed; he likes it better than a glass of the best wine. "These are my spiritous liquors," he said ; "this is the oil which keeps the almost stopping machine of my old body working from day to day."
The husks are taken from the hips; then dried and the tea prepared from them.
Juniper - Juniper berries have been noted since olden times as a remedy for stone and gravel, and for complaints of the kidneys and liver; also in all cases where foul gases, foul, watery and slimy matter are to be removed from the body. Not only the berries, but also the young shoots of the juniper bush are made use of for tea, in the first stages of dropsy, and also as purifying medicine.
Knot-grass (Polygonum aviculare L.) - A gentleman had for years together, great pains in his kidneys , and from time to time sand and gravel came away. He drank this tea for several days and related that hundreds of larger and smaller stones were discharged, and thereby the pain also dis- appeared. As this plant expels gravel from the kidneys and bladder, it also operates in a purifying manner on the liver, stomach, and chest. This little herb cannot be sufficiently recommended.
Shave- grass (Equisetnra arvense L) - Its tea purifies the stomach. A cupful is taken from time to time (not daily). It eases the pains caused by gravel and stone-disease, and above all relieves the sufferers who have difficulty in discharging their urine. For this it stands alone, is not to be replaced, and is invaluable. Shave -grass vapours, specially for this disease, are here only just hinted on. Exactly such diseases are frightfully painful — and so frequent! Take particular notice of the simple herb, which may be had without any trouble whatever! Such patients should take daily a cupful of shave-grass-tea, together with the required exterior application.
Strawberries. (Fragaria vesca) - The strawberries themselves as a strengthening remedy are by no means to be despised... Strawberries are often recommended to those afflicted with gravel and stone -disease; those suffering from liver complaints could even take as much as a pint daily at different times, and such as are affected with an eruption arising from morbid blood, half a pint both morning and afternoon.
It is remarkable how the earth offers to man just this fruit in such abundance. Would that our understanding and gratitude corresponded at all times to the loving bounty of our Creator!
Fr. Künzle mentions only the following for kidney and bladder stones, and in fact, Cat grass is one of the primary herbs used for gravel:
Why did the good Lord create so many weeds so that one is always plagued with weeding? Certainly not because of the intention to torture us; all weeds are medicinal herbs. The good Lord has scattered them everywhere we go, so that whether we like it or not, they are always at hand. Even cats and dogs know this and eat grass from time to time. An old blacksmith advised a pale looking woman - always ill, but not yet dying, to watch her gray cat, because the cat definitely knows the cure. The woman watched her pet, collected the same grass that it ate, boiled it and drank it for some time and recovered completely. What kind of grass is that? Cat grass (Dactylis glomerata) and Couch grass (Agropyrum repens); both are weeds, but for 2000 years doctors regarded them as excellent means for cleaning kidneys and bladder and against all ailments because of urinary problems.
Maria Treben recommended several herbs for gravel.
Bedstraw (Galium verum) Bedstraw tea rids the liver, kidney, pancreas and spleen of toxic wastes. When suffering from a disorder of the lymphatic system, one should drink this tea daily. lt is also beneficial for anaemia, dropsy and stitch in the side. Used externally this tea is of benefit in many skin disorders, wounds, boils and blackheads. lt makes an excellent wash for the face as it tightens the skin. The freshly pressed juice of Bedstraw, brushed on the affected parts of the skin and left to dry, is very beneficial.
In popular medicine Bedstraw is recommended for epilepsy, hysteria, St. Vitus dance, nervous complaints, suppressed urine, gravel and stones. For goitre, gargling with this tea throughout the day is effective. A woman told me she had not only lost the goitre, but her thyroid gland is now also working normally.
Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) For painful bladder catarrh and cramp-like pains there is no better remedy than a decoction of Horsetail, if one wraps oneself in a bath robe and allows the hot steam of the decoction to work into the bladder for 10 minutes. Repeat several times and it soon will bring relief. Old people who suddenly have trouble urinating, together with pain, because the urine is not expelled or does so only drop-wise, will find relief through the hot steam of Horsetail, rather than having the doctor use a catheter. For gravel and stones in the kidney and bladder hot Horsetail sitz baths are taken and at the same time warm Horsetail tea is sipped, the urine is held back and finally emptied under pressure. This way most stones will pass. On the strenght of this suggestion I have received letters which confirm the above: Through this treatment the kidney stones were passed, the persons concerned are well and without any pain.
In cases where other diuretic means failed, Horsetail helped, as for example in accumulation of water in the pericardium, pleura, or in kidney disorders, after scarlet fever and other bad infectious diseases with water retention. lt is an excellent remedy, internally and externally, for the whole kidney and bladder system.
Speedwell (Veronica officinalis) I would like to point out that Speedwell has a great medicinal value for nervousness caused by mental over exertion. One cup drunk before going to bed, through its soothing effect, is highly beneficial. The Abbé Kuenzle recommends this soothing tea to people who have to work a lot with their head. It brings I good memory and disperses dizziness. Mixed with Celery roots it rectifies weak nerves as well as depression. Even for jaundice and gravel in the bladder, rheumatic and gout pain in the limbs, Speedwell is very effective.
Common Club Moss (Lycopodium clavatum) For gout and rheumatism, even if the joints are deformed, for chronic constipation and piles, Club Moss tea is recommended. However, people who suffer from diarrhoea should use the tea only with the greatest caution as cramps in the intestines could develop. Club Moss is never boiled, water is poured over it. The tea is useful for all complaints of the urinary- and reproductive organs, for inflammations and hardening of the testes, formation of gravel in the kidneys and renal colic. For inflammation of the liver, growth of the connective tissue of the liver, even if malignant, Club Moss is indispensable. With its use the convalescent quickly regains his strength.
Kidneys, gravel in the - A kidney stone can form when substances such as calcium, oxalate, cystine, or uric acid are at high levels in the urine. Stones can also form if these substances are at normal levels, especially if the amount of urine made each day is low. The substances form crystals, which become anchored in the kidney and gradually increase in size, forming a kidney stone. You may pass "gravel" or "sand," which are small stones in your urine.
Typically, the stone will move through the urinary tract and is passed out of the body in the urine. A stone may cause pain if it becomes stuck and blocks the flow of urine. Large stones do not always pass on their own and sometimes require a minimally invasive surgical procedure to remove them.
Other herbs that have been traditionally used for kidney and bladder stones in the American and European traditions include:
Water Plantain (Alisma subcordatum) diuretic tea used for kidney stones.
Uvi-Ursi (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) diuretic tea used for gall stones, kidney stones and cystitis.
Trailing Arbutus (Epigea repens) leaf tea used for kidney stones and kidney disorders.
Cleavers (Galium aparine) like the other Galium we have discussed, Lady's Bedstraw, used as tea for gravel.
Twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla)
root tea used for kidney stones.
Queen Anne's Lace or Wild Carrot (Daucus carota) is a diuretic that is helpful for gravel. And yes, this is the wild ancestor of our cultivated vegetable. Wild Carrot grows so plentifully in the mountains where I live, that I had to learn to identify it. On any summer day, I can pull a 5 gallon
bucket full of wild carrots! However, I rarely do because the roots are small, tough and have little flavor. To me, this is a survival food. BUT, it so closely resembles Poison Hemlock, that I cannot recommend it. Poison Hemlock is one of the most poisonous herbs known to man. Look this one up in a good field guide if you want to harvest it.
White Snakeroot (Eupatorium rugosum) root tea used for kidney stones.
Prickly Pear Cactus (Optunia humifusa) juice from pads and fruits are useful for kidney stones. Early settlers propagated Prickly Pear and the closely related Indian Fig cactus to use as food throughout the Carolinas, where it was warm
enough for them to survive. I harvest a lot of cactus fruits each year to make a wine. Some cactuses yield better fruit than others, but it is much like a red kiwi fruit, only more mild. I like eating the fruit peeled and fresh, lightly salted to bring out the flavor, as well. I usually wrap one hand in a heavy towel, over a glove to hold the fruits, while I cut them off at the base. Once home, I burn the cactus spines off with a plumber's torch. Used herbally, these cactuses have many valuable uses. I am grateful to my ancestors for making them available to me.
Onions, wild or cultivated are good for gravel simply eaten raw in large quantities.
Heart's Ease (Polygonum persicaria) the leaf tea of this member of the buckwheat family has been used for kidney stones.
Daisy Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphus) can mostly be used interchangeably with the Canadian Fleabane discussed in the previous chapter. Both herbs are considered effective for gravel and urinary issues.
Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium), also discussed in the previous chapter, is also called "gravel root" because it is good for kidney and bladder stones.
Buttonbush (Cephalenthus occidentalis)
Native Americans used leaf tea for kidney stones.
Quack Grass (Agropyron repens) tea is diuretic and one of the most commonly used herbs for gravel.
Bladder and Urinary Tract Infections
Bladder infection was not well defined in German Folk Medicine before 1900, but both Fr. Kneipp and Fr. Künzle recommended "Hay Flowers":
Herbal flower hay is good for extracting abscesses. The wild meadow flower hay is better than cultivated flowers hay, but the flower hay of a nutrient poor meadow, especially the mountain meadow, is the best of wild hay.
Anyone who has 20-40 different kinds of medicinal herbs can simply mix them and get the medicine that is better than any hay. It is quite a mistake when you want to sift them beforehand; for the dust does not consist of feces, but of the decayed very ripe herbs. If you want the hay to show its full strength, you have to simmer it for at least an hour.
My co-author, Jolanta Wittib, in our book on Fr. Künzle's "Herbs and Weeds" described this remedy:
This is something very specific in the Alpine area. People believe in the power of the herbs growing in the untouched alpine meadows. They use the cut hay as a natural painkiller and treatment for sciatica and lumbago, stiff neck or stiffness coming from draft colds, chronic tension, rheumatism, signs of wear and tear on the joints and spine, cramps, colic, kidneys and bladder pains, Inflammation of the female abdominal organs. Also, for colds, bronchitis, whooping cough....
But it is not to be used for heart and circulatory problems and one should not use it if one suffers from hay fever. Fr. Kneipp used meadow hay for his water procedures.
Herbal hay is still popular, and one can buy readymade linen sacks filled with hay, or, one can prepare hay oneself by mixing different herbal plants, collected in Alpine meadows, filling 2/3 of a linen sack with herbs and sewing it. Be careful not to use any metal parts for closing the sack, as it is used heated and metal can cause burns on the skin.
For actual use, one moistens the sack a bit and puts it over the steam - over simmering water. It sounds complicated and needs some practice.
One can use a frying pan, put some stones into it, fill the pan with 3 cm of water, bring the water to simmer, place a hay sack on the stones and cover the pan with a lid, while keeping water simmering on a low heat. You heat the sack for about 20 minutes and turn it once. Then take the lid off, take the sack out with a fork or gloves. Be careful. It’s hot! Shake it well, so that the warmth can spread, check the warmth with your hand and put it on the painful area. Wait until you are sure that it is not too hot before you cover it with a cotton and a wooden cloth, so that the sack is fully covered. Keep it for 45-90 minutes - as long as it is warm. Weak persons may keep it for 15 minutes. Then stay at least one hour in bed and afterwards wash the area with warm water. The herbs from inside the sack should be thrown away after the procedure, the sack can be washed in high temperatures and used again.
If the pain is in the neck area, fix the sack to the whole area of upper arms, shoulder and neck. The procedure takes away cramps, relaxes, calms down, increases blood circulation in the area, and releases pain.
Fr. Künzle offered the following advice, describing the symptoms:
Goldenrod (Solidago virga aurea) - You will find this perennial, often a meter-high plant, with yellow flowers in deforested places, berry places, along roadsides. It rightly deserves the name goldenrod. Internally one uses the tea for croup, sore throat, bladder ailments, light diarrhea, sleeplessness, but for the internal use one should always add the same amount of juniper berries or common centaury; take half a cup three to five times a day.
Saint John's Wort - The leaves and blossoms of St. John's wort, made into tea, clear the head, clean the mucus from the lungs, stomach, kidneys and bladders; if the infusion is red, take a sip of this tea every hour; it also often helps with blood cramps and abdominal pain.
The dead nettle (Lamium) - Collect the whole plant during the flowering season, and dry it in the sun long and often. When boiled for two hours and left standing, this plant produces a thick jelly which cannot be cut with a knife, as it evades like an eel. This jelly is a wonderful coolant for burns and inflamed feet. The same tea helps against inflammation in the bladder (recognizable by the red, sharp urine).
Maria Treben recommends Corn Silk for cystitis, specifically, but a tea of Corn Silk is useful the urinary tract infections that may cause cystitis, as well.
Cystitis is an inflammation of the bladder. Inflammation is where part of your body becomes irritated, red, or swollen. In most cases, the cause of cystitis is a urinary tract infection (UTI). A UTI happens when bacteria enter the bladder or urethra and begin to multiply.
Indian Corn (Zea Mays) - Corn is cultivated in many parts of the world and in recent years has become popular in Europe.
From the husks or ears hang many soft filaments called "the silk". This is the part that has medicinal properties. It is cut off before the pollen drops from the flowers and dried quickly in the shade.
Should a reliable diuretic be needed then drink Corn Silk tea which is also an effective, harmless weight-reducer (of interest to the many overweight people in our affluent society). lf Corn Silk is stored not completely dried, it looses its diuretic qualities and becomes laxative.
For disorders of the urinary tract with formations of stones, edema, fluid in the heart, the Corn Silk tea is as effective as for nephritis, cystitis, gout and rheumatism. It can also be employed successfully in bedwetting of children or older people, as well as for renal colic. For all these disorders take one tablespoon of tea every two to three hours.
Other herbs that have been found useful by American and European herbalists include:
Twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla) root tea is useful for bladder infection.
Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum) leaf tea used for kidney infections.
Flea Bane and Joe Pye Weed... Boneset White Snake Root, Horseweed... probably a few others... (Erigeron and Eupatorium) tea used for bladder complaints and painful urination.
Asiatic Dayflower (Commelina communis) leaf tea used for urinary infections.
Coneflower (Echinacea) all varieties, used for bladder and UTI infections, and cystitis.
Blue Cohosh (Caulophyyllum thalictroides) Root tea used for urinary tract infections.
Juniper berries should be mentioned again because they are an antiseptic for the entire urinary tract. Long term use or eating them in too great a quantity can irritate the kidneys.
Maple bark tea used for kidney infections.
Uva-Ursi... again. Leaf tea is a good urinary tract disinfectant. It is useful for bladder infections, UTIs and cystitis.
Trailing Arbutus (Epigaea repens) Leaf tea useful for bladder and kidney irritation.
Cleavers and other Galiums... again, useful for kidney and bladder inflammation.
Canada Violet (Viola canadensis) root tea used for bladder pain.
Pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata) leaf tea is useful for kidney inflammation and is an antiseptic for the urinary tract.
Licorice (Glycyrrhiza) is strengthening to the kidneys and good for bladder infections. It can cause high blood pressure in some people - use with care.
Wild Quinine (Parthenium integrifolium) root is astringent and helps with bladder issues.
Stoneroot (Collinsonia canadensis) is useful for kidney and bladder irritation and cystitis.
Goat's Rue (Tephrosia virginiana) root tea used for bladder complaints.
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) Root tea is mildly antiseptic and useful for bladder infections and UTIs.
Birch (Betula) essential oil used for bladder infections.
Fireweed (Erechtites hieracifolia) tea or tincture used for cystitis.
Wild Hydrangea or Seven Bark (Hydrangea arborescens) has been used traditionally for bladder infections and cystitis. Mrs. Grieves tells us in A Modern Herbal, written in 1931: Medicinal Action and Uses---Diuretic, cathartic, tonic. The decoction is said to have been used with great advantage by the Cherokee Indians, and later, by the settlers, for calculous diseases. It does not cure stone in the bladder, but, as demonstrated to the medical profession by Dr. S. W. Butler, of Burlington, N.J., it removes gravelly deposits and relieves the pain consequent on their emission. As many as 120 calculi have been known to come from one person under its use. The fluid extract is principally used for earthy deposits, alkaline urine, chronic gleet, and mucous irritations of the bladder in aged persons. A concentrated syrup with sugar or
honey, or a simple decoction of the root, may also be used. In overdoses, it will cause vertigo, oppressions of the chest, etc. The leaves are said by Dr. Eoff to be tonic, silagogue, cathartic and diuretic.
My Clinical Herbalist friend, Torey Lee, just asked me to include the following:
So many of the members of the Ericaceae family are useful for anything to do with the bladder or kidneys. Something I learned about the differences is that Pipsissewa is better suited to children than something more tannic like Uva Ursi.
One other thing worth mentioning is marshmallow. It is an awesome herb to have as an adjunct to some of the other herbs you have discussed. It is so soothing to the mucous membranes and can calm down some of the pain and burning associated with UTIs.
Author: Judson Carroll. Judson Carroll is an Herbalist from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. His weekly articles may be read at
http://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/
His weekly podcast may be heard at: www.spreaker.com/show/southern-appalachian-herbs
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This article is an excerpt from Herbal Medicine for Preppers, Homesteaders and
Permaculture People by Judson Carroll
You can read about and purchase Herbal Medicine for Preppers, Homesteaders and
Permaculture People here: southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2021/10/herbal-medicine-for-preppers.html
Also available on Amazon: Herbal Medicine for Preppers, Homesteaders and
Permaculture People: Carroll, Judson: 9798491252923: Amazon.com:
Books
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Disclaimer
The information on this site is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or condition. Nothing on this site has been evaluated or approved by the FDA. I am not a doctor. The US government does not recognize the practice of herbal medicine and their is no governing body regulating herbalists. Therefore, I'm just a guy who studies herbs. I am not offering any advice. I won't even claim that anything I write is accurate or true! I can tell you what herbs have "traditionally been used for." I can tell you my own
experience and if I believe an herb helped me. I cannot, nor would I tell you to do the same. If you use any herb I, or anyone else, mentions you are treating yourself. You take full responsibility for your health. Humans are individuals and no two are identical. What works for me may not work for you. You may have an allergy, sensitivity or underlying condition that no one else shares and you don't even know about. Be careful with your health. By continuing to read my blog you agree to be responsible for yourself, do your own research, make your own choices and not to blame me for anything, ever.
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