Bearberry
Latin name: Arctostaphylos uva-Ursi
Genus: Heather family
Common names: Bear tea, urea, sandberry, wild box
Plant description bearberry
Plant description: Evergreen, small shrub close to the ground with leathery leaves, red berries and fruits. Flowering period April to June, the flowers are small, whitish-pink with a serrated edge and bell-shaped shape. The bearberry is related to the lingonberry, which has brown spots on the underside of the leaves as a distinguishing mark.
Origin: The plant is widespread in Scandinavia, Northern Germany, in the Alps, in Italy.
Cultivation: It needs humus-rich moorland and heathland to thrive.
Plant parts used medicinally
the leaves
ingredients
The glycosides arbutin and methylarbutin, hydroquinone, flavonoids, a lot of tannin and only a little essential oil.
Healing effects and uses of bearberry
Detoxifying agent for the kidney and the lower urinary tract. Has a slightly disinfectant effect, whether it has a diuretic effect is a matter of debate.Used for mild kidney and bladder infections that were mainly caused by colds. If the symptoms do not get better, other medicines must be prescribed by the doctor. Bearberry leaves work best with alkaline urine. It is therefore advisable to avoid anything that can acidify the urine during the cure with bearberry leaves and to prefer a vegetable diet (fruit, fruit juices, vegetables, potatoes, etc.).
Preparation of bearberry
Bearberry leaf tea as cold extract: 1 to 2 teaspoons of bearberry leaves are poured over ¼ l of cold water, leave to stand for 12 to 24 hours, stir from time to time and then strain. From this extract, slightly warmed up, one cup can be drunk two or three times a day.
The cold setting prevents too many tannins from being dissolved out, which would be the case when boiling.
To achieve an alkaline urine you can add ¼ teaspoon of baking soda to every cup of tea.
Combination with other medicinal plants
Tea mixture of: Orthosiphon leaves (Indian bladder and kidney tea) 25.0 g and bearberry leaves 25.0 g mixed.
Pour ¼ l of cold water over this mixture, let stand for 10 hours, stir occasionally, strain, drink 2 to three cups warmed up daily. This tea has a disinfectant, diuretic and slightly antispasmodic effect when cystitis begins. The Indian bladder and kidney tea ideally complements the effect of the bearberry leaves. These can also be combined with birch leaves, goldenrod, pumpkin, nasturtium, field horsetail and hackle.
side effect
Overdosing and incorrect preparation (drawn out hot) can lead to gastric intolerance such as nausea and vomiting due to the high amount of tannin. Tannins have a constipating effect. Long-term use of bearberry leaves requires consultation with the doctor.
