Bearberry or real bearberry is known in our country as a medicinal plant since the 13th century. As it is becoming increasingly rare, it is one of the protected plant species.
Occurrence and cultivation of bearberry
Bearberry got its name because bears like to eat the grapes of this shrub. True bearberry or evergreen bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) belongs to the heather family like its relatives heather, cranberry, cranberry and blueberry. It is an evergreen, perennial dwarf shrub that tends to grow near the ground and is found mainly in heath areas, bogs and coniferous forests in northern and central Europe and North America. In Central Europe bearberry is found almost only in the mountains, in Northern Europe it is also found in plains. It blooms in May and June. The bearberry got its name because bears like to eat the grapes of this shrub. Bearberry has small, thick, oval leaves of leathery texture. There are reticulated veins on the leaf surface. Small white to pink flowers grow out of various leaf axils and hang down in clusters. From these flowers form red berries, which have a mealy taste.
Effect and use
The use of bearberry as a medicinal plant has been known since the Middle Ages. In addition to its use as a medicinal plant, it was also worn on the body for magical purposes to protect against spirits. Among North American Indians, it was used for religious rites. The healing properties of bearberry are mainly found in its leaves. In addition to tannins, they contain the active ingredient arbutin, which can be converted into hydroquinone and methylhydroquinone in an alkaline environment in the body. These active substances have an anti-inflammatory and antibiotic effect, especially in the urinary tract. Thus, bearberry leaves help very well in bladder and kidney pelvic inflammation. This effect has been scientifically proven. Most often, bearberry is used as a tea, but the active ingredients are also available in the form of dragées, tablets and drops. In homeopathy, mainly the fresh leaves and young tips of the branches are used. For a tea, 1 tablespoon of bearberry leaves per cup is brewed with hot water for 5 minutes and must be drunk warm. Even more effective and digestible is a cold water extract brewed the next day, because there is no irritation from tannins. Bearberry leaves are often combined with other medicinal plants such as field horsetail, horehound, goldenrod and birch leaves and offered as bladder and kidney teas. However, the effect is more intense with the pure bearberry leaf tea than with the ready-made mixtures. Those who want to process bearberry leaves themselves must take into account that the plant may not be collected in the wild in our country, because it is a protected species. If they are available in your own garden, the leaves must be dried quickly after harvesting. If they are kept fresh for too long, they lose their effect because the arbutin, which is converted to hydroquinone in the body, is lost. Already in the Middle Ages bearberry leaves were used for urinary tract diseases and also for gallbladder problems. They were even applied to open wounds and were able to exert their antibiotic and anti-inflammatory effects. In Scandinavia, where bearberry is even more common, the grapes are also used in cooking. In the past, the leaves were also used to dye wool. Bearberry leaves in loose form and as finished preparations are available in pharmacies and sometimes in drugstores. However, before use, the package leaflet should be read carefully.
Importance for health, treatment and prevention.
A bearberry leaf tea helps very well in bladder and kidney pelvic inflammation, which can be treated without antibiotics. In these complaints, it can well develop its antibacterial and antibiotic effect. However, this unfolds only in alkaline urine. Antibiotics are prescribed for cystitis with fever and blood in the urine. They should also be taken long enough to prevent renal pelvic inflammation, which is not harmless. In this case, treatment with the tea should be only a supplement to conventional medical treatment. A bearberry leaf tea is by no means a harmless home tea and should be drunk only in cases of urinary tract diseases, because it can have side effects, although rare.If you have a sensitive stomach, the tannins in the leaves can cause nausea and [[stomach pain|stomach/intestinal discomfort. Sometimes skin sensitivities such as itching and redness can also occur. Because a higher dose of hydroquinone can cause liver damage and be carcinogenic, bearberry should generally not be used by pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children. It is also not advisable to take it if you have liver disease. According to expert advice, treatment should be carried out only for a maximum of 7 days, and a daily dose of 12 g should not be exceeded. It should also take place no more than 5 times a year, because long-term effects have not yet been researched. Since the full effect of bearberry is ensured only in alkaline urine, acid-promoting drugs should not be taken during treatment and acid-forming foods such as meat should be reduced. Adequate fluid intake helps to flush the urinary tract well. Prevention with bearberry leaves is generally not recommended because of the strong effect of the tea. The use should be limited exclusively to urinary tract infections. It is quite sufficient to start treatment at the first signs of cystitis such as burning during urination, frequent urination and abdominal pain.
