Constituents: volatile oil, Vitamin A.
Keynote: bladder and kidneys. This is the grass to which a dog is said to go instinctively when sick, hence its name – dog grass.
Action: Soothing demulcent diuretic for simple inflammation of the urinary tract. Uric acid solvent. Laxative. Urinary antiseptic. Nutritive, emollient. Anti-cholesterol.
Uses: Cystitis, nephritis, urethritis, painful and incontinent urination, liver disorder, renal colic, kidney stone, gravel, gout, rheumatism, backache. Reduction of blood cholesterol. Chronic skin disorders.
Combines with Hydrangea (equal parts) for prostatitis.
Herbal tea for kidneys and bladder: Couchgrass 15 per cent; Buchu 15 per cent; Wild Carrot 15 per cent; Bearsfoot 15 per cent; Alfalfa 45 per cent. 2 teaspoons to each cup water, gently simmer 5 minutes. Half-2 cups thrice daily.
Preparations: Thrice daily.
Decoction. 2-3 teaspoons to each cup water, gently simmer 5 minutes. 1-2 cups.
Liquid Extract BHP (1983) 1:1 in 25 per cent alcohol. Dose: 4-8ml.
Tincture BHP (1983) 1:5 in 40 per cent alcohol. Dose: 5-15ml (1-3 teaspoons).
Powder. 250mg in capsules; 3 capsules thrice daily. (Arkocaps)
Kasbah remedy. Alpine herb teabags.
Antitis tablets (Potter’s) ... couch grass
Bacteria invades where there has been continued irritation, such as that of ‘sand’ or ‘gravel’ in the urine. Bacillus coli resides in the rectum but may invade the bladder. Urine is often turbid and evil- smelling. By travelling down the ureters, kidney infection may be conveyed to the lining of the bladder.
A common cause is dietetic indiscretion such as too much spicy food (curries, peppers), vinegar, coffee, alcohol, tea – too much and too strong, cola and other stimulants. Too much meat concentrates the urine, as do other high purine foods. Eighty per cent of women have at least one experience of cystitis during their lifetime. Other common causes: vaginal deodorants, freshener tissues, pants washed in biological washing powders, tampons, bubble-bath liquids, sexual aids such as spermicidal creams. The Pill.
Plenty of fluid should be drunk, either in the form of herbal teas (Alfalfa, etc) or bottled waters rather than coffee or tea. These dilute the irritating effect of uric acid in the urine.
Treatment. Bed-rest, abundant herb teas, non-caffeine drinks or plain water. Barley water.
Alternatives. Agrimony, Bearberry, Buchu (urinary antiseptic), Cornsilk (soothing to mucous surfaces), Couchgrass, Elderflowers, Juniper (not with inflammation), Lime flowers, Parsley, Parsley Piert, Pellitory, Plantain, Wild Carrot, Marshmallow (burning), Mullein, Rupturewort, Yarrow.
Tea: formula No 1. Equal parts: Cornsilk, Elderflowers, Marshmallow. Mix. 1-2 teaspoons to each cup boiling water; infuse 5-10 minutes; 1 cup freely.
Tea: formula No 2. Equal parts: Bearberry, Buchu, Couchgrass. Mix. 1 heaped teaspoon to each cup boiling water; infuse 5-10 minutes; 1 cup freely.
Barberry bark. 1 teaspoon to each cup cold water; steep overnight. 1 cup freely, next day.
Maria Treben’s tea. Equal parts: Horsetail, Ladysmantle, Shepherd’s Purse, Yarrow. 2 teaspoons to each cup boiling water. Infuse 15 minutes: 2-3 cups daily.
Tablets/capsules. Buchu, Dandelion, Echinacea, Goldenseal, Potter’s “Antitis”.
Formula. Marshmallow root 2; Echinacea 2; Goldenseal 1. Mix. Dose: Powders: 500mg (two 00 capsules or one-third teaspoon). Liquid extracts: 1 teaspoon. Tinctures: 2 teaspoons. 2-3 times daily.
E.G. Jones MNIMH. Tinctures, equal parts: Kava Kava, Saw Palmetto, Sweet Sumach. 20-30 drops in water thrice daily. Consistent results reported.
Practitioner. Where much pus is present in the urine, inject: 5 drops Tincture Myrrh to each cup warm water, per catheter.
External. Fomentations to low centre abdomen (including genital area). Two towels are required: one squeezed out in hot water and placed in position for 5 minutes. Replace with one squeezed out in cold water; apply for 1 minute. Repeat applications for half an hour daily. Hot hip baths twice weekly. Aromatherapy. 5 drops each: Cajeput and Juniper in bathwater.
Diet. Fresh and conservatively-cooked vegetables, adequate protein (vegetable), polyunsaturated oils. Organic foods with an absence of additives and tartrazine colourings, potassium broth, watermelon, carrots and carrot juice, baked potatoes, whole grains, parsnips, Garlic. Yoghurt, pumpkin seeds; Slippery Elm gruel at almost every meal. Herb teas. Avoid hot spices, condiments, coffee, tea and cola drinks.
Supplements. Vitamins A, B, C, E, bioflavonoids, beta carotene, dolomite, propolis, zinc. ... cystitis
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