Home Remedies For Cystitis And Bladder Conditions

Cystitis is a painful condition caused by inflammation of the bladder. Symptoms include pain in the lower back and a stabbing pain when urinating. It is important to seek your doctor's advice if you have cystitis for any length of time, because if it continues it can lead to kidney infection. Cystitis has been called the 'honeymoon disease' as it often occurs after sex. Drinking water and urinating as soon after sex as possible may help to prevent an attack.

Home remedies for Cystitis

Plain water flushes out the kidneys better than anything and will help to get rid of the bacteria that are causing the infection. Drink plenty and often. Make up 600ml (1 pint) of mild chamomile tea and drink it throughout the day to flush germs out of the bladder.

Try one teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in a glass of tepid water every three hours. It makes the urine less acidic, which stops bacteria from breeding - it also relieves the burning sensation that so often accompanies cystitis.

Apply live yogurt to the affected area - its friendly bacteria can help to fight invading germs. Make up some home-made barley water by boiling up a cupful of barley in enough water to cover it. Add the rind of a lemon and simmer until the barley is soft. Strain off the barley, add some honey and sip slowly throughout the day.

Cranberry juice can reach the parts that other juices can't reach. A substance in cranberries appears to prevent bacteria from sticking to the walls of the urinary tract where they would normally proliferate. When you drink cranberry juice the bacteria lose their grip and are washed away.

Experts now believe the same component may also be present in blueberries. Eat the berries or pulp them with a little water in a food processor.

Turnips, celery, fennel and onions are all good diuretics; so are dandelion roots and stinging nettle leaves. Add any of these raw to salads.

Make an onion soup from three or four onions steeped in a litre (1-3/4 pints) of hot water. Drink it throughout the day - it tastes disgusting but does the trick. Horseradish also stimulates digestion and encourages the kidneys to flush through urine. Horseradish can be grated into foods or boiled up with mustard seed and water as a drink.

Kidney beans are also helpful for any kidney or urinary tract infections. You can also try black soya beans or black­eyed beans. Cook them with garlic and use them to replace meat in the diet. Chinese herbalists swear by seaweed, fenugreek and saw palmetto for good results.