Herb Specialists .com

Cranberry & Buchu Concentrate is a specially designed herbal combination for urinary tract health and the prevention of infection in individuals prone to urinary tract infections. Additional benefits include deodorizing the urine, strengthening the bladder and kidneys, relieving low back pain, and reducing water retention.

Buchu, native to the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa, has been referred to as "woman's best friend." Buchu stimulates urine flow, shrinks inflamed tissues, fights bacterial infection, relieves abdominal pain, enhances digestion, alleviates lower back pain, reduces water retention, and strengthens the urinary and reproductive systems. Buchu also contains a high amount of potassium. Buchu has long been used for arthritis, bedwetting, bladder infection, cholera, congestive heart failure, enlarged prostate, flatulence, gravel, high blood pressure, kidney stones, leukorrhea, painful urination, PMS (due to water retention), urinary tract infection, venereal disease and weak bladder.

Though Cranberries have been proven to promote urinary tract health, researchers have been unable to agree on the mechanism by which the cranberry works. Much research suggests cranberries promote hippuric acid in the urine, which prevents infection-causing bacteria, such as E.coli (Escherichia coli), from adhering to the lining of the urinary tract. However, recent research findings published in The Journal of Urology and The New England Journal of Medicine theorize that cranberries contain compounds which, when ingested and expelled into the urinary tract, mimic the action of a glycoprotein shown to physically inhibit E. coli from attaching to the bladder surface. Researchers have titled this mode of action as the cranberry's "bacterial antiadherence activity."

Researchers do agree that cranberries not only help reduce and prevent urinary tract infections, but also help eliminate the typical ammonia odor associated with incontinence, which is caused by the growth of E.coli. Cranberries, a rich source of vitamin C, have also been found to help kidney stones and nephritis.

A double-blind, placebo-controlled study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that daily consumption of cranberry juice significantly prevented the growth of bacteria in the urine. Another study showed cranberry juice taken daily eliminated cystitis in 73% of the cases (involving 44 women and 16 men) studied.

Nutritionists recommend drinking organic, unrefined cranberry juice, which can be obtained from a health food store, as most supermarket brands contain high amounts of added sugar and water.