Urinary tract infections Bearberry leaf extract relieves discomfort

Every second woman suffers from an acute urinary tract infection at least once during her life. The most common therapeutic measure is to take an antibiotic. Antibiotic therapy, however, is associated with a number of problems. Often, therefore, taking a herbal medicament, e.g. an extract from bearberry leaves, a sensible alternative.

A urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common diseases in the family doctor's office. Women are significantly more affected than men due to their anatomically shorter urethra. The administration of an antibiotic solves the acute problem, but this type of treatment has unsightly side effects such as the negative influence on the intestinal flora or in the worst case, the development of resistance.

Image: Heike Rau - fotolia

A long history of medical use in the treatment of UTIs have preparations of leaves of the real bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng (Ericaceae)). Their most important ingredient is the prodrug arbutin. It is converted in the body to glucose as well as glucuronic acid and sulfuric acid conjugates. These pass through the urine into the bladder where they are taken up by uropathogenic bacteria and, within them, split into antibacterial free hydroquinone. Repeatedly, a potential mutagenic potential for free hydroquinone has been discussed, but research has shown that taking bearberry leaf extract may well be the all-clear. Trial studies have shown that only ≤0.6% of an administered arbutin dose is excreted as free hydroquinone, but 70-75% as hydroquinone conjugates within 12-36 hours. (Z Phytother 2010; 31 (2): 95-97, DOI: 10.1055 / s-0030-1247652).

At the last congress of the Gesellschaft für Phytotherapie in Rostock-Warnemünde, results of experiments were presented which show that the arbutin metabolites, which arise after the intake of a daily dose of arbutin in the urine of patients recommended by the monograph, are toxicologically harmless. In the AMES mutagenicity test, which was approved by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), no mutagenic effect was found in two independent experiments. Also, a routine test used according to the guidelines of the Committee for proprietary medicinal products (CPMP) did not reveal any mutagenic risk. In addition, the Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) compliant micronucleus test, which detects chromosome damage and damage to the spindle apparatus, showed no toxic symptoms or genotoxic changes. (Pm)