Herbs, Plants, Trees and Roots | August, 2011

You entered Bear’s Grape, the more common name is...

Poultice of ground leaves and stems applied to sores.  Infusion of stems, leaves and berries taken for back pain and sprained backs.  Pulverized, dried leaves compounded and smoked for headache.  Leaves smoked as a narcotic.  Raw berries eaten as a laxative.  Decoction of leaves and stems taken as a diuretic.  Decoction of leaves and stems taken as a tonic for kidneys and bladder.  Bearberry tea made from the leaves is an effective treatment for bladder, kidney, urinary tract, and menstrual complaints.  Pick leaves in summer months

Bearberry

SCIENTIFIC NAME:
(Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)


Found in the Arctic, in northern United States, Europe and Mexico, Bearberry is a small woody groundcover bush with evergreen leaves that fall after 1 to 3 years. The small shiny thick leaves are alternately arranged on the stems. Young stems appear red in bright sun or green in shady areas, and mature stems are brown. In spring, tiny white or pink urn shaped flowers appear. Dry berries that contain several one seeded nutlets can be red or pink.



Common Names:

Arberry, Bear’s Grape, Common Bearberry, Kinnikinnick, Mealberry, Mountain Box, Mountain Cranberry, Pinemat Manzanita, Red Bearberry, Sagackhomi, Sandberry, Upland Cranberry, Uva Ursi


Bearberry

Uses:

Poultice of ground leaves and stems applied to sores. Infusion of stems, leaves and berries taken for back pain and sprained backs. Pulverized, dried leaves compounded and smoked for headache. Leaves smoked as a narcotic. Raw berries eaten as a laxative. Decoction of leaves and stems taken as a diuretic. Decoction of leaves and stems taken as a tonic for kidneys and bladder. Bearberry tea made from the leaves is an effective treatment for bladder, kidney, urinary tract, and menstrual complaints. Pick leaves in summer months



Applications:

Infusion:
Use stems, leaves and berries to make infusion. Drink ¼ cup as needed for back pain. Not to exceed 1 cup in a 24 hour period.

Poultice:
Use leaves and stems to make poultice and place on afflicted area 3 to 4 times a day as long as needed.

Inhalation:
Smoke dried leaves for pain relief. This smoke has the effects of a narcotic and should be treated as such.

Decoction:
Use stems and leaves to make a decoction, drink 1 cup a day until symptoms subside.

Tea:
Add 1 Tbls. to 1 cup of boiling water and steep for 10 minutes, add honey if desired and drink 1 cup daily.


Warnings:

Bearberry is relatively safe, although large doses may cause nausea, green urine, bluish-grey skin, vomiting, fever, chills, severe back pain, ringing in the ears (some people can withstand up to 20g and others show signs of poisoning after just 1g); take no more than 7–10 days at a time.  It should not be used by people who are pregnant, breast feeding, nor in the treatment of children (under 12) and patients with kidney disease. Drug interactions have been recorded with diuretics, as well as drugs that make the urine acidic (such as ascorbic acid and Urex).

With any herb, there is the risk of an allergic reaction. Small children and pregnant women should use additional caution when considering the use of herbal remedies.