Bladder Control
Answered by: Susan Eagles
Question from: Name Not given
Posted on: November 02, 2004

I’m 35 and have had one c-section. I’ve got two children. I would like to know if there is a herb that will slow down the bladder. I went to my doctor and I have been practicing the exercise for this because he said the bladder gets weaker as we get older. But this doesn’t seem to help. I get up all hours of the night and I would really like to get some sleep.

I assume that you have been tested, and that infection of the urinary tract has been ruled out.

Coffee and other caffeine products, chemicals in processed foods, alcohol, cigarettes, excessive stress and insufficient water intake are causes of irritation to the bladder and can cause increased urination.

Hot and cold sitz baths improve muscle tone in the pelvic area to support the bladder: sit in a tub so that water covers you up to your waist, with your legs outside of the tub; spend 3 minutes in a tub of hot water, then one minute in a tub of cold water. (If you cannot find a small tub for this purpose, you can sit sideways across a bathtub)

Kegel exercises are the most effective way of improving bladder control. I assume that this is the exercise recommended by your doctor. They should be practised 100 times a day, every day (working up slowly from 10 a day to 100). Done continuously, Kegel exercises will improve or maintain the health of all of the pelvic organs.

David Hoffman, in "The Complete Illustrated Holistic Herbal" (available at Richters) suggests the following tea to improve bladder control: 2 parts horsetail (Equisetum arvense); 1 part agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria) and 1 part sweet sumach root bark (Rhus aromatica). To make a tea, place one teaspoon of this mixture in a ceramic cup or teapot; cover with one cup of boiling water, cover the cup or pot, and steep for 15 minutes. Drink 3 cups daily.

Back to Medicinal Herbs and Their Uses | Q & A Index

Copyright © 1997-2024 Otto Richter and Sons Limited. All rights reserved.