It's too good a natural healer to exclude from this chapter. Studies show that the active bacterial cultures in yogurt help prevent both bladder infections and yeast infections. The trick, of course, is to eat yogurt with live cultures. If it has live cultures, the label will say so. After cranberry and blueberry, juices that are often recommended for bladder infections include carrot, celery, cucumber and parsley.
Good research shows that it's a diuretic that helps empty the bladder.
In his excellent book Herbs of Choice , Dr. Tyler relies on the recommendations of Germany's Commission E, the body of natural medicine experts that advises Germany's counterpart of the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Tyler's list leads off with bearberry, a close relative of cranberry and blueberry that contains a good amount of arbutin, a natural diuretic and antibiotic. This much bearberry contains anywhere from 400 to 700 milligrams of arbutin. Maximum antibacterial activity occurs three to four hours after taking this herb. Bearberry Dried leaves of this common, attractive ground cover are used to make a diuretic tea.