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Bearberry or
Kinnikinick
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi |
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| Family |
Heath (Ericaceae) |
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| Bloom |
Spring, Early Summer |
| Habitat |
Dunes, rocky areas, bogs, moist
areas |
| Status |
Native |
| Cycle |
Perennial |
| Height |
12" |
| Flower |
Pink or white with pink tinges.
Oval in shape constricted at the mouth then flaring into 5 spreading lobes.
Flowers are in clusters of 5-10 at the end of branches. |
| Leaf |
Leaves are smooth, leathery, and
shiny on the upper side. They are green year-round and are rounded at
the terminal ends but tapering at the base. |
| Notes |
Stems are woody
with red to gray bark and mostly prostrate with branches upright.
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Botanical: Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Family: Ericaceae (blueberry/heath)
Other common names: Uva Ursi, Bear's Grape, Crowberry, Foxberry, Hog Cranberry,
Kinnikinnick, Mealberry, Arbutus, Manzanita, Mountain Cranberry, Mountain Box,
Hogberry
Bearberry has been used for centuries as a mild diuretic with powerful
antiseptic quali
ties that help to remedy the full range of urinary tract infections, such as
prostatitis, cystitis,
urethritis and vaginitis, among others. Bearberry helps to eliminate wastes and
toxins and the
accumulation of uric acid in the blood to relieve gout, arthritis and kidney
stones, and it is
great or reducing excess water weight.
History:
Bearberry is a low, trailing, multi-branched, irregular-stemmed, evergreen shrub
that
resembles a vine and forms a matted, dense mass of ground cover, which may grow
to a
height of eighteen inches. This low-maintenance perennial creates a protective
carpet in the
barren, sandy, sunny (yet damp) soils of the heaths and thickets in which it is
found.
Bearberry is said to be a native to Eurasia, but is naturalized throughout the
Northern Hemi
spheres, northward to the Arctic Circle. It is distributed over the greater part
of northern
Europe, Asia and North America, where it may be found as far south as Virginia,
and it is rare
or protected in some states.
The shrub produces brilliant red berries that are often mistaken for cranberries
(hence,
several of its common names) that remain on the plant all winter, affording
survival food for
bears, birds and other fauna. Noting the fact that bears were fond of the
berries, the plant
received the name Bearberry; and its botanical name, Uva ursi, is derived from
the Latin,
meaning "bear's grapes".
The leathery-textured leaves of Bearberry hold a centuries-old place of honor in
herbal
medicine as a diuretic and tonic with very astringent qualities. Kublai Khan
knew of the plant's
medicinal properties, and it was used in China for incontinence. Records dating
from thir
teenth-century Welsh herbals describe Bearberry's medicinal properties, and
other medicinal
uses were recorded by Clusius in 1601, Gerhard of Berlin in 1763; and
ultimately, Bearberry
rated a place in the London Pharmacopoeia by 1788. It has been included into the
Pharma
copoeias of Ireland, Scotland and the United States, where it was listed from
1820 to 1936
and in the National Formulary from 1936 through 1950.
Folk healers have used Bearberry for centuries. In North America, the Cheyenne
Indians
made a tea that helped back sprains. The Algonquians (as well as the colonists)
mixed the
dried leaves of Bearberry with tobacco for smoking purposes, giving the herb
another of its
common names, "kinnikinnick" meaning "mixture." The Thompson tribe of British
Columbia
wisely used it to promote the flow of urine and to strengthen the bladder and
kidneys,
and the Menominees added the leaves to their menstrual remedies. The Cheyenne
and
Sioux used it to promote labor contractions, and many other Native Americans
understood its
antiseptic properties and used it to treat venereal diseases.
Bearberry's tannins were also valued for their commercial use in tanning
leather, and a
Swedish species provided an ash colored dye. Bearberry was honored in all old
herbals and
still holds a place in modern herbal
medicine for its great value in helping diseases of the bladder and kidneys and
strengthening
and imparting tone to the urinary passages.
Bearberry is said to be more effective when not taking foods with an acidic
content, such
as citruses, sauerkraut, etc. Some of the constituents included in Bearberry are
glycosides (including the powerful arbutin and also methylarbutin and ericolin),
flavonoids
(quercetin and myricacitrin), resinous ursone, hydroquinone, beta-carotene,
beta-sitosterol, allantoin, tannins, ellagic acid, gallic acid, hyperin,
oleanolic acid, malic acid,
many important minerals, B-vitamins and vitamins A and C.
Beneficial Uses: Bearberry has been used for centuries to promote the excretion
of fluids,
while at the same time exerting a powerful antiseptic action that helps to
combat bacteria of the
urinary tract. The arbutin content is a potent astringent and antiseptic that
has a curative effect
on disorders of the bladder, kidneys, spleen, liver, pancreas and small
intestine, and is also a
tonic that strengthens and imparts tone to the urinary mucous membrane.
Bearberry
combats urethritis, prostatitis, vaginitis, chronic diarrhea and infection of
the uterus, ureter,
bladder and kidneys.
The ability of Bearberry to promote the excretion of fluids has made it valuable
in reducing
excess water weight or bloating. Moreover, it helps to reduce the accumulation
of uric acid in
the blood and promotes the flushing of wastes and toxins from the system, which
helps to ease
rheumatism and other diseases marked by the accumulation of acids and waste
products, such
as gout, arthritis, nephritis (inflammation of the kidneys) and kidney stones.
There have been
reports that Bearberry may also be helpful in dissolving kidney stones.
Current research shows that Bearberry may possess antiviral qualities that might
be
particularly strong against herpes and flu viruses. Bearberry has shown promise
in relieving
Cardiac edema. As a diuretic, Bearberry appears to relieve the fluid
accumulation and
swelling of the limbs due to congestive heart failure (although not around the
heart per se) and
also in cases of pulmonary edema (excess water in the lungs). There
are reports that Bearberry may also strengthen the heart muscle.
With regard to female health, Bearberry's tannins act as mild vaso-constrictors
that help to
reduce infection and inflammation after childbirth and are said to eliminate
inflammation of the
perineum if torn during delivery. The herb is used to treat vaginal discharge by
reducing
infection and has been given topically in Sitz baths following childbirth for
relief of swelling,
further bleeding and inflammation and to prevent infection. The allantoin
content in the herb
soothes and accelerates the healing of irritated tissues.
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