Home » Health Remedies » Genitourinary disorders»Bladder disorders

Health Remedies - Urinary Incontinence

Urinary incontinence is the involuntary excretion of urine from one's body. Symptoms can range from mild leaking to uncontrollable wetting. Urinary incontinence can be caused by temporary problems, such as urinary tract infection, vaginal infection or irritation, constipation, obesity, smoking, frequent, high-impact exercise or effects of medicine. It can also occur due to permanent conditions such as aging, weakness of bladder and muscles surrounding it, blocked urethra, diabetes, stroke, high calcium levels in the blood etc.

There are four important types of urinary incontinence: Stress, urge, overactive and functional incontinence. Stress Incontinence is the symptom of loss of urine when pressure within the abdomen increases such as in coughing, sneezing, laughing etc. Urge incontinence involves the sudden sensation of a need to urinate with inability to get to a toilet before involuntary leakage occurs. Overflow incontinence occurs when the bladder is so full that it leaks urine, or "overflows." Functional incontinence occurs when a person is unable to get to a toilet on time due to other disabilities of body.

Useful herbs

Abutilon theophrasti	Fever, dysentery, and stomachaches (plant); in the treatment of dysentery and opacity of the cornea; in the treatment of dysentery and urinary incontinence (root); A poultice of the leaves is applied to ulcers.
Alpinia galanga	Used in fevers, catarrhal affections, rheumatism, incontinence of urine, bronchitis and as a carminative (rhizome).
Anemone acutiloba	In the treatment of fevers, liver ailments and poor digestion (leaves); bleeding from the lungs, coughs, cancer, childbirth, diphtheria, enterosis, enuresis, fracture, hernia, incontinence, leukorrhea, ophthalmia.
Juglans regia	In scrofula, syphilis, eczema and herpes (bark and leaf); rheumatism (fruit); as a vermifuge, laxative and in skin diseases (fruit oil); in dysentery and colic (kernel); to treat constipation, chronic coughs, asthma, diarrhoea, dyspepsia, skin ailments and purify the blood; coughs and vertigo (male inflorescences); in the treatment of diarrhoea and anaemia, low back pain, frequent urination, weakness of both legs, chronic cough, asthma, constipation due to dryness or anaemia and stones in the urinary tract, as a poultice to areas of dermatitis and eczema (rind); menstrual problems and dry skin conditions (seed oil); in the treatment of cancer (cotyledons).
Morus nigra	In the treatment of colds, influenza, eye infections and nosebleeds (leaves); to relieve toothache (barks tincture); for urinary incontinence, tinnitus, premature greying of the hair and constipation in the elderly (fruit); asthma, coughs, bronchitis, oedema, hypertension and diabetes (root bark); to expel tape worms (bark)
Pedalium murex	For external ulcers (leaf); in incontinence of urine, spermatorrhoea, nocturnal emission, impotence, alleviating spasms (fruit) in gonorrhoea and dysuria (stem and leaves infusion).
Strychnos nux-vomica	For epilepsy and dysentery (stem bark); as a nervine tonic, in paralysis (due to lead poisoning), neuralgia, chorea, debility, impotence, spermatorrhea, rectal prolapses, blindness, heartburn, incontinence (urinary), rashes (from syphilis and leprosy); to treat fever, lack of digestive power, in atonic dyspepsia (seed powder).
Tribulus terrestris	In painful urination and impotency (fruit); in treating impotency in males, nocturnal emissions, gonorrhoea, painful urination, gout, consumption, kidney problems (including kidney stones) and incontinence of urine (decoction of seed); in treating cancer and to promote hair-growth (plant); gas, headache, ophthalmia and stomatitis (dried fruit). It is being studied as a potential herbal remedy against AIDS.
Zingiber officinalis	A household remedy for flatulence and colic, for diarrhoea from relaxed bowel where there is no inflammation, for atherosclerosis, heart disease, chemotherapy support, migraine headaches, morning sickness, motion sickness, nausea and vomiting following surgery, rheumatoid arthritis, belching, laryngitis, vomiting, constipation, incontinence, flatulence, colic, spasms, fever, eye diseases, asthma, colds, cough, arthritis, bursitis, fibrocystic breasts, lymphedema, in nervous diseases, and for incontinence of urine.