https://pharmacopedia.wiki/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Category%3AUrological_herbs 2026-05-28T12:15:00Z Revision history for this page on the wiki MediaWiki 1.46.0-beta https://pharmacopedia.wiki/index.php?title=Category:Urological_herbs&diff=6940&oldid=prev 2026-05-23T19:14:36Z

<p>Create canonical category-page article (history-first)</p> <p><b>New page</b></p><div>A &#039;&#039;&#039;urological herb&#039;&#039;&#039; is a plant medicine used to treat conditions of the urinary tract and the male reproductive system: lower-urinary-tract symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia, recurrent urinary-tract infection (uncomplicated, often female-predominant), interstitial cystitis, kidney stones, and selected male sexual-function indications.<br /> <br /> The foundational urological herb is &#039;&#039;&#039;saw palmetto&#039;&#039;&#039; (&#039;&#039;Serenoa repens&#039;&#039;), the dwarf palm of the southeastern United States whose fruit-extract has been the standard herbal treatment for symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia for several decades. The lipidosterolic extract (the standardised commercial Permixon and Prostaserene preparations) acts through 5α-reductase inhibition, alpha-1-adrenergic-receptor antagonism, and anti-inflammatory effects on prostatic tissue, with substantial early-trial evidence for symptom improvement. The 2006 CAMUS trial and the 2011 STEP trial, however, found no benefit over placebo for moderate-to-severe BPH symptoms in head-to-head comparisons with finasteride and tamsulosin, and the contemporary evidence base is mixed. The other principal BPH herbs are &#039;&#039;&#039;pygeum&#039;&#039;&#039; (&#039;&#039;Prunus africana&#039;&#039;, an African medicine with controlled-trial evidence and significant conservation concern), &#039;&#039;&#039;pumpkin seed&#039;&#039;&#039; (&#039;&#039;Cucurbita pepo&#039;&#039;), &#039;&#039;&#039;nettle root&#039;&#039;&#039; (&#039;&#039;Urtica dioica&#039;&#039; root, distinct from nettle leaf), and the Ayurvedic &#039;&#039;&#039;gokshura&#039;&#039;&#039; (&#039;&#039;Tribulus terrestris&#039;&#039;).<br /> <br /> The urinary-tract-infection herbs are dominated by &#039;&#039;&#039;cranberry&#039;&#039;&#039; (&#039;&#039;Vaccinium macrocarpon&#039;&#039;), whose proanthocyanidin fraction inhibits &#039;&#039;E. coli&#039;&#039; P-fimbrial adhesion to urothelial cells and is supported by Cochrane review for recurrent UTI prophylaxis in healthy women. &#039;&#039;&#039;Uva-ursi&#039;&#039;&#039; (&#039;&#039;Arctostaphylos uva-ursi&#039;&#039;) contains arbutin, hydrolysed to hydroquinone in alkaline urine for short-course antiseptic action; longer-than-two-week use is restricted because of hydroquinone toxicity concerns. &#039;&#039;&#039;D-mannose&#039;&#039;&#039;, technically a sugar rather than a plant medicine, has substantial controlled-trial evidence in recurrent UTI and is conventionally listed alongside the urological herbs. The TCM and Ayurvedic urinary-tract traditions include &#039;&#039;&#039;gokshura&#039;&#039;&#039; (&#039;&#039;Tribulus terrestris&#039;&#039;), &#039;&#039;&#039;varuna&#039;&#039;&#039; (&#039;&#039;Crataeva nurvala&#039;&#039;), and the bitter-cooling &#039;&#039;Long Dan Cao&#039;&#039; (&#039;&#039;Gentiana scabra&#039;&#039;).<br /> <br /> The kidney-stone herbal tradition centres on &#039;&#039;&#039;chanca piedra&#039;&#039;&#039; (&#039;&#039;Phyllanthus niruri&#039;&#039;, the Amazonian &quot;stone breaker&quot;) for calcium-oxalate-stone reduction (controlled-trial evidence mixed), &#039;&#039;&#039;varuna&#039;&#039;&#039; for the Ayurvedic stone-passage indication, and the diuretic dandelion and corn silk (&#039;&#039;Zea mays&#039;&#039; silk) for general lithiasis support.<br /> <br /> == Members indexed ==<br /> <br /> Saw palmetto (&#039;&#039;Serenoa repens&#039;&#039;), pygeum (&#039;&#039;Prunus africana&#039;&#039;), pumpkin seed (&#039;&#039;Cucurbita pepo&#039;&#039;), nettle root (&#039;&#039;Urtica dioica&#039;&#039;), gokshura (&#039;&#039;Tribulus terrestris&#039;&#039;), cranberry (&#039;&#039;Vaccinium macrocarpon&#039;&#039;), uva-ursi (&#039;&#039;Arctostaphylos uva-ursi&#039;&#039;), buchu (&#039;&#039;Agathosma betulina&#039;&#039;), chanca piedra (&#039;&#039;Phyllanthus niruri&#039;&#039;), varuna (&#039;&#039;Crataeva nurvala&#039;&#039;), corn silk (&#039;&#039;Zea mays&#039;&#039;), couch grass (&#039;&#039;Elymus repens&#039;&#039;), gravel root (&#039;&#039;Eupatorium purpureum&#039;&#039;), goldenrod (&#039;&#039;Solidago virgaurea&#039;&#039;), dandelion (&#039;&#039;Taraxacum officinale&#039;&#039;), parsley root (&#039;&#039;Petroselinum crispum&#039;&#039;), juniper berry (&#039;&#039;Juniperus communis&#039;&#039;; the principal cautious-use diuretic; renal-irritant in extended use).<br /> <br /> == Notes on scope ==<br /> <br /> The boundary of this category is &quot;herb whose principal or important indication is in the urinary tract or in the male reproductive system.&quot; The pharmaceutical urological medicines (the [[:Category:Alpha-1_blockers|alpha-1 blockers]], the [[:Category:5-alpha-reductase_inhibitors|5α-reductase inhibitors]], the [[:Category:Overactive_bladder_medications|OAB medicines]], the pharmaceutical PDE5 inhibitors used in BPH) are listed under their primary umbrellas. The Ayurvedic and TCM kidney-tonic traditions overlap with the urological category but their &quot;kidney&quot; concept covers a broader endocrine-and-reproductive scope than the Western urological one; herbs in those traditions are listed here when their indication is specifically urinary-tract.<br /> <br /> == About these pages ==<br /> <br /> This category page is an encyclopedia article about its subject. The actual index of herbs belonging to the category is generated automatically by the wiki engine, from category-membership declarations on the individual herb pages, and appears at the foot of the page below the references.<br /> <br /> == References ==<br /> <br /> &lt;references/&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Category:Plants]]<br /> [[Category:Herbal_medicines]]<br /> [[Category:CuratedCategoryPage]]</div>

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