The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Blueberries
Posted by Kim (East Alton, IL) on 04/23/2007
★★★★★
I have tried Azo, lemon, cranberry, and alka seltzer all as natural remedies for my uti's. Blueberries seem to work best for me. I have had them since childhood and fought one off recently by blueberries and water, water, water.
Apple Cider Vinegar and Baking Soda
Posted by Ted (Bangkok, Thailand) 391 posts
Dear Pat: If I have a bladder infection or even a kidney problems, yes, vitamin C and citric acid is not helpful. But it is NOT the vitamin C or the citric acid being the problem. It is the pH of the things you are consuming. In event of this problem (uti), the pH should be over 8.
Vitamin C are of two types and people tend to lump them all together. One is the ascorbic acid which is acid and tends to promote bacteria growth by acidity. A sodium ascorbate vitamin C has a pH of about 8 and it prevents bacterial growth. A vitamin C can be both a pro-oxidant and an anti-oxidant depending on the pH. Vitamin C is a two edge sword. If the vitamin C is acid, it is a pro-oxidant. If the vitamin C is alkalline it is an anti-oxidant.
Citric acid and sodium citrate are very different, but chemically they are the similar in most ways, but at different pH.
When a baking soda is reacted with citric acid, it becomes sodium citrate and its pH is over 8. So in event of a kidney and bladder infection whatever you eat, its pH should be 8, or at least 7.
How do I know this is the issue. You mentioned you were helped with baking soda and ACV. The pH is about 7, but if reacted long enough it is between 7.5 to 8.0
It is the same with the other ones. It helps therefore to get a good pH paper and measure it and make sure it is alkaline and pH is about 8 in event of an infection.
Sea salt -- 1 teaspoon one dose only in one glass of water usually will kill the bladder infection. But for tough cases take this along with cranberry juice and some baking soda to increase the alkalinity of cranberry juice to about pH of 8. Sea salt pH is quite often pH is between 7.5 to 8.5. A good quality sea salt will have a pH of 8, a very bad one I have seen (overprocessed overpurified) can be as low as 6. A good sea salt is light brown and never bleached white.
Marshmallow Root Extract
Posted by Mary (Rural Iowa) on 01/24/2007
★★★★★
Marshmallow Root extract (liquid in dropper bottle). I suffered from these infections for years. Antibiotics didn't work anymore. Tried many of the cures here but nothing worked. Read about Marshmallow Root so tried it and never got another. Haven't in 20 years since. It slimes the urinary tract so the bacteria can't get a grip and slide off. No bacteria, no infection.
Acidophilus
Posted by Angie (Seattle, Wa) on 06/01/2012
For those of you exeriencing UTI's after intercourse consider that the contreceptive you use may possibly be causing it... I would always get a UTI after using a latex condom, regardless of peeing and washing afterwards... once I switched to the non-latex ones, I've never had another problem.
Watermelon Seed Tea
Posted by Susanne (Lake Ridge, VA) on 09/20/2006
★★★★★
The moment I feel a bladder infection coming on, I mix up a batch of watermelon seed tea. It's an Edgar Cayce cure I've been using with great success for the last few years. AMAZING STUFF! Within a day or two the infection is completely gone! I've tried numerous other natural remedies with little success. Cranberry juice, canned asparagus, Alka-Seltzer, etc., only gave me minimal relief. It has also worked for my son's girlfriend. She has no insurance, so it's a miracle for her. The only place I've been able to find it is at the Heritage Store in Virginia Beach. You can order it online and it's not expensive. It's a very simple remedy and really worth a try! Hope it works for you too!
P.S. The therapeutic dose is 1 tablespoon per 2 cups of boiling water. Just drink it until the symptoms subside and repeat as necessary.
Vitamin C
Posted by Catherine (Madison, WI) on 09/14/2006
★★★★★
I had a pretty bad bladder infection that I discovered on a Friday. Had heard that vitamin C could knock one out... makes a lot of sense because increasing acidity of the urine seems to reduce bacterial load. (as craberry juice is supposed to do). Anyway, I took 1000 mgs two or three times for the next several days. almost over night I got relief.. I kept doing it for several days to make sure.
Dandelion Tea and Oregano Oil
Posted by Shelley (Nova Scotia) on 06/04/2006
★★★★★
I tried almost everything, conventional and alternative. Finally found my cure-dandellion tea and Oil of Oregano at first sign of infection and as a preventative I take acidophillus supplements try to keep the bacteria balanced. If I stick to these three products I can keep my bladder under control. Basically cures my bladder infections and the infections are occuring less often as times goes by. I hope this helps someone else because I was very discouraged when I finally found this "cure", I had spent a lot of money and time trying to find relief. When I went into my health store and said I think I have tried everything here, do you have any suggestions, they offered me the oil of oregano and said they had never heard any bad results. Great stuff!!
Sea Salt, Baking Soda and Cranberry Pills
Posted by Stella (Cleveland, Ohio)
★★★★★
I had written on 2/27/2008 that Cranberry pills were working for my bladder infection. It may have been a BV infection I'm not sure. Anyway the cranberry pills alone did not completely take away my infection & it started to get worse it was very painful. I tried Ted's cure of drinking 1 tsp of sea salt in a glass of water, I did this one time in the morning, then at night before bed I drank a pinch of baking soda & water along with cranberry pills and it worked. I continued the cranberry & baking soda for a few nights and I am 100% cured. It has been almost a month now and my infection has not returned. I would definitely recommend this to anyone suffering from this type of infection. Thank you Ted.
D-Mannose
Posted by CALYPSO (Az) on 08/02/2026
★★★★★
This is a poat in support of D Mannose...i was suffering from an on going UTI for almost 2 weeks. I troed a generic AZO which helped but stopped working after the firat days 3 doseages. So I came here, a place I trust. I saw ACV was recommended alot. I have taken it before but not for this. So I decoded to try it started woth 2 big tablespoons in about 6oz of water and waited...The pain that ensued after each dose was like the ACV went to war with the bacteria INSIDE MY BODY. I took three doses of about 2 tbl spoons every few hours and my body hurt first only my bladder then onto my kidneys...My back began to ache badly and thats when I knew this wasny goingbto work for me. It did alieviate the pain and irge to urinate but the side effect was not worth it. So I went and bought tye true AZO along with D Mannose. I took the recommended dose for Spring Valley, (the only brand I could find) and close to the time to take the next dose my back broke out in hives. Idk if it was just too much from the ACV the day before or my own bodys reaction to the aimple sugar. I was afraid to take the next dose but the hives though a lil itchy went away within the hour, I did not take the next dose but did take the one after that but with 1 less pill than the recommended amount which was 1500mg. (3 pills). I took the two no more hives and no more urge to pee or pain...The next day today, I feel fine. Did not take AZO simce last night at 8pm. Took the D Mannose at around 9:30am with the 2 pills instead of 3. Still no pain or urgency to pee. My back doesnt hurt, feeling GREAT. I do believe the DMannose is the main reason why.
Baking Soda, D-Mannose
Posted by Lindsay (Boston Ma) on 06/23/2026
★★★★★
BAKING SODA AND D-MANNOSE!!!!!
I suffered with UTIs since 2007. I'm talking month after month after month. I've had an ultrasound, CT, seen a urologist, infectious disease doctor. Saw a naturopath, had acupuncture. Due to the frequent antibiotics I ended up developing drug resistant bacteria requiring a midline and had to give myself IV Ertapenem for a week. It wasn't until I did my own research…..Almost all my cultures grew out e-coli. Multiple studies show that D-mannose can remove ecoli from the bladder walls…here is the catch…d-mannose works much better in an alkaline environment…hence the baking soda. I take a tsp of baking soda in a glass of warm water along with 2-4g of d-mannose to start. After every urination I take 2g of d-mannose. I know they say to drink a lot of water but be careful that dmannose needs to time to sit and work in the bladder. It's not going to be beneficial if it immediately leaves the body. I then do the baking soda and dmannose combo before bed and after I wake up in the morning. I'll even take 2gm of dmannose if I have to urinateon the middle of the night. I'll then continue to take the dmannose after every void the following day. Continue this for a couple days. For women prone to UTIs following intercourse just take the baking soda and 2gm dmannose combo after :)
Vitamin C
Posted by Wiser Now (England) on 01/10/2026
★★★★★
I had a UTI for a year-and-a-half or so. Initially, I used a lump of chopped up ginger in hot water (to make a tea) and when finished, I would chew and swallow the bits of ginger at the end (or at least as much of them as I could tolerate). This helped to give me some short-term relief, but did not cure the issue. I reduced my sugar intake - I.e. stopped putting honey on my porridge and honey in my cocoa drink that I drank several times daily and saw more benefits. Again it did not cure the issue, probably because I did not go completely cold turkey on sugar. I tried D-mannose powder, which gave me relief while I was taking it, but again it did not cure the issue. I tried an ACV drink (a tablespoon in hot water), which appeared to work on the first day or so, but when I took it again the following day, the cramps came back with a vengeance. Then, I tried the Vitamin C, ascorbic powder, roughly 1mg (a quarter teaspoon in distilled water), between 2 and 4 times a day, probably for less than a week, I would say....and that helped immensely...I'm not getting any UTI symptoms now! I only wish I had tried it much sooner.
Supplements
Posted by Alicia (Severna Park, MD) on 07/18/2024
★★★★★
Garden of life Probiotics Urinary tract+ (no refrigeration required)
Cystex UTI pain relief + bacterial control
U.T. Vibrance D-mannose
Lifesource vitamins - All natural anti-B
I took all of these supplements day of first feeling of UTI pain - woke up with intense pain.
Day 2 I have no symptoms and never has this happened even with antibiotics.
I think the probiotics is the game changer. Good luck!
Apple Cider Vinegar and Baking Soda
Posted by Elena (Dallas) on 12/24/2023
Since you have UTI regularly, always keep D-Mannose and Urolesan in your medicine cabinet.
Lemon, Cornsilk, Oregano Oil
Posted by Kassy (USA) on 05/21/2025
Amen, I second that!
Thank you for posting what worked for you and then sharing that here at Earth Clinic, much appreciated.
Cream of Tartar, Essential Oils
Posted by Sam (Miami ) on 03/25/2023
Urolesan. Available on Amazon (unfortunately overpriced x10).
Active ingredients: fir oil, peppermint oil, castor oil, wild carrot liquid extract, hop cones liquid extract (1:1), wild marjoram (Origanum majorana) liquid extract. 8-10 drops on a cube of sugar or bread. Works as magic. #1 in europe.
Colloidal Silver, Oregano Oil
Posted by Dena L. (New Orleans, Louisiana ) on 06/04/2022
★★★★★
I used colloidal silver by Oxysilver with p73 oregano oil. I also drink goldenseal tea daily. I took this after antibiotics didn't clear my bladder infection. I re-tested at the doctor and it was gone.
Apple Cider Vinegar, Coconut Oil
Posted by JuliaGulia (Vineland, New Jersey) on 12/22/2021
★★★★★
Having had UTI's periodically, all of my adult life since having children, I was quick to dose myself some ACV and cranberry juice as soon as I felt the symptoms last week. This method usually clears my symptoms up within 24 hours but this last bout was more tenacious, so I came online to look for a more invasive natural approach. My main symptom was continued pain on urination so I scooped up a portion of organic coconut oil, knowing it's antibacterial, antifungal, antimicrobial properties. Utilizing it as a suppository, the symptoms were immediately alleviated and together with my ACV, cranberry with a pinch of baking soda cocktail regimen, I was right as rain within 24 hours. The real task is trying to remember to include ACV in my diet several times a week to prevent the onset of another infection.
Thyme Essential Oil
Posted by Lauren (NY) on 07/15/2021
★★★★☆
For a UTI, I usually take olive leaf and turmeric caps as per my post under those headings. When I find that my UTI is being a little extra stubborn I draw a shallow bath, but a little olive oil on a washcloth along with some thyme essential oil, with maybe a little tea tree. I feel that the thyme is the most potent. It is important to dilute these with the olive oil. I then press this around the area gently and push out the bacteria into the bath. This really helps to tame the infection or get rid of the remainder of it.
Lemon
Posted by Charlotte (TEXAS) on 05/07/2022
Thanks for your blessing and info about Lemons 🍋 and UTIs. God bless you and keep you well and safe.
Bromelain and Quercetin
Posted by Vicki (Arizona) on 04/16/2021 4 posts
★★★★★
Seven or eight years ago, I paid a nurse on the phone on the internet to help me she suggested I take bromelain and quercetin as I had had three and a half years of bloody UTIs! The doctors were no help at all. They kept giving me antibiotics, which never worked. One time I saw about a half an inch of sand in the urine cup. The lab never caught it and it never got recorded! So it could have been kidney stones!
The pain was so severe, it would put my blood pressure up into the stroke range. This was three and a half years of this! Never got any help from any doctors ever! Oh, actually there was one doctor he was a GYN and he prescribed estrogen cream to put up in the vagina every few days a very small amount and that helped tremendously.
Also several nurses said off the record they thought it was Interstitial cystitis since cranberry juice, even unsweetened, would make it worse!
The bromelain and quercetin pills were the answer! They are both enzymes. The bromelain is in the pineapple and green apples and red onions go on my salad with Romaine lettuce and flax seeds and whatever else I want to pile on there with real olive oil from either Italy or Israel and that red vinegar.
Of course, drink plenty of water 20 oz of water first thing in the morning 20 oz before bed and I'm a hundred 25 lb. If you're heavier, drink more. Also, another key is hydration very important hydration means eating the right foods. The minerals you need come from the foods, the water just carries helps carry it around. Drink a cup of water every hour, and don't drink out of plastic bottles.
Avoid High Oxylate Foods
Posted by Wendy (Dublin, OH) on 08/20/2021
★★★★★
I have been UTI free for the past nine months, and then this morning I got a major one! I'm so glad you posted about high oxalate foods, because guess what I had last night? 3 cups of steamed organic beets! And, beets are a high oxalate food. Now I know!
Corn Silk
Posted by Terry (Canada) on 05/04/2019
★★★★★
Corn silk works wonders for my dog's incontinence. He was suddenly dripping and peeing in his sleep even though he has never peed in the house in his life. I see that most of the posts have been about female dogs and their spay incontinence but I just want to say that corn silk capsules eradicated my adult male dog's incontinence by 99%.
He is a 70lb dog and I give him one capsule per meal twice a day. I also time when he gets water but not reduce the total amount of water given to him. This way he would not have to hold for as long. In two weeks he went from dripping in his sleep every day to needing to go out earlier than his potty breaks. We listened to him when he would indicate wanting to go and slowly his schedule was back to normal. It has been a month and a half and he stopped having incontinence completely. I will likely give him cornsilk long term since it is inexpensive and effective as incontinence prevention.
