Top Natural Remedies for Bladder Infections (UTIs)

Frankincense

Posted by Arie (Singapore) on 02/20/2011
★★★★★

UTI occurence is very periodic for me, I get it almost every month just before my period and sometimes, just because I ate something sweet. I've read about the coconut oil and ACV and am waiting for it to be delivered when I suffered from another attack.

As you know your mind gets fogged, you are in a constant dull pain, and you SIMPLY CANNOT GET TO SLEEP. There was certainly some despair.

I popped a garlic pill, vitamin C, drank water..... Nothing.

In desperation, I recalled watching the TV with this really old man talking about steaming a mixture of myrh, frankincense and some other ingredient that I can't remember, to subside inflammation.

Since I was travelling and have about 4 oils with me, I decided to go with my frankincense.

I dropped 2 drops onto a panty liner and wore it to bed.

Thankfully I fell asleep quickly and when I woke up in the morning, the pain that I usually experience EVERY MORNING when I visit the toilet, IS GONE.

I am in awe. For days my mornings had been associated with visits to the toilet and weird smelling pee. I cannot describe how troubling it had been and am truly happy I found some sort of a remedy.

TRY IT.

Oregano Oil

Posted by Julianna (Columbus, OH) on 01/10/2007
★★★★★

I knew about taking cranberry juice for UTIs as I've had one or two in the past which is why I try to take the AZO cranberry pills & yeast pills daily (along with eating yogurt daily). I was surprised when I got this latest UTI a few days ago. Since I no longer have health insurance, I was freaked & I knew that the OTC urinary pain medicine was just a temp fix (which I gladly used b/c my UTIs come with PAIN!) Sure enough the OTC pills and the extra AZO cran pills began to have no effect yesterday even though I was constantly poppin em. I read through the site about oil of oregano (which I never heard of), vitamin C & others & decided to load up. I got the sea salt, oil of oregano, unsweetened cran juice, etc. I put 2 Tblsps of Sea Salt in a cup of H2O and tried to drink it (GAWD!) Well I drank maybe a little less than half the cup.... maybe. Maybe I put in too much salt, but DAMN! I took 1000mgs of Vitamin C. I put a drop of oil of oregano under my tongue (not good) & put another drop in a cup of H2O (this I could somewhat tolerate). I also sipped on a cup of the unsweetened cran juice (ick!). Anyway about an hour later it became less painful to pee & today I have no pain when I PEEEE & NO frequency. I have no idea which remedy did it & how long I need to keep taking these concoctions. I also took some probiotic pill the woman at the whole foods store put in my basket (she claimed the pill has millions of the good bacteria I need & way more than yogurt). Anyway I will be taking this pill in the AM & PM. I think the little bit of sea salt H2O I took had an effect although I won't be doing that again unless absolutely necessary & I believe the oil of oregano did something too. I will continue the oil of oregano, the vitamin C &, the probiotic pill for 6 more days & then maybe just continue the probiotic pill in place of the AZO cran & yeast pills I used to take. I know the feedback on this site really helped me. It seems these UTIs are such a Catch-22. They say that holding your pee in (or resisting the urge) can possibly bring them on but when I know its gonna be painful to go then I'd rather hold it than feel that pain. Maybe its just me.... Well, anyway hope this helps someone.

Coconut Oil

Posted by Mama to Many (TN) on 05/17/2023

Hi Denise,

Well, it seems like trying the unrefined for your UTI would not hurt and might help! Let us know, please.

It seems like refining would not hurt certain aspects of coconut oil, but if whatever is helping with a particular issue is the same element that is responsible for the smell of it, then perhaps it won't help. I don't understand enough chemistry to know.

Check out the sea salt or baking soda protocols for UTI's and do that as well, if this is urgent. D-Mannose always works for me.

I do have chronic UTI's because of a structural issue. Just today I am starting Methylene Blue to see if that will help!

~Mama to Many~

D-Mannose

Posted by PayItForward (PNW) on 04/22/2024 68 posts

Edited 4/24/24 at 4:25 pm

Arterium Urolesan Tincture on an empty stomach, 30 minutes before food and 2 hrs after food.

Urolesan increases kidney function and excretion of urine, acidifies urine, increases the elimination of the urea and chlorides, amplifies the production and secretion of bile, and improves the flow of blood to the liver. Use in cases of kidney problems, presence or formation of gallstones, inflammation of the kidney and the gallbladder, tumors of the liver and gallbladder, impairment of the proper function of the bile tracts.

Pharmacological Properties: The agent has a strong bactericidal, analgesic, aseptic, anti-inflammatory, diuretic and choleretic, antiparasitic and antidiarrhoeal effect. The preparation stimulates the secretory functions of the stomach, reduces the tension of the smooth muscles of the intestines, bile and urinary tracts, prevents stagnation of bile, improves its flow, accelerates the process of urine and bile excretion, heals the liver, and cleans the intestines, liver, urinary, bile and the entire digestive tract.

Recommended Dosage: Place 8 to 10 drops on a cube or 1/2 tsp of granulated sugar (or Â½ tsp honey) 3 times daily on empty stomach, allowing the sugar to dissolve under the tongue. Course of treatment depends upon the gravity of the sickness (from 7 days up to 1 month).

In cases of kidney and liver inflammation increase the single dose to 15 to 20 drops on the sugar.

Side effects: May include mild vertigo and nausea. Note: It is necessary to increase the intake of warm liquids and rest while taking this remedy.

Contraindications: Pregnancy, lactation period.

We follow each dose with a large soothing cup of calming herbal tea like chamomile, 30 minutes after ingesting. Calming our body with gentle controlled breathing for 5-10 minutes each time. We enjoy a customizable app called 'Awesome Breathing: Pacer Timer.' Meditate - Pray. Body and Soul (mind, will, emotions â¥).

Sea Salt

Posted by Anne (Orange County, Ca) on 09/08/2018
★★★★★

I wish I would have tried Ted's salt and water remedy a week ago, the pain has been awful. I tried a glass of water and tsp salt and now it's been 20 minutes and I'm 80% better, so much relief from an awful uti.

SSKI (Potassium Iodide)

Posted by Nektar (Athens) on 01/19/2017
★★★★★

Last year I wrote here on the site about my nasty year-long UTI experiences and the benefits of propolis against UTI (I still use it daily). However, there have been times after that when propolis didn't work for my horrible uti pain, until a couple of months ago I found an article about SSKI (potassium iodide) that literally saved my life.

SSKI works wonders every single time! Once the horrible pain starts (usually soon after intercourse) I take 15 drops and all pain is gone in 10 min. Lately, I've been taking 3-4 drops under tongue daily to prevent it from starting at all, and it definitely works!

I've been miserable for years and I deeply feel your pain and exhaustion from this horrible condition, so I wish you all UTI/bladder infection sufferers a quick relief and all the best!

D-Mannose

Posted by Sabrina (Houston) on 08/03/2016
★★★★★

After doing research I wanted something that would work fast because we all know how irritating a UTI can be. After coming on this site and reading about D-Mannose, I did further research and found out this is actually an effective remedy. I went to store and bought, although it's a bit pricey I didn't mind paying the price to heal myself. Once I took the first dose, I immediately felt some relief. I was taking cranberry pills also along with a probiotic. I highly recommend this and also uvi ursi also helps with UTI's. Hope this was helpful.

Cranberry

Posted by Yuliku (Las Vegas) on 07/16/2016
★★★★★

I got UTI in Colombia in Tayorona park. It was very humid and we did a lot of hiking, so maybe that caused it. The only medicine I had with me was cranberry pills. I did not have my regular medicine that I take to treat UTI. So I took about 15 pills at once (usually my day dose is 2 pills) and drank about 3-4 liters of water (it took me couple of hours to finish the bottles). I was staying in the bathroom all evening (literally I could not leave the room for more than 5 min so I just decided to stay in the bathroom). By the time I passed the whole water that I had drank I felt much more better and could go to sleep. The next morning the was no sign of UTI I had the day before. I know it may be a bit drastic to drink so much water in matter of 2 hours, but we were staying in isolated area with no access to pharmacy and I did not know what else to do rather than to force the bacterias to go out. It helped me. It happened 1,5 ago and since then I have not got UTI yet.

Make Sure it is a UTI

Posted by Lilli (Wa, Usa) on 03/09/2016 13 posts
★★★★★

Before treating a UTI make sure you actually have one. I woke up one morning with all the symptoms: frequent and burning urination, spasms, and achiness. At the urgent care clinic, they took a urine sample that came out negative for bacteria, etc.

What I discovered was that my constipation (due to over use of antacids) was creating pressure on my bladder that caused the same symptoms.

This is what helped: lots of fluids including unsweetened cranberry juice, water, a splash of ACV in filtered drinking water, and non-caffeinated herbal tea (especially dandelion root tea). I added 500mg of magnesium once a day (near bedtime) to aid with the constipation. I added extra fiber to my diet including fresh kiwi, whole bran cereal, and flax and chia seed and honey in plain Greek yogurt. Also, a warm water bottle placed on my lower abdomen really helped calm the spasms.

It will take about 5-7 days, but it does work. Always find out if you have a UTI first before treating.

Lemon

Posted by Carole (Hartford, Ct) on 10/13/2015
★★★★★

I have suffered with a UTI every couple of months or so. I have been on vacation for two weeks and this had made me miserable beyond words. I have tried everything and was tired of taking medications for this. I researched everything, except what I had already known but had forgotten. I had been told years ago by my grandmother that I should drink hot water and lemon everyday when I get up in the morning. She said that it cleanses the system and is good for digestion and your urinary tract. I kind of made a face thinking of drinking hot water with lemon without a tea bag. Yikes...but, I then remember years later reading an article stating basically the same thing! Well, that it helps alkalizes the urine. She lived to be 108 yrs old.

So, when I got up this morning I was in agony after I urinated. I said that is it I am going to try it! However, I used cold water with an ice cube about 10oz of water and 1/3 cup of lemon juice. I drank it without a sweetener and it was not bad,

Within one hour I started to feel better. I have had two glasses throughout the day sipping it and I can hardly believe it. I had no pain when I used the bathroom and I did not have to keep running to the bathroom. I feel fine. It makes sense and it works so please try it.

I will drink this every day. I do not ever want to go through this again. It was so miserable! It did not cost anything.

Enterococcus UTI Remedies

Posted by Kita (Brooklyn Ny) on 12/05/2016

I know I'm late but just in case you're still suffering try garlic. Garlic is known to kill bacteria that's resistant to antibiotics. I had the same issue as you. I started eating two to three cloves of garlic a day. I would dice up a clove and swallow it down like a pill. Within a day I noticed improvement. Three days in I was soooo much better. I now eat garlic routinely as a preventative and haven't had any issues since.

Enterococcus UTI Remedies

Posted by Mama To Many (Tn) on 11/19/2017

Dear Tina,

Wow, you have tried a lot of things. A couple of things I would consider trying in your situation (which have worked well for me for UTI's) would be castor oil, charcoal and plantain.

Castor oil as a pack over the lower abdomen with a heating pad overnight. (My heating pad has one setting - very low - so no risk of burning, though it is not recommended to use them overnight.)

https://www.earthclinic.com/remedies/castor_oil.html

Activated charcoal - either internally or as a poultice.

https://www.earthclinic.com/remedies/charcoal.html

Plantain tea. Seems too simple but has worked for me for UTI's (not sure which bacteria caused mine, though.) But when you look up enterococcus and plantain into google, the first hit comes up with a book that mentions using plantain for enterococcus. To make plantain tea I put several tablespoons in a quart jar and pour boiling water over it and let it steep an hour or so. I strain and consume the tea over the course of the day. I repeat this several days in a row or as needed.

I hope you find a solution. Please let us know how it goes.

~Mama to Many~

Lactobacillus

Posted by Gabrielle (London, Uk) on 04/27/2015
★★★★★

I am a Microbiologist who has worked for blue chip Pharmaceutical Companies and studied antibiotics for more than 15 years. I am also a UTI sufferer since the age of 6.

I recently had a UTI that I treated with 4 different antibiotics with zero effect. I did not want to take more antibiotics so started to serve the net to find alternative cures.

Your site is excellent and I have tried many of the remedies listed. I also searched for the clinical data to find the evidence base.

I tried

d mannose
grapefruit seed extract
apple cider vinegar
Turmeric
olive leaf extract.

All worked for three days then the infection came back.

I have therefore concluded that they are probably all bacteriostatic I.e stop numbers of bacteria increasing but do not resolve the infection.

Antibiotics are either bacteristatic or bacteriocidal I.e kill the bacteria. What we want is bactericidal or to change the flora so good bacteria can outnumber the bad.

The next part was looking at acidophilus. There is no evidence to support that acidophilus has any effect. Lactobacillus acidophilus species in the gut makes no difference to UTI in the bladder. We need ecoli for digestion so upping lactobacillus will not change this.

However Lactobacillus species in the vagina make a massive difference to UTI. The bacterial flora of the vagina can change the bacterial flora of the bladder. There are 27 clinical trials to support this the species they found helped was lactobacillus rhamnous and lactobacillus reuteri.

After 5 weeks of battling the UTI I added in a probiotic containing these two species to apple cider vinegar and finally I have resolved this. I took 2/day for 3 days.

I think that you need to update the site.

Turpentine

Posted by Katie (Bellingham, Wa) on 05/16/2015
★★★★★

I note that no one has noticed this turpentine treatment. I just want to say I got this Uti again last week. I took one dose of turpentine again and again I was all good in about 2 to 3 hours.

Baking Soda

Posted by Kathy (Clemmons, Nc) on 04/24/2015
★★★★★

Was in great discomfort today with UTI. Came home and read on this site about baking soda and vinegar. Almost immediate relief. Thank you Earthclinic!

Cranberry

Posted by Oscar (Syracuse, New York) on 04/20/2012
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

I had a chronic urinary tract infection no antibiotitics worked for. The urologist I was seeing at the time told me to drink one cup of pure cranberry juice 3 times a day. The cranberry juice cocktails commonly sold have little real cranberry juice. You need the real thing, pure cranberry juice for this to work. Anyway the infection cleared up in about a week or two of this treatment. I had had this infection for years and it was slowly getting worse. The cranberry juice treatment worked for me....Oscar

Oregano Oil

Posted by Nadine (Philadelphia, USA) on 09/06/2007
★★★★★

I am a regular reader of earth clinic and am very grateful for all the information. I am thankful that I am able to contribute to this forum. I recently discovered Oil of Oregano (100% vegetarian). My internet search revealed that Oil of oregano was used to sterilize surgical utensils back in the 1950's and has been found to be useful in fighting infections that are resistant to penicillin. It is also said to be useful in treating sinus infections, bladder infections, candida and lung infections.

Oregano Oil

Posted by Alexa (GA) on 12/08/2006
★★★★★

An Alkaline diet and Oil of oregano will cure Chronic sinusitis and urinary tract infection. I would recommend that you consult your doctor for diagnosis of urinary tract infection in order to rule out more serious conditions and then take oil of oregano with concentrated cranberry juice. The best way to take oil of oregano is under the tongue but if you don't like the taste you can take capsules. You will feel it working. Oil of oregano is an antifungal, antiviral and antibiotic which makes it very effective against sinusitis etc.

Methylene Blue

Posted by Rick (Woburn, MA) on 11/06/2024
★★★★★

Had a bad bladder/UTI infection. Pain in the lower abdomen, mild fever and sweating. Tried oil of oregano and black seed oil for about two weeks; no change. Finally checked through my health database and found an article by Dr. Joseph Mercola. Excerpt below:

“Methylene blue has also been shown to have several other health benefits, such as:

Reduces the risk of urinary tract infections (UTIs) — I consider this one of the most significant uses of methylene blue, as it offers a powerful, gut-friendly alternative to antibiotics for treating UTIs. This is especially beneficial for the elderly, who often have compromised gut health.

Since methylene blue isn't metabolized by your body, it gets excreted by the kidneys into your bladder, where it accumulates and eventually reaches concentrations high enough to act as a strong oxidant, effectively targeting and eliminating pathogens in the bladder.”

Started with 10 drops of 1% liquid (5 mg) in a few ounces of water twice a day (tasted terrible). After the first day, all symptoms were done. Continued this dosage for 4 or 5 days to insure that the infection was gone.

Side effect, my chronic tinnitus was dramatically reduced.

Will continue taking at reduced dosage for the tinnitus and as a preventative for infections indefinitely.

Sea Salt

Posted by Frenchie (California, San Clement) on 03/15/2024
★★★★★

This is the second time Sea Salt worked for my UTI pain. It takes about 30 minutes and the pain I just put 1 teaspoon of sea salt in a glass of water and chugged it!!! I was in so much pain and now I'm peacefully resting. Thanks be to God!!!

Cream of Tartar

Posted by Suzanne (Springfield LA) on 01/25/2024
★★★★★

Cream of tartar for uti

Cream of tartar absolutely works. Took 1/2 teaspoon in 16 oz water and within half an hour felt relief.

Iodine

Posted by Vera (Colorado) on 10/13/2025

I just picked up another testimonial on AMD's comments:

Iodine is another great umbrella therapy that has been suppressed. I buy the Lugol's (ingestable) form as 7% or 15% concentration in a bottle which dispenses drops when inverted. For EARLY treatment of UTI, I apply it topically to a 4 x 5 cm patch of skin on my forearm and repeat that twice more, with an hour between applications, drinking plenty of water as well. The iodine passes quickly through the skin and into circulation. Within a very short time there is enough iodine in the bladder to treat the UTI. The beauty of this is that topical iodine therapy doesn't disrupt the gut microbiome, because you're not taking it orally.