Node Smith, ND
Chances are, if you suffer from an overactive bladder, or urinary incontinence, you know about it. Frequent bathroom visits and nighttime awakening to urinate may have become very frustrating. Many people who try prescription drugs for these conditions have had limited success, while many others refuse to use pharmaceuticals and attempt to modify life around bathroom use. There is recent evidence to support the use of horsetail (Crateva nurvala) extract along with the extract of Japanese evergreen spicebush root. The specific product, Urox, is from Australia, however the ingredients are fairly ubiquitous and other combination products with these ingredients are available.
150 men and women suffering from excessive urinary issues were studied
The study looked at 150 men and women over the age of 18 who suffered from urinating more than 10 times per day, excessive night urination, and urinary incontinence at least once a day during the previous 6 months. The study gave participants 420mg of Urox per day, or a placebo. The participants visited the doctor every 2 weeks throughout the study. The group that was given the herbal supplement had significant improvements over the placebo group, with 17 of the 70 people on the herbal supplement having zero symptoms by the end of the study. Five of that 17 reported total reversal of their condition in just 2 weeks into the study and had sustained for the duration of the study.
Conclusion of the study
The conclusion of the study was that “Considering the demonstrated benefits, lack of serious adverse events, along with a high rate of patient compliance and participant satisfaction, the utility of Urox by clinicians seems worthy of consideration.”
Source:
Schoendorfer N, Sharp N, Seipel T, Schauss AG, Ahuja KDK. Urox containing concentrated extracts of Crataeva nurvala stem bark, Equisetum arvense stem and Lindera aggregata root, in the treatment of symptoms of overactive bladder and urinary incontinence: a phase 2, randomised, double-blind placebo controlled trial. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2018;18(1):42.
Node Smith, ND, is a naturopathic physician in Portland, OR and associate editor for NDNR. He has been instrumental in maintaining a firm connection to the philosophy and heritage of naturopathic medicine among the next generation of docs. He helped found the first multi-generational experiential retreat, which brings elders, alumni, and students together for a weekend camp-out where naturopathic medicine and medical philosophy are experienced in nature. Four years ago he helped found the non-profit, Association for Naturopathic ReVitalization (ANR), for which he serves as the board chairman. ANR has a mission to inspire health practitioners to embody the naturopathic principles through experiential education. Node also has a firm belief that the next era of naturopathic medicine will see a resurgence of in-patient facilities which use fasting, earthing, hydrotherapy and homeopathy to bring people back from chronic diseases of modern living; he is involved in numerous conversations and projects to bring about this vision.
