Herbal supplement may help treat recurrent bladder infections
Washington, Apr 9 -An herbal extract that is sold in
health food stores and promoted as an allergy and fat loss aid
may improve treatment of bladder infections when it is taken
with antibiotics, research suggests.
Some 90 per cent of bladder infections are caused by E.
coli bacteria. They affect women four times more often than
men, sometimes recurring over and over.
The bladder is lined with small pouches that allow it to
stretch as it fills. Researchers at Duke University reported
in yesterday's online edition of Nature Medicine that some
bacteria were able to hide in those pouches, escaping the
antibiotics used to treat the infection.
In tests in mice, the extract forskolin can cause the
pouches to kick out the bacteria, allowing antibiotics to
kill them, said the lead researcher, microbiologist Soman N.
Abraham. Forskolin is derived from the Indian coleus plant.
"If we combine this with antibiotics we would be in a
very good position to eradicate urinary tract infection," he
said in a telephone interview.
In the experiments, forskolin was injected into some
mice and placed directly into the bladders in others, Abraham
said.
The extract is available in health food stores and some
people take it by mouth as a supplement, he said. It is
promoted as a treatment for allergies, breathing problems and
even fat loss.
That availability does "absolutely not" mean people
should attempt to treat themselves for bladder infections,
Abraham said.