Natural Remedies for Urinary Retention and Cystitis

• If alternating hot and cold compresses isn’t completely successful, apply punarnava paste (punarnava powder with sufficient water to make a paste) to the skin directly above the distended bladder. Leave it on for about half an hour. • If the retention is due to stricture (narrowing) in the urethra or enlargement of the prostate gland, then use this formula: punarnava guggulu 4 parts shilajit 1 part Taking ½ teaspoon of this mixture 3 times a day with warm water will help to dilate the stricture or relax the prostate gland and help to restore the easy flow of the urine. CYSTITIS Cystitis causes a burning sensation while urinating.

To relieve this condition, drink coriander tea, cumin tea, or fennel tea. Or make a tea of equal proportions of these three herbs. Cumin-coriander-fennel tea is widely used in Ayurveda to relieve irritation of the bladder while passing urine. You may also find this mixture effective for cystitis: punarnava 5 parts gokshura 4 parts musta 3 parts Take ½ teaspoon of this herbal mixture 2 or 3 times a day with warm water.

BLADDER ATONIA This is a condition in which the bladder’s sphincter loses its tone or strength, and the bladder leaks urine. It is more common among women. A woman may sneeze or cough and inadvertently passes some urine. For this condition, take one handful of white sesame seeds along with 1 teaspoon of jaggery or natural, unrefined brown sugar, and chew it well, followed by half a cup of water to wash it down.

This is a very simple remedy to bring tone back to the bladder. Take it once or twice a day until your condition is better. For further discussion and suggestions, see “Urinary Incontinence” and “Prostate Problems.” Bleeding, External Generally, within 5 to 6 minutes after getting a cut, the bleeding will stop by itself. The blood will clot, the bleeding will stop, and the cut will be sealed.

In such cases—the vast majority—there is nothing much to do unless the cut is severe and bleeding is excessive. Some people, however, bleed for a longer time, because the blood does not cooperate and clot quickly enough. When a person continues to bleed, it basically means that the blood is too thin. Although the problem usually has a relatively simple and benign cause, failure of the blood to clot—or gums, cuts, or wounds that start to bleed—may also be an early sign of blood cancer, leukemia, or hemophilia purpura, a pitta disorder that causes profuse bleeding under the skin.