Uva Ursi

Pronunciation: OO-vah UR-see.

Generic name
bearberry leaf (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)
Drug class
Herbal/traditional-use urinary antiseptic (not a conventionally-approved drug class)
Form
Herbal tea, liquid extract/tincture, capsules, or tablets, standardised (where standardised) to a daily hydroquinone-derivatives-as-arbutin content
Route
Oral (dried leaf tea, tincture, capsule, or tablet preparations)
Legal status
Herbal/traditional-use product or dietary supplement, not a prescription or FDA/TGA/Medsafe-approved conventional medicine in any of the 6 markets reviewed; sold as a traditional herbal medicine under a 'traditional use' registration in the EU/UK

Availability and supply rules vary by country

Trade names by country: United States

Australia: · Full directory

What bearberry leaf (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) is and how it works

Uva ursi (bearberry leaf) is an herbal preparation traditionally used for mild, recurrent lower urinary tract infection symptoms such as burning on urination or needing to urinate frequently. It is not an FDA/EMA/TGA-approved conventional drug in any of the 6 markets reviewed for this dossier -- in the EU and UK it holds a 'traditional use' herbal registration (based on long-standing traditional use rather than clinical efficacy trials), and elsewhere it is generally sold as a dietary supplement or natural health product. (1)

Uva ursi is intended only for short-course, self-limited use -- current EU/HMPC guidance limits it to no more than about a week at a time, in adult women only, because of a genuine (though modest, dose-dependent) safety concern linked to its arbutin/hydroquinone content with sustained heavy exposure. It is not a substitute for medical assessment of a urinary tract infection, and should not be used continuously or as a first response to fever, back pain, or blood in the urine -- see a doctor for those symptoms.

Mechanism of action: how bearberry leaf (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) works

Arbutin, uva ursi's principal active constituent, is hydrolysed in the body (partly in the gut, partly after renal excretion) to hydroquinone, which is concentrated in alkaline urine and is thought to exert local antiseptic/anti-adhesive activity in the urinary tract. Efficacy evidence for this traditional use is based on long-standing use and plausibility rather than modern randomised controlled trials, which is why the EU/UK registration is a 'traditional use' registration rather than a well-established-use or full marketing authorisation. (1) (3) (4)

What bearberry leaf (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) is used for

Mild, recurrent lower urinary tract infection symptoms (traditional use)

Traditionally used, and registered in the EU/UK on this traditional-use basis, to relieve symptoms of mild, recurrent lower urinary tract infection such as a burning sensation when passing urine and/or needing to urinate frequently, in adult women, once more serious causes have been excluded by a doctor. (1)

Before taking bearberry leaf (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)

Do not take / not appropriate for

  • Do not take uva ursi if you have a kidney disorder -- this is a specific contraindication in the EU/UK traditional-use monograph. (all countries) (1)
  • Do not take uva ursi if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or a child -- traditional/herbal-medicine sources reviewed describe it as unsuitable for these groups. (all countries) (1)
  • Do not use uva ursi for longer than about a week at a time, or use it as a substitute for medical assessment if you have fever, back/flank pain, or blood in your urine -- these need prompt medical review, not a self-treated herbal course. (all countries) (1)

Tell your clinician about

  • Any history of kidney problems or liver disease.
  • Whether you are pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or breastfeeding.
  • All other medicines and supplements you take, since interaction data for uva ursi is limited.
  • How long you have had urinary symptoms and whether you have fever, flank/back pain, or blood in your urine -- these need medical assessment rather than self-treatment.
(1)

How to take bearberry leaf (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)

  • Uva ursi is taken by mouth as a tea, tincture, or capsule/tablet product, generally standardised to deliver a daily amount of hydroquinone derivatives (calculated as anhydrous arbutin) around 420 mg in sources reviewed for this dossier.
  • Use for short courses only -- current EU/HMPC guidance is no more than about one week at a time -- rather than continuously.
  • If symptoms last more than about 4 days, or get worse, stop self-treating and see a doctor or pharmacist.
  • Follow the specific product label, since standardisation and recommended daily amounts vary between manufacturers and preparation types (tea vs. tincture vs. capsule).
(1)

Procedures and treatment changes

Tell the treating team before surgery, procedures, or any medicine change. Do not alter treatment without the responsible clinician. (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)

Missed dose

Because uva ursi is a short-course, self-care herbal product rather than a scheduled prescription medicine, there is no formal 'missed dose' instruction in the sources reviewed -- simply resume your usual short-course schedule, and do not double up. If you are unsure, ask a pharmacist.

Overdose

Seek medical attention or contact a poison control service if a large amount is taken at once, or if you develop nausea, vomiting, severe stomach pain, ringing in the ears, shortness of breath, seizures, or collapse. Very high hydroquinone exposure (well above recommended short-course herbal doses) has been associated with toxicity in the wider toxicology literature. (4)

Side effects

Side effects and their urgency vary; report severe, persistent, or concerning symptoms.

Nausea.

What to notice: Nausea.

What to do: Discuss persistent or troublesome symptoms with the treating clinician or pharmacist. (1)

Vomiting.

What to notice: Vomiting.

What to do: Discuss persistent or troublesome symptoms with the treating clinician or pharmacist. (1)

Stomach ache.

What to notice: Stomach ache.

What to do: Discuss persistent or troublesome symptoms with the treating clinician or pharmacist. (1)

Serious warnings

Symptoms that persist beyond about 4 days, or worsen, or are accompanied by fever, back/flank pain, or blood in the urine — high caution

Symptoms: Ongoing or worsening burning on urination, fever, flank or back pain, cloudy or blood-tinged urine.

Action: Stop self-treating with uva ursi and see a doctor promptly -- these can indicate a more serious infection (such as a kidney infection) that a short-course herbal product is not intended to treat. (1)

Use beyond the recommended short course, or use despite a kidney disorder — high caution

Symptoms: No specific symptom on its own, but represents use outside the evidence-based safety envelope for this product.

Action: Do not use uva ursi continuously or for repeated back-to-back courses, and do not use it at all if you have a kidney disorder -- discuss ongoing urinary symptoms with a doctor instead, given the genuine (dose- and duration-dependent) safety concern linked to its hydroquinone content. (1) (4)

Signs of a serious allergic reaction — emergency

Symptoms: Swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat; difficulty breathing; widespread rash or hives.

Action: Seek emergency medical help immediately. (1)

Interactions

  • Limited formal drug-interaction data exists for uva ursi. As a precaution, tell your clinician or pharmacist about all other medicines and supplements you take, particularly other products affecting the kidneys or urine acidity, since alkaline urine may reduce arbutin's antiseptic activity. (1)

Pregnancy, breastfeeding, kidney/liver function, age

Pregnancy

Not recommended -- traditional/herbal sources reviewed for this dossier describe uva ursi as unsuitable in pregnancy; discuss any urinary symptoms in pregnancy with a doctor rather than self-treating. (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)

Breastfeeding

Not recommended -- discuss with a doctor or pharmacist before use while breastfeeding. (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)

Children

Not recommended for children -- the EU/HMPC traditional-use basis is limited to adult women. (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)

Elderly

No specific age-based adjustment is described in the sources reviewed beyond the general adult-women-only, short-course, kidney-disorder-contraindicated framing; kidney function often declines with age, which is directly relevant to the kidney-disorder contraindication. (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)

Hepatic_impairment

Not specifically quantified in the sources reviewed for this dossier; LiverTox rates uva ursi as an unlikely cause of clinically apparent liver injury (likelihood score E), but discuss use with a clinician if you have known liver disease. (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)

Renal_impairment

Contraindicated -- current EU/HMPC guidance excludes people with kidney disorders from using uva ursi. (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)

Monitoring

Before starting

  • Confirmation that symptoms are genuinely mild and recurrent lower urinary tract symptoms, not signs of a more serious infection
  • Kidney function/history, since kidney disorders are a contraindication

During treatment

  • Self-monitor for symptom resolution within about 4 days; if not improving, or if fever/back pain/blood in urine develop, stop and see a doctor.
  • No routine laboratory monitoring is described in the traditional-use sources reviewed, consistent with its short-course, self-care positioning.
(1)

Storage

Store dried leaf, tincture, or tablet/capsule products as directed on the product label, typically at room temperature, protected from moisture and light, out of reach of children.

Professional information

Clinician-facing context only, sourced from the EU/HMPC traditional-use herbal monograph and the peer-reviewed hydroquinone risk-assessment literature reviewed for this dossier; this is a traditional-use herbal product, not a conventionally-approved drug, and no full prescribing information exists in any market reviewed.

European Union / United Kingdom

Indication: Mild, recurrent lower urinary tract infection symptoms (traditional use, adult women only)

Dose summary: Approximately 420 mg/day hydroquinone derivatives (as anhydrous arbutin), for no more than about 1 week per course.

Renal context: Contraindicated in kidney disorders. (1)

Mechanism of action

Hepatic guidance

LiverTox (US NIH) rates uva ursi as likelihood score E -- unlikely to cause clinically apparent liver injury -- with no convincing published case reports found in that review.

Overdose note

No specific antidote. High hydroquinone exposure (well above recommended short-course herbal doses) is described in the toxicology literature as potentially associated with gastrointestinal, neurological, and other toxicity; manage any suspected significant overdose with prompt medical/poison-control assessment. (1) (3) (4)

Frequently asked questions

Is uva ursi an FDA-approved medicine?

No. Uva ursi is not approved by the FDA, or by any of the other regulators reviewed for this dossier, as a conventional drug. In the EU and UK it holds a 'traditional use' herbal registration based on long-standing traditional use, and elsewhere (including the US) it is sold as a dietary supplement or natural health product without FDA/agency premarket efficacy review. (1) (2)

Can uva ursi damage my liver?

Based on LiverTox (a US National Institutes of Health clinical database), uva ursi is rated as an unlikely cause of clinically apparent liver injury, with no convincing published case reports found. The genuine, better-supported safety concern with uva ursi is not liver injury but its hydroquinone content, which is why it is recommended only for short courses (about a week at a time) rather than continuous long-term use. (3) (4)

Why can't I take uva ursi for longer than about a week?

Uva ursi's active constituent, arbutin, is converted in the body to hydroquinone. At the doses used for short, traditional-use courses, real-world exposure to free hydroquinone has been shown in a peer-reviewed risk assessment to stay below the estimated safety threshold, but sustained, high, long-term hydroquinone exposure carries a theoretical genotoxicity/carcinogenicity concern -- which is exactly why EU/HMPC guidance limits use to short courses rather than continuous daily use. (4) (1)

Is uva ursi banned in Australia?

Not as a blanket ban. Australia's TGA scheduling decision for arbutin (uva ursi's key constituent) created a Schedule 4 (prescription-only) entry for oral arbutin preparations above a stated threshold, but with an explicit exclusion for herbal preparations containing 500 mg or less of arbutin per recommended daily dose, plus a separate Schedule 6 entry for topical use. This is a concentration-based scheduling threshold, not a flat prohibition of the herb -- though this dossier could not independently re-verify the TGA's exact current wording via a live site fetch this session, so check current TGA guidance or a pharmacist for a specific product's status. (7)

What is the mechanism of action of bearberry leaf (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)?

Arbutin, uva ursi's principal active constituent, is hydrolysed in the body (partly in the gut, partly after renal excretion) to hydroquinone, which is concentrated in alkaline urine and is thought to exert local antiseptic/anti-adhesive activity in the urinary tract. Efficacy evidence for this traditional use is based on long-standing use and plausibility rather than modern randomised controlled trials, which is why the EU/UK registration is a 'traditional use' registration rather than a well-established-use or full marketing authorisation. (1) (3) (4)

What is the generic name of Uva Ursi?

The generic name is bearberry leaf (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi). (1) (2)

What class of drug is bearberry leaf (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)?

Uva Ursi is classed as: Herbal/traditional-use urinary antiseptic (not a conventionally-approved drug class). (1) (2)

References

  1. Uvae ursi folium (bearberry leaf) -- EMA herbal medicine summary for the public, and final EU herbal monograph (revision 2)European Medicines Agency (EMA), Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC) · European Union · accessed 2026-07-30 · source 1
  2. Uva ursi/bearberry US regulatory status -- dietary supplement (not an FDA-approved drug for any indication)US regulatory framework: Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) status, as reflected by FDA's general dietary-supplement oversight framework · United States · accessed 2026-07-30 · source 2
  3. Uva Ursi -- LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver InjuryLiverTox, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) / National Library of Medicine (NLM), U.S. National Institutes of Health · United States · accessed 2026-07-30 · source 3
  4. Risk Assessment of Free Hydroquinone Derived from Arctostaphylos Uva-ursi folium Herbal PreparationsPeer-reviewed pharmacology/toxicology risk assessment (Garcia de Arriba, Naser, Nolte, published in a peer-reviewed toxicology journal; frequently cited in EMA/HMPC assessment materials) · International (EU-referenced) · accessed 2026-07-30 · source 4
  5. Traditional Herbal Registration (THR) scheme -- regulatory framework for herbal medicines including bearberry/uva ursi productsMedicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), United Kingdom · United Kingdom · accessed 2026-07-30 · source 5
  6. Bearberry -- Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi (NHPID monograph, enabling Natural Product Number licensing)Health Canada, Natural Health Products Ingredients Database (NHPID) · Canada · accessed 2026-07-30 · source 6
  7. Arbutin -- TGA final scheduling decision (Schedule 4 oral entry with herbal-preparation exclusion threshold; Schedule 6 topical entry)Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), Australia -- Poisons Standard scheduling decisions · Australia · accessed 2026-07-30 · source 7
  8. Uva ursi/bearberry New Zealand status -- sold as a natural health product/dietary supplement, no dedicated Medsafe consumer medicine data sheet locatedMedsafe (New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority) · New Zealand · accessed 2026-07-30 · source 8

Brand names by country

Single-ingredient bearberry leaf (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) names are shown separately by country. Product availability, strengths, and supply rules can change; combination products are not included here.

Priority countries

United States

  • BulkSupplements.comBulkSupplements.com
  • TerraVita Premium CollectionTerraVita Premium Collection
  • TerraVitaTerraVita
View brands in additional countries.

This page provides general reference information about uva ursi (bearberry leaf), a traditional-use herbal product, and is not a substitute for advice from a doctor or pharmacist. It is not a conventionally-approved drug in any of the markets reviewed. All decisions about using it for urinary symptoms, especially if symptoms persist, worsen, or are accompanied by fever or back pain, should be made with a doctor or pharmacist.

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