"Tea is nothing other than this: Heat the water, prepare the tea and drink it with propriety. That is all you need to know."
- Sen Rikyu, 16th Century Oriental Tea Master

Uva Ursi Tea Benefits have been acknowledged by herbal practitioners for a long time now.

Also known as bearberry (due to its berries being favorite of bears), uva ursi is a shrub with rooting branches and white, pink-flushed flowers. It is usually 4 to 6 inches high. Uva Ursi has glossy, spherical, red fruits.

The beneficial parts of the uva ursi herb are the leaves and the stem fragments. Active constituents of the uva ursi herb are phenolic glycoside or arbutin (which is a powerful astringent with antiseptic properties), as well as hydroquinone derivatives (which is a powerful anti-microbial agent) and tannins, hyperoside, monotropein and triterpenes.

• Uva Ursi Tea is used to treat urinary tract infection and vaginitis. Uva Ursi releases polysaccharides that keep bacteria in the bladder and urethra lining, thus allowing the microorganisms to get flushed out by urine. Greater effectivity is noted when the urine is alkaline (i.e. diet largely composed of plant food, as opposed to largely animal food).

• Uva Ursi Tea may also be used to treat kidney infections, accumulation of uric acid, and kidney stones.

• Uva Ursi Tea may be used in the treatment of bronchitis and nephritis.

• Uva Ursi Tea has been used to treat back pains.

• Uva Ursi Tea has been used to treat cystitis, dysuria, pyelitis and lithuria.