Chimaphila umbellata
| Pipsissewa Chimaphila umbellata |
Pipsissewa - Chimaphila umbellata (in the Ericaceae or Heath family)
Part used: Leaf.
Taste/smell: Astringent.
Tendencies: Cooling, drying.
Dosage: Decoction: 1 tablespoon per cup of water; or 1:1.3 fresh + dry liquid extract: 10-60 drops 1-4 times per day.
Mental picture and specific indications: Pipsissewa is indicated for chronic genitourinary tract catarrh with lymphatic congestion. Symptoms are worse from damp weather, sitting on cold surfaces, and worse on the left side of the body.
Use: (a) Mild lymphatic stimulant, (b) Diuretic, (c) Urinary tract antiseptic.
It is used for scanty, painful urination with mucus. It increases renal circulation and stimulates tubular function. It is used in atonic chronic conditions and infectious conditions with catarrh and stagnant lymph system, rheumatism, prostatitis and BPH. <
It contains about 7.5% arbutin, an antiseptic that is hydrolyzed in gastric fluid to hydroquinone. In alkaline urine, hydroquinone is an effective antimicrobial and contributes to the antiseptic activity in the urinary tract.
Contraindications: Pepsissewa is contraindicated in pregnancy.