Bedwetting

Fortunately, bedwetting can often be remedied with an herbal tincture. Studies have shown that Saint-John's-wort and oats help the nervous system to control the bladder. Likewise, corn silk and plantain leaf (which is used in many Chinese herbal formulas to treat urinary problems) have been shown to improve the urinary tract muscles that control the bladder. Be patient; it may take several weeks before you see results, but this formula usually works! Do not give your child any liquids, including herb tea, for three hours before bedtime, since this can encourage bedwetting. If your child seems to be overly tense or anxious, or if he gets upset about wetting the bed, some Calming Tea (see chapter 95) will help relax him. Since these herbs lose much of their potency when dried, use a tincture that has been prepared from fresh plants.

My friend Mary was surprised when her 11-year-old son, Bobby, started wetting the bed?a problem he had never had before. As you can imagine, Bobby was terribly embarrassed, and he was eager to try any concoction his mother came up with, as long as there was any chance it might help. Mary had made her own Saint-John's-wort tincture and had purchased a tincture of fresh oats, but she was unable to find a corn silk tincture. I suggested that she buy some fresh, organically grown corn (corn not grown organically generally has pesticides clinging to the silk) and make her own tincture. Meanwhile, Mary started Bobby on the Saint-John's-wort and oats tincture. At first, he still wet the bed every night, but after a week, he awoke to a dry bed. The newly finished corn silk tincture was added, and there continued to be fewer and fewer bedwetting episodes. After about a month of taking the tincture, Bobby completely stopped wetting his bed. Mary continued the treatment for a few more days, just to be sure. Bobby has had a dry bed ever since.

Dry Bed Tincture

Equal parts tinctures of Saint-John's-wort tops, fresh oat berries, corn silk and plantain leaves

Combine tinctures in a bottle. For a 50-pound child, give 15 drops (¼ dropperful) 3 times a day. Before or after meals is an easy time to remember.

Another bedwetting treatment is aloe vera juice. Researchers in Russia found that almost all the children in their study not only stopped wetting their beds when they were given aloe, but also became noticeably less irritable. The few who continued to wet the bed did so much less frequently. Mix aloe juice with an equal amount of the child's favorite fruit juice. But don't overdo it?I suggest one-half to one cup a day.

Bedwetting is occasionally caused by a bladder infection. If this is the cause, your child will probably com-plain of discomfort and burning while urinating. If you suspect that your child may have an infection, have your pediatrician examine him so that a kidney infection or other serious disorder can be ruled out. For more information, see chapter 48, and don't forget to adjust the proportions according to Clark's Rule.