Most urinary supplements target people who keep getting bladder infections (UTIs). Only cranberry has reasonable support, and only for some groups. No supplement treats an infection you already have.
The NHS advises getting medical help for a possible UTI if you:
- have a high or low temperature, or feel hot and shivery
- have pain low in your belly, or in your back just under the ribs
- see blood in your urine
- are a man, are pregnant, or the patient is a child aged 15 or under
Get emergency help if someone becomes confused or drowsy, or has trouble speaking.
- Cranberry. A 2023 Cochrane review of 50 trials found cranberry products lowered the risk of UTIs in women with repeat infections. It also helped children and people at risk after medical procedures. It found little or no benefit in older people in care homes, in pregnant women, or in people with bladder-emptying problems. Trials found no difference between low, moderate and high doses of proanthocyanidins (PACs), so no "best" dose is established. The NHS advises against cranberry if you take warfarin.
- D-mannose. A 2022 Cochrane review found little to no evidence either way. In 2024, a UK trial of 598 women with repeat UTIs found that 2 g a day did not reduce infections compared with a placebo.
- Probiotics (including L. rhamnosus GR-1 and L. reuteri RC-14). A 2015 Cochrane review found no clear benefit over placebo.
- Uva ursi (bearberry). The European Medicines Agency accepts it only as a traditional remedy, because trial evidence is insufficient. It says to use it only in adult women, for no more than one week, and not with kidney problems. In a 2021 trial, women given uva ursi instead of an antibiotic had more symptoms and more kidney infections.
- Buchu. We found no human clinical trials.
- Vitamin C. Two small studies found it did not make urine meaningfully more acidic.
- Claims to "cure", "flush out" or treat an active UTI.
- Advice to delay seeing a doctor or to skip antibiotics you were prescribed.
- Uva ursi sold for men or children, or for use longer than a week.
- A "clinically proven" PAC dose. No such dose has been shown.
- If you get repeat UTIs, discuss prevention with a doctor before buying anything.
- If you want to try a supplement, cranberry has the best evidence.
- Seek care if symptoms appear or get worse.
Sources: NHS, Urinary tract infections · Williams 2023, Cochrane cranberries · Cooper 2022, Cochrane D-mannose · Hayward 2024, D-mannose RCT · Schwenger 2015, Cochrane probiotics · EMA, bearberry leaf · Gágyor 2021, uva ursi RCT · Brendler 2022, buchu review · Castelló 1996, vitamin C · Nahata 1982, urinary acidifiers