Is It Ok to Drink Tea With a UTI & What Tea Is Good for UTIs?

Written by

Jessica Guht

Jessica is a medical writer with an unquenched thirst to discover something new. She believes that medical content should be accessible to everyone and strives to write content that every single person can understand. When Jessica isn’t writing, she can usually be found reading a book with a dog cuddled in her lap. Jessica has a Masters of Engineering degree in Biomedical Engineering.

Medically reviewed by

Amy Dougherty, FNP-BC, AGAC

Amy is a Board Certified Family Health Nurse Practitioner (FNP) with over 15 years of experience working in Hospital Medicine, Urgent Care and Primary Care practices. Amy graduated Thomas Jefferson University with high distinction earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2008, a Master of Science in Nursing in 2010 and a Post Master's Certificate in Adult Gerontology Acute Care (AGAC) in 2014. She was recognized by the Elite American Nurses Association in 2013 for her dedication, achievements and leadership in the field Nursing. She served as a clinical preceptor for a number of Nurse Practitioner students and enjoys teaching the bright minds of future NPs.

A urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common type of bacterial infection that an estimated 150 million people contract each year. Bacteria such as E.coli are usually to blame for causing UTIs, but it’s not the only type of infectious bacteria to cause issues. Virtually anyone can develop a UTI and it can affect any part of the urinary system including the urethra, bladder, ureters, and kidneys.

While symptoms can range from mildly inconvenient to fairly painful, the majority of UTIs can be resolved without using antibiotics. However, there are natural herbs and remedies that can help to prevent or even treat mild UTIs. This includes tea.

Table of Contents

• Can You Drink Tea With a UTI?
• Can Drinking Tea Cause a Urinary Infection or Make It Worse?
• Is Tea Good for a UTI and Can It Help Treat UTIs?
• What Are the Best Teas for UTIs?
• Key Takeaways

Can You Drink Tea With a UTI?

If you’re looking for a quick way to get rid of a UTI, then it can be helpful to complement your medication with some type of tea to help speed up the process. Herbal tea can be a good way to promote faster recovery thanks to its antibacterial and antimicrobial properties.

Certain types of tea can be a good way to naturally prevent or treat a mild UTI. However, it’s usually recommended to avoid any kind of drink that has a high caffeine content. As such, it’s usually best to avoid black teas.

Can Drinking Tea Cause a Urinary Infection or Make It Worse?

This is usually the case if there is a high caffeine content in the tea. Caffeine is known to cause bladder irritation and could potentially worse bladder infection symptoms. As such, we’d highly recommend staying away from typical black tea and choosing other types of tea, such as green tea, to prevent this from happening.

Your doctor can prescribe you effective medicine for urinary tract infections, but it’s never a bad idea to complement the medication with a low-caffeine tea that can help to relieve symptoms and keep your system healthy.

Is Tea Good for a UTI and Can It Help Treat UTIs?

Tea can be good for preventing and treating UTIs. This is because green tea contains a natural antioxidant known as epigallocatechin (EGCG). This makes it one of the most effective natural antibiotics which is helpful for preventing and treating a UTI.

The use of tea for urinary tract infections is widespread and has been practiced for many years. While green tea is the most popular, there are other types of teas that can help alleviate symptoms and flush out bad bacteria from your urinary tract.

What Are the Best Teas for UTIs?

1. Green Tea

Studies have shown that drinking green tea for urinary tract infections can be a good way to help alleviate symptoms. The antioxidants found in green tea can help deal with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, making it a great complement to traditional medication.

Green tea is widely available and can be bought in tea bags, as loose leaves, or even in powder form.

2. Mint Tea

Peppermint has powerful antimicrobial properties, making it one of the best teas to help treat a mild UTI. It also contains antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties that help to kill bad bacteria.

Mint tea can easily be made with both tea bags and loose leaves. However, if you’re making it from fresh mint leaves, then it’s important to wash the mint thoroughly.

3. Parsley Tea

Parsley tea acts as a natural diuretic, meaning it can help to flush out excess sodium and water from your body. This helps flush out bad bacteria from your urinary tract, and it’s also rich in vitamin C and antioxidants which can help your body recover from the symptoms of a UTI.

Parsley tea is sold as tea bags, but you can also make it from fresh parsley by steeping it in hot water.

4. Chamomile Tea

Chamomile tea is a common tea that is rich in antioxidants. It also contains anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties that can help remove bad bacteria from your body while also relieving pain that is caused by a UTI.

Chamomile tea usually comes in tea bags, but you can also purchase it as a loose-leaf tea.

5. Cranberry Tea

Cranberries contain antioxidants like polyphenols that have both antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. You can drink herbal tea that contains cranberry extract, but make sure it doesn’t contain high amounts of sugar.

Cranberry tea can be prepared like any other tea. It usually comes in tea bags, but you can also use packaged cranberries together with a low-caffeine tea such as green tea. This helps you get the positive benefits of both green tea and cranberry tea.

FAQ

Key Takeaways

• Learning what to eat and what to avoid can help you speed up your recovery from a UTI.
• You can drink tea for urinary tract infections, but it must be low in caffeine.
• The best tea for UTI would be green tea.
• Regularly drinking low-caffeine tea can not only prevent a UTI, but it can also prevent it.
• The best strategy for treating a UTI is to use tea as a preventative measure while taking antibiotics.

Sources:

• R.Krishnaveni, K.Senthilkannan, V.Eeugin Amala, R.Ranadevan, Sophya Helen Mary. A, Lakshmi Kannan, A.Munikumari, G.Sowndarya, Antimicrobial Activity of Medicinal Plants Such As Green Tea (Camellia Sinensis), Illavangam (Cinnamomum Verum) And Pomegranate (Punica Granatum) Used Against UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) Causing Pathogenes,  The International journal of analytical and experimental modal analysis Volume XI, Issue VIII, August/2019 ISSN NO: 0886-9367. Available from: http://ijaema.com/gallery/251-august-2340.pdf. 
• Giri, K., Shrestha, B. K., Shakya, J., Sah, S. N., & Khanal, H. (2020). Antibacterial effect of green tea extract against multi drug resistant Escherichia coli isolated from urine sample of patients visiting tertiary care hospital of Eastern Nepal. International Journal of Applied Sciences and Biotechnology, 8(1), 45–51. https://doi.org/10.3126/ijasbt.v8i1.27313.
• Robin DiPasquale (2008) Effective Use of Herbal Medicine in Urinary Tract Infections, Journal of Dietary Supplements, 5:3, 219-228, DOI: 10.1080/19390210802414220.
• Bushra Hindi Saleh, Reem Naem Ibrahim , Hamssa E. Abdul-Wahed and Zaina T. Salih, Study Ofthe Antibacterialactivity of Green Tea Leaves Camellia Sinensis Ethanolic Extractagainst Different Pathogenic Bacteria Isolated From Urinary Tract Infections, Plant Archives Vol. 20 Supplement 1, 2020 pp. 1077-1084 e-ISSN:2581-6063 (online),ISSN:0972-5210. Available from: http://www.plantarchives.org/SPECIAL%20ISSUE%2020-1/1077-1084%20(436).pdf. 
• Wanda Reygaert, Ilir Jusufi, Front. Microbiol.Green tea as an effective antimicrobial for urinary tract infections caused by Escherichia coli , 18 June 2013 Sec. Food Microbiology. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2013.00162.
• Das S. Natural therapeutics for urinary tract infections-a review. Futur J Pharm Sci. 2020;6(1):64. doi: https://www.doi.org/10.1186/s43094-020-00086-2 . Epub 2020 Sep 18. PMID: 33215041; PMCID: PMC7498302.