Nearly half of all women will have at least one urinary tract infection (UTI) during their lifetime. But a combination of beetroot and onion extracts may help combat this challenge, according to a recent study.
In the South Asian Research Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, a team of researchers showed that the combination of beetroot and onions in varying ratios can be used to treat Candida albicans. The report said that Candida albicans is particularly susceptible to the effects of antifungal medications and beet and onion extracts (Nystatin, Miconazole Nitrate, and Clotremazole). The antifungals nystatin, miconazol, and clotremazol, as well as beetroot and onion, demonstrated the best efficacy against Candida albicans at 95/5, 50/50, and 75/25, respectively.
Candida albicans is yeast that commonly lives in or on our bodies. It can be found in the gastrointestinal tract, the mouth, and the vagina. Small amounts of Candida albicans are often harmless, but overgrowth may trigger an infection known as candidiasis. Candida species are the most common cause of fungal urinary tract infections (UTIs). Many people with a Candida UTI don’t have symptoms. If symptoms are present, they can include an increased need to urinate, a painful or burning sensation when urinating, abdominal or pelvic pain, and blood in the urine. On the other hand, it has a high fatality rate of roughly 30 percent and produces life-threatening, systemic infections in very ill individuals. Systemic Candida infections can occur in HIV-positive individuals, transplant recipients, chemotherapy patients, and low-birth-weight infants.
The study’s aim was to identify the total active ingredient in onions and beets and the antioxidant capacity of crude onion extracts; assess the efficacy of onions and beets against candida; and examine the synergistic effects of onions and beets.
For the study, the researchers made a mixture of beetroot and onion in varying ratios, as well as fungal and bacterial cultures for testing. Various procedures, including hot water, were utilised to extract the active components. Hot alcohol was used to extract the components that were the most active.
The study found that beetroot and onion water extracts, followed by beetroot water extract and onion water extract, had the greatest synergistic action when nystatin and the beetroot and onion extracts were diluted in equal proportions.
Furthermore, the maximum level of synergistic activity was discovered by diluting beetroot and onion water extract with Nystatin at a ratio of 95:05, with beetroot water extract coming in second. Finally, the beet and onion extracts have the highest synergistic effect with Nystatin. Nystatin, miconazol, and clotremazol are antifungals used conventionally to treat Candida albicans, a common cause of urinary tract infection.
In addition, when beet and onion extracts are combined with Miconazole nitrate, another conventional antifungal used in the treatment of Candida albicans, it has the most synergistic activity, followed by beet water extract and onion water extract. When clotremazole and beet onion water extract were diluted in equal amounts, the results revealed that beet onion water extract had the strongest synergistic action when compared to other extracts.
Beetroot possesses many health-promoting qualities and is a nutritional source. It is noteworthy that most recent studies on beetroot supplementation, especially those addressing its hypotensive (blood pressure-lowering) and ergogenic (performance-enhancing) properties, emphasised the critical role of inorganic NO3 on the clinical effects of this vegetable and its byproducts.
Commonly, thiosulfinates, a volatile sulphur-containing molecule that gives onions their distinctive flavour, scent and strong eye irritants and causes tearing and burning sensations, have been blamed for the biological impacts of onions.
However, the researchers said that the bioactive components of beet and onion extracts support their use by traditional healers to treat particular diseases, although their required dosage and purification are still challenging. In other studies, researchers found that hyssop and tiger nut contain chemical substances that can relieve urinary tract infections.
Overall results of the 2022 study, published in the journal Molecules, suggest that Oroxindin, a chemical substance extracted from hyssop, can effectively kill off Klebsiella pneumoniae and P. mirabilis, germs that cause urinary tract infections.
The study of its alcohol and water extracts, as well as microbiology studies, revealed that Oroxindin, hyssop’s flavone component, is a potent inhibitor of UTI-causing pathogens K. pneumoniae and P. mirabilis in humans in a dose-dependent fashion. The researchers suggested that hyssop was able to kill the germs that cause UTIs through two basic pathways: directly killing the germ or preventing the germs from adhering to the cells that form the walls of the urinary tract.
Recently, herbal medicines such as turmeric and its bioactive molecule curcumin, cashew leaf, and corn silk tea have been shown to improve the symptoms of chronic UTIs, protect renal tubular function, and reduce inflammatory responses.
In the Journal of Agroalimentary Processes and Technologies, researchers said that tiger nuts should be consumed more to prevent and treat UTIs. The susceptibility of these disease-causing germs to the tiger nut extract was comparable to that of gentamicin, a common antibiotic.
In addition, researchers found extracts of cashew leaves are able to kill germs that cause urinary tract infections, like Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. The 2019 study was in the Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research.
Moreover, diet is important in treating UTIs. It supports the body’s immune system, reduces irritation in the healing process, and helps the body shed bacteria. For instance, garlic is a potent remedy for UTIs. It has a variety of antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and immune-modulatory effects. Also, eating cucumber throughout the day will encourage urine production to flush out harmful bacteria from the bladder and urethra.
