I Have an 88-Year-Old Mother Who Developed Urinary Retention – I Treated Her with a Natural Remedy: Wheat
I have an 88-year-old mother who recently started experiencing urinary problems. We live in a rural area where access to medical care is limited. My mother is elderly, frail, and has difficulty walking. She’s not willing to see a doctor, no matter how much I try to convince her. That’s why I had to take things into my own hands and look for alternative treatments. Like many in our villages, I turned to traditional, folk medicine.
Through my own research and from listening to the wisdom of our elders, I discovered a fascinating and simple natural remedy: wheat. It turns out that wheat can be very helpful for people suffering from urinary retention—a condition where urine production is minimal or absent, even though the person feels the urge to urinate.
In my mother’s case, her condition was becoming more severe. She was barely able to urinate. It was deeply concerning. So, I prepared a homemade remedy from wheat that, to my surprise, had remarkable results.
The Recipe: How to Prepare the Wheat Decoction
The preparation is very simple and uses ingredients that are easily found in any household:
Take half a glass of wheat grains.
Pour 1 liter of water over the grains.
Boil the mixture for 5 to 7 minutes.
Let the decoction cool down.
Once it’s cool, you can drink it without any strict dosage. In the beginning, I gave it to my mother frequently—every 10 minutes or so. After a short while, once the symptoms began to improve, I reduced the frequency. Now she drinks it whenever she feels the need.
To be completely honest, I don’t strictly follow the measurements anymore. I’ve been relying on intuition and visual estimation, and it still works beautifully. The results speak for themselves. The best part is that this natural remedy doesn’t have side effects or harm the body, especially compared to some pharmaceuticals.
In addition to the decoction, I also make sure my mother eats wheat-based foods regularly—especially traditional wheat porridges like korkoti and tsandili (local dishes made from cracked or boiled wheat). These help nourish the body and, I believe, support urinary and kidney health overall.
A Historical and Medical Perspective on Wheat
Wheat has been cultivated and used in Georgia since ancient times. In fact, it is one of the most revered grains in Georgian agricultural and cultural history. The old Georgian word for wheat is “ifqili”, a term frequently found in ancient Georgian medical manuscripts.
Historically, wheat was not only a staple food but also a valuable medicinal plant. According to traditional medical texts, the most widely used part of wheat for healing was its starch. Wheat starch was included in various herbal remedies and used especially for coughs, gastrointestinal issues, and even skin inflammations.
In old Georgian herbal compendiums (karabadinis), we find statements such as:
“Let us first mention wheat, which is the greatest and the king of all seeds. The starch of wheat is good for breast pain, coughing, and phlegm.”
Another passage reads:
“The proper porridge of wheat increases the clarity of eyesight, improves facial complexion, and removes excess fluids and bile. If chewed on an empty stomach and placed on a swelling, it will dissolve the swelling instantly.”
These quotes show that wheat was believed to have anti-inflammatory, cleansing, and nourishing properties, both when consumed and when used externally.
What Modern Medicine Says
Modern medical understanding somewhat supports these traditional beliefs. Wheat contains:
B vitamins
Proteins
Starch
Cellulose (dietary fiber)
From a medical standpoint, these compounds are known to support digestive health, energy metabolism, and even the function of the kidneys and liver. Traditional Georgian medicine has long claimed that wheat decoctions stimulate the secretory and excretory functions of organs, especially the kidneys.
In some cases, wheat decoctions have even been used to help increase breast milk production in nursing mothers. This shows its capacity to enhance the body’s natural fluid secretion processes.
That being said, it is important to approach these remedies with care and medical context. While wheat decoctions may stimulate kidney function, not all cases of urinary retention are caused by weak kidneys.
A Word of Caution: Know the Cause of Urinary Retention
Medical professionals warn that urinary retention—especially in men—is often related to prostate issues, such as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or prostate inflammation. In such cases, increasing kidney output can worsen the patient’s condition if the real issue is a blockage in the urinary tract, rather than kidney underfunction.
Therefore, wheat decoctions should be used specifically in cases of kidney-related oliguria—that is, a reduction in urine output due to decreased kidney function. If the urinary issue is caused by an obstruction (e.g., prostate enlargement, urethral stricture), pushing the kidneys to produce more urine might lead to discomfort or even medical emergencies.
In my mother’s case, I carefully observed that there were no signs of pain, fever, or urinary blockage. It seemed her kidneys had simply slowed down, likely due to age and overall frailty. That’s why I felt safe giving her the wheat decoction—and it worked beautifully.
Conclusion: Trust Nature, But Stay Informed
I’m not a doctor, and I don’t claim that wheat is a miracle cure for all urinary issues. But in this particular situation, it helped my elderly mother immensely, and I’m grateful for the knowledge passed down through generations.
This experience has reminded me of the power of nature and the importance of preserving our folk traditions. Sometimes, the solution to a health problem can be found not in expensive pharmaceuticals, but in the most humble grains that have been feeding us for centuries.
Still, I would advise anyone dealing with urinary retention or other serious health issues to consult a medical professional whenever possible. Traditional remedies can be very effective, but knowing the underlying cause is critical.
Wheat, in this case, worked not just as food, but as medicine—and I believe there is still much we can learn from the wisdom of the past.
