The plant grows throughout colder northern climates from North America to Asia and is particularly popular in Europe for treating urinary tract inflammation. Official physician handbooks in the United States listed uva ursi as a urinary antiseptic for a century up until the 1920s.

The antiseptic compound in uva ursi is arbutin, which the body converts into a substance with proven astringent and bacteria-killing powers called hydroquinone. Interestingly, arbutin taken alone is not as effective as the whole uva ursi plant in controlling urinary tract infections. That's because intestinal bacteria can break down arbutin, but they are less likely to do so in the presence of other uva ursi compounds.