Nocturnal enuresis: 13 segulot, prayers, and advice

With the help of God, there are several known segulot for the problem of nocturnal enuresis (Enuresis) in children who should no longer be wetting the bed.

However, I must anticipate that, in parallel with the practices, if there is suspicion of medical problems (such as type 1 diabetes), it is also necessary to seek medical treatment (and, as far as I know, a child who wets the bed only at night and not during the day, this is not really a medical problem, but, of course, this should be verified with a urologist).

In any case, it is important to emphasize that parents should not take the matter to heart, as the child perceives that the topic greatly disturbs the mother or the father, or both, and subconsciously this gives them motivation to continue with the problem, as it gives them a good feeling of how the parents are connected to them and how they care about them. Parents should not be alarmed by the problem of enuresis and should be completely optimistic that, with age, the problem will be resolved and is a temporary issue (and this is an accepted reality from a medical standpoint, that even a child who wets the bed until a later age will eventually overcome it in a few years, and it is very, very rare for this problem to persist after adolescence, and there is no reason to worry), therefore, even if they strive through segulot and prayers and even through medical treatment, everything should be done in a calm and serene manner, without any concern.

And now, we propose here the segulot and advice mentioned in the books on the subject of a child or adolescent who wets the bed (and it is not necessary to try more than one or two segulot/advice at a time!!), and in any case, these are:

Advice and natural remedies against nocturnal enuresis, from the sacred books:

The gaon Rabbi Israel Yaakov Kanievsky zt”l (the “Steipler”, author of “Kehilot Yaakov”), wrote in his notebook a natural remedy for the problem of nocturnal enuresis, and said: “With the help of Hashem, a cure for enuresis, and Rabbi Aharon Horowitz shlit”a testified that it was very effective.” Drink milk with five large tablespoons, well mixed with a teaspoon of baking soda (to drink), and drink before sleeping for thirty consecutive days. And [after taking the aforementioned] do not eat or drink until bedtime. So it is written. [This mixture may not be very pleasant to the young person’s taste, but it seems there is no restriction on adding other products to improve the tonic’s flavor, such as preparing it with “chocolate” instead of regular “milk”]. And then Steipler wrote that, in addition to the mentioned treatment, we should also be careful with another piece of advice against moisture, namely: “And one should be careful not to drink [water or any other beverage] in the two hours before sleeping.” Thus he wrote[1].

The Rebbe of Munkatch, of blessed memory, wrote that he received from his teachers that anyone who wets the bed at night should strive to do the following for a period (and after this period, they will be cured and will no longer need to worry about it): after lunch (at the latest by 2:00 PM), they should not drink any beverages (not even soup) until going to bed at night. And you can eat whatever you want, and the main thing is not to drink (and you should try not to eat salty things and the like to avoid thirst). And if you do this, you won’t drink anything at night, and after persisting in this for a period, your temperament will change and you will be cured, and you will be able to drink like anyone else, if God wills it.

Whoever wets the bed at night should drink boiled almond milk for a month. But, of course, it is not recommended too close to bedtime and vice versa.

Additionally, for those who wet the bed at night: raise the bed slightly at the foot area, so that the groin region is a bit higher than the head. Of course, care must be taken to do it in a way that does not pose a risk to the child’s health.

From the Kabbalist Rabbi Refael Ohana, may God have him in His glory, for those who wet the bed: take nutmeg, grind it well, mix it with wine, and drink it (it is worth noting that, from a health perspective, it is not recommended to consume more than a teaspoon of nutmeg per day, therefore, the above advice is in a very small quantity, and wine for children is not recommended, except for a few drops). And he also brought there less practical secrets, as mentioned.

For those who wet the bed, there are several recommendations from the book Shimush Tehilim[6]: grind onions, cook them in water, and drink that water for fifty consecutive days, morning and evening.

A spoonful of honey before bed can help against nocturnal enuresis.

Segulot for those who wet the bed at night:

Another solution that is easy to apply by oneself, but a bit difficult in terms of obtaining the necessary material, but I will write it anyway: in the writings of practical Kabbalah, it was written for the boy who wets the bed to place the tongue of a goose under the pillow, and it was written that it is proven to be effective. [The difficulty, of course, is obtaining the goose tongue, but those who have contact with kosher meat butchers can ask them to get one for them, since certain slaughterhouses slaughter geese for those who follow the regular kosher diet, and here, since it is only to be placed under the pillow and not to be eaten, there is no restriction even for those who follow a strict kosher diet].

Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, may God bless him, recommended for a child who wets the bed, that his father study in the Gemara, tractate Chulin, chapter “Ha’or VaHarotev”.

Segulot for nocturnal enuresis, related to the consumption of a drink with ashes:

There are many segulot for nocturnal enuresis, which specifically involve the ingestion of a drink with ashes (as there is apparently a spiritual power in the ashes that is beneficial for this problem), and although these segulot are not so easy to apply, due to their importance, I will transcribe some of them:

In the book “Sefer HaPeulot” by Rabennu Chaim Vital (the main disciple of Arizal Hakadosh ” (Z”L) [10], a remedy for those who “wet the bed” was brought: one should cut the part of the clothing that was urinated on (it seems this should be done after washing, due to the prohibition of “not abominating”), burn it in fire, and place the ashes in a glass of wine [in Rabennu Chaim Vital’s manuscript, it is not clear that the glass should be of wine, but in Sefer HaZechira and also the Kabbalist Mohar”r Refael Ohana (Z”L) [11] wrote to mix with wine, and the elders of Morocco used to say that if the child is still too young to drink wine, the mentioned ashes can also be mixed in a glass of tea or honey [12]], and then the young one will drink this wine and will be healed with the help of G-d.

Solution for those who wet the bed, from the great rabbi Rabbenu Chaim Falaggi ZT”L[13]: Take an apple, roast it over the fire until it is slightly charred on the outside, but the apple itself is still edible. Then, remove the charred part of the apple and mix it with wine. Next, place the apple itself into that wine and eat the apple with the wine sauce.

Take a fish that is inside another fish, burn it, mix the ashes with water, and drink.

And it is advisable and appropriate that the child and their parents take upon themselves, without a vote, the commitment to always recite the blessing “Asher Yatzar” with concentration and aloud. And see what we wrote about this, if G-d wills, in the article on the general qualities for healing.

Prayer for a child or teenager who wets the bed:

We do not find a special prayer for enuresis in the books, but one can definitely use the prayer that our venerable Rabbi Yosef Chaim, may peace be upon him, composed in his book “Lashon Chachamim,” and he should first study some “kal vachomer” mentioned in the Talmud (like the one we brought here) and then say the following:

יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, שֶׁתַּעֲשֶׂה לְמַעַן רַחֲמֶיךָ וַחֲסָדֶיךָ, וּלְמַעַן לִמּוּד קַל וָחֹמֶר אֲשֶׁר אָמַרְתִּי, וּלְמַעַן מִדַּת “אֵל” שֶׁהִיא מִדָּה רִאשׁוֹנָה מִשָּׁלֹשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה מִדּוֹת רַחֲמִים, וּלְמַעַן תְּפִלַּת מֹשֶׁה עֲבָדֶךָ שֶׁהִתְפַּלֵּל וְאָמַר לְפָנֶיךָ: אֵל נָא רְפָא נָא לָהּ, וּלְמַעַן סוֹד הַתְּפִלָּה הַזֹּאת וְשֵׁמוֹת הַקּוֹדֶשׁ הָרְמוּזִים בָּהּ וּמְצֹרָפִים בָּהּ, שֶׁתָּחוּס וְתַחְמֹל וּתְרַחֵם עַל עַבְדְּךָ (פלוני בן פלוני) וּתְרַפְּאֵהוּ רְפוּאָה שְׁלֵמָה רְפוּאַת הַנֶּפֶשׁ וּרְפוּאַת הַגּוּף, שֶׁלֹּא יַטִּיל עוֹד מֵי רַגְלַיִם בִּהְיוֹתוֹ רָדוּם, אֶלָּא יִתְרַפֵּא וְיִהְיֶה כְּכָל אָדָם שֶׁמַּטִּיל מַיִם רַק בְּהָקִיץ וּמֵרְצוֹנוֹ, כִּי אֵל רוֹפֵא רַחֲמָן וְנֶאֱמָן אַתָּה. יִהְיוּ לְרָצוֹן אִמְרֵי פִי וְהֶגְיוֹן לִבִּי לְפָנֶיךָ יְיָ צוּרִי וְגֹאֲלִי.

May it be Your will, our Lord God and God of our ancestors, that, because of Your mercies and kindness, and because of the light and heavy learning that I have mentioned, and because of the measure “El,” which is the first of the thirteen measures of mercy, and because of the prayer of Moses, Your servant, who prayed and said before You: “O God, please heal her,” and because of the secret of this prayer and the sacred names that are implicit in it and that are associated with it, that You have compassion, mercy, and pity for Your servant (So-and-so son of So-and-so) and heal him with a complete healing, healing of the soul and healing of the body, so that he will no longer urinate while sleeping, but will be healed and be like any person who only urinates when awake and of their own free will, for You are a merciful and faithful God. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable before You, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

To prevent the problem of nocturnal enuresis in children:

In the memoir (of Rabbi Zecharia Simner, may God have him in His glory – printed in Hamburg in the year 5759), he wrote that the problem of nocturnal enuresis in older children arises from the fact that the parents were in contact (in a clean manner) at the moment they needed to relieve themselves [in the bathroom]. Therefore, parents must ensure this, and thus avoid all this pain for their children.

May it be the will that there is a complete cure soon, if God wills it.

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