Herbs to help with Kidney Stone

I am looking into herbs that help with kidney stones & would like to hear from others about this.

Seems pricey for a few seeds.

Chicory, fresh, dried or the dried roasted roots will work to dissolve and prevent kidney and gall stones. It removes excess uric acid from your system. Roasted chicory root is a good coffee substitute (coffee, black tea and sodas very acidic). One of the main reasons for the stones to develop is that your system is too acidic, you need more nutrients that will make your body more alkaline. I have a food chart that shows what foods to eat that will help balance your own body's ph. I have had friends with the stones and the chicory worked and kept them from having them again.

you might look into gravel root (Joe Pye Weed) and uva ursi, among others.

Joe Pye is diuretic so be careful to stay hydrated if you use it for stones.

Dianne Keast wrote:
I am looking into herbs that help with kidney stones & would like to hear from others about this.

Some of you are going to shudder, but I passed a kidney stone only using marijuana for pain.  It sucked, I don't recommend it.  I was in a bad place, life is better now, though still no insurance for me. 

Hibiscus (aka red tea, roselle, etc) is another herbal therapy for kidney stones that is also a diuretic. By increasing the flow of water through the kidneys, the concentration of oxalate and other stone forming substances is decreased, and instead of adding to the crystals in the kidneys, watery urine helps dissolve them. This process is not quick enough for most people, but hydration is very important for kidney stones.

A diet high in potassium, magnesium, citrates, and bicarbonates is also beneficial. There are several that fit the bill - DASH, alkaline, Mediterranean, raw foods, etc ... lots of fresh fruits and veggies

Some foods are naturally high in oxalate, and this risk can be reduced by consuming a bit of dairy with them. The calcium binds up the oxalate and very little is able to move from the gut to the bloodstream, so the kidneys have less to worry about. Some foods that are high in oxalate include spinach, sorrel, star-fruit, rhubarb, chocolate and tea.

Pakanohida wrote:
Some of you are going to shudder, but I passed a kidney stone only using marijuana for pain.  It sucked, I don't recommend it.  I was in a bad place, life is better now, though still no insurance for me. 

Oh, lucky you. I didn't get anything at all - mine passed while I was waiting to be seen. 

Marijuana is sometimes useful for chronic pain, but does little or nothing for acute pain. 

I think this tips heps you. Who get a kidney stone they have to take a lemon juice in daily which contain little amount of salt only, a three to four times in a day because it reduce the size of the kidney stone and take a large amount of the water in a day. And the doctor suggest to drink the green tea in your diet and coconut water it give great effect on it.

Chamomile tea or cornsilk tea can help dissolve uric acid crystal formations.  It may take a month or longer to dissolve even small stones.  Having adequate magnesium in the diet can help prevent stones from forming, esp. the calcium based ones.  High Vitamin C intake (esp. ascorbic acid) can lead to stones forming.  Oxalic acid stones can be dissolved sometimes with dandelion root capsules, taken several times a day for a month or longer.  After you are sure the stones are dissolved, flush debris from the bladder and kidney with uva ursi, but NOT UNTIL YOU ARE SURE stones are dissolved.  Otherwise you may end up in emergency surgery, as uva ursi dilates the duct and if there is a stone still there, it can flush into the duct and lodge there. 

So, thank you all for being here. 

Specifically my stones are made of oxalic acid. I've had the stones 5 times (4 left, 1 right) but now because I know to occasionally dose a bottle of gravel root or uviursi tincture this keeps the stones away but recently I found I was just poisoned with the acid and it was flooding my head.

I'm finding more about it every day.  It sucks more everyday...
No fresh dandelion, parsley, spinach or cabbage of course no sweet potatoes or rhubarb. 
just about vegan now (my only habit was some fresh cheese and yogurt and that in someone like me creates more oxalic acid) of course I've never been a pop drinker and now I have given up my drugga of choice...coffee!!! 
So what is left that is good for me?  I was so deficient in Magnesium because of this I thought I was going to die. I was actually starving as it effected my appetite and created a nasty bought of nausea.

Can you imagine if I was not careful about what I ate?  I've been veg for 16+ years.  Have not touched yeast in 13years (candida) and 80-90% of my kitchen is organic and/or local. 
I'm getting disgusted that I work hard to be healthy and spend the $ for clean nutritious food and I'm dyin ova hea! any suggestions are happy suggestions 

I am puzzled when you said that calcium makes someone like you produce oxalate... your type of stones are made of calcium oxalate, but the real problem is from the oxalate, not from the calcium. Moderate amounts of calcium is protective against oxalate stones, moderate amounts of oxalate in the diet increases the risk of stones.

Calcium with the food is a good way to reduce the amount of oxalate that gets absorbed into the body (and which must then be concentrated and excreted via the kidneys).  In this study, humans were given two types of chocolate with identical amounts of oxalate. The dark chocolate caused an increase in oxalate levels in the urine (higher risk), but the milk chocolate did not.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12563622

Spinach and some other leafy greens (amaranth, zuiki taro, etc) are particularly high in oxalates, and if you can't avoid them, eat them cooked with dairy. Spanakopita (Greek spinach pie) is a traditional food that neutralizes most of the oxalate with cheese. If you are vegan, a small calcium citrate supplement with a meal might be good.

Citrate is protective against stones; citrus juice, tomatoes, and other high citrate foods are good:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19911682

Tomatoes seem to be good:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20113185

Rosehips are another option:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21544885
Recent research on rose hips confirms that it can also help with osteoarthritis.

kidney stones are a sign of magnesium deficiency.  I've seen many studies where participants that had recurring stones have taken magnesium supplements and 80%+ didn't have another stone.

Magnesium is essential for your body to process calcium.

I have had kidney stones in the past, and what worked best was not an herb but drinking a LOT of water and to make sure I don't get dehydrated in the first place. This includes limiting how much coffee I drink to two cups a day. I also stay away from spinach, like you.

I was taking cal-mag supplements at the time I first got stones, so I am not sure that has to do with it. It is always when I get dehydrated from too much caffeine that I get them. I haven't had them for years now that I limit my coffee. I used to drink 7-8 cups/day.

I do think that some leafy veggies have an effect. I have looked at a lot of old herbals and was surprised at the number of remedies for stones. When you look at their diets, those folks were eating a lot of high-oxalate greens.

Indeed, I have heard that Gravel Root (Joe Pye Weed) mixed with Marsh Mallow Root will take care of them.  Other herbs will work too but those two together should do it!

Hello! I would like to help too so here is my suggestion for which i know can be usefull: Parsley - it is one of the best diuretics used to eliminate swelling and kidney stones. It is very effective for the disposal of waste products like urea and other acidic metabolites, and for gout and arthritis.

My dad passed with a combination I suggested to him.. Lemon/Lime juice + extra virgin olive oil.. Citrus for the high vitamin C content and virgin olive oil for a smoother dispersal through the urethra.

Living Wind wrote:My dad passed with a combination I suggested to him.. Lemon/Lime juice + extra virgin olive oil.. Citrus for the high vitamin C content and virgin olive oil for a smoother dispersal through the urethra.

I tried this for my last kidney stone, and the stone passed the next day. It had been problematic for weeks before. Don't know how or why it works, but it did in my case.

Remember too, there are more than one type of kidney stones. My wife had the elk antler type, which won't come out with anything but surgery. It is usually the result of urinary infections.

Anonymous wrote:Hibiscus (aka red tea, roselle, etc) is another herbal therapy for kidney stones that is also a diuretic. By increasing the flow of water through the kidneys, the concentration of oxalate and other stone forming substances is decreased, and instead of adding to the crystals in the kidneys, watery urine helps dissolve them. This process is not quick enough for most people, but hydration is very important for kidney stones.

A diet high in potassium, magnesium, citrates, and bicarbonates is also beneficial. There are several that fit the bill - DASH, alkaline, Mediterranean, raw foods, etc ... lots of fresh fruits and veggies

Some foods are naturally high in oxalate, and this risk can be reduced by consuming a bit of dairy with them. The calcium binds up the oxalate and very little is able to move from the gut to the bloodstream, so the kidneys have less to worry about. Some foods that are high in oxalate include spinach, sorrel, star-fruit, rhubarb, chocolate and tea.

Pakanohida wrote:
Some of you are going to shudder, but I passed a kidney stone only using marijuana for pain.  It sucked, I don't recommend it.  I was in a bad place, life is better now, though still no insurance for me. 

Oh, lucky you. I didn't get anything at all - mine passed while I was waiting to be seen. 

Marijuana is sometimes useful for chronic pain, but does little or nothing for acute pain. 

i've passed several stones with no pain medication. the first time was scary, but now that i know why it hurts i just keep on keeping on. i throw up every time, so if i have one passing i come home. i can water the garden and puke with no one knowing or caring. walking through the grocery store might not be a good place.

Cranberry and lots of water, Cranberry juice. I didn't see this suggested in any post if it was it is worth mentioning again.

The Amish insist gallons of homemade apple cider and olive oil can cause a kidney stone to pass. Myself, personally... I got rid of a large stone by diluging (sp?) my body with Mallow root tea. I purchased the leaves at a healthfood store, and brewed the tea strong. Added some honey. I drank it hourly, hot, cold, for several days. I am convinced this is what worked and the doctor's were in awe, because the cat scan verified it was gone, when surgery was my only option. It was extremely painful, when it moved. I'm sure the mallow dissolved this stone. I also caused some growths to dissolve with purple clover, that grows on our land. Mint tea can help with the nausea. Also, certain parts of the foot and a spot below the knee cap when massaged will alleviate kidney pain. Blessings and be well.

Lime juice, with olive oil. The citric acid acts as a solvent in the kidneys, and will help to break down the coral-like consistency of those stones...I drink two glasses of lime juice a day as preventative, as well, as 1 beer. I do not want to ever have a kidney stone. (My father's endocrinologist said he'll never have another if he has a malted beverage each evening)

Although this is not herbs, I have found ( by using in my family)
that a juice made from 1/4 beet and 1/2 large cucumber and
drink daily really takes care of the problem.
We do NOT have a regular juicer, did it in my
really powerful blender ( VitaMix) but would probably work
in other powerful blenders. Need to cut up the beet
and cucumber really small and add maybe 1/2 to whole cu of water
in the blender. I think the new Ninja blender would be able to do it.
I dont like the juicers as they separate the fiber out
and you loose all that good stuff.

Karen Crane wrote:Although this is not herbs, I have found ( by using in my family)
that a juice made from 1/4 beet and 1/2 large cucumber and
drink daily really takes care of the problem.
We do NOT have a regular juicer, did it in my
really powerful blender ( VitaMix) but would probably work
in other powerful blenders. Need to cut up the beet
and cucumber really small and add maybe 1/2 to whole cu of water
in the blender. I think the new Ninja blender would be able to do it.
I dont like the juicers as they separate the fiber out
and you loose all that good stuff.

Yes, beets are definitely a great purifier, and cucumber has diuretic function....I too do not like
juicers that seperate the fibre... They have their place, but I like my vitamix.

Hi. I don't think anyone has mentioned the botanical Chanca Piedra. (Spanish for break stone.)
Look it up and ask your doctor about any alternative therapies.
Also, avoid taking calcium supplements and especially the poorly absorbed one (like Calcium Carbonate form.)

Anonymous wrote:I am looking into herbs that help with kidney stones & would like to hear from others about this.

Herbs to help dissolve the stones you have:
Betula alba/Whiter Birch~ infusion of 1 tbsp young leaf in half cup water; twice a day.
Rosa canina/Briar Hips~ infusion. Remove seed from hips. 2 tbsp in one cup boiling water, cool; drink over the course of the day.
Solidago spp./Goldenrod~decoction of flowering tops. 1 tbsp in 1 cup water; drunk over the course of the day.
Eupatorium purpureum/Joe-pye weed~ infusion. 1 oz dried root in pint of water. Drink 1oz every three hours.
Pimpinella saxifraga/Burnet-saxifrage~ Cold extract. Soak half teaspoon dried root powder in one cup water for 12 hours; take 1/3 cup three time a day.
Polygonum aviculare/Knotweed~Infusion of 2 tbsp. flowering herb in 1 cup water; taken over the course of the day.

Preventive against recurrence:
Kidney bean broth. One cup hot drunk before bed. Its effect can be increased by making it with as much fresh Basil as you can stand.
Pomegranate juice. One cup for breakfast.
Cucumber salad. Eat as often as you can.
Agathosma betulina/Buchu~ Tea made as all tea is, with 1 teaspoon herb powder in one cup water; drunk once a day.

Some review of the posts above since I learned a lot about oxalate...
1st, the late post about chancra piedra shows indeed the most used herb I have seen in the oxalate world!

There are nother herbs that are called rompe piedras in spanish, and one is a sort of cress! All cress like garden cress (lepidium sp.) are high in sulfur and in manganese that are very useful when having oxalate issues.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lepidium_latifolium

2nd to let you know that stones are the top of the iceberg, and not the main problem with oxalate. (but that would be off topic here, I wrote elsewhere)
This post is right:

Anonymous wrote:hydration is very important for kidney stones.

A diet high in potassium, magnesium, citrates, and bicarbonates is also beneficial.

Some foods are naturally high in oxalate, and this risk can be reduced by consuming a bit of dairy with them. The calcium binds up the oxalate and very little is able to move from the gut to the bloodstream, so the kidneys have less to worry about. Some foods that are high in oxalate include spinach, sorrel, star-fruit, rhubarb, chocolate and tea.

Anonymous wrote:I think this tips heps you. Who get a kidney stone they have to take a lemon juice in daily which contain little amount of salt only, a three to four times in a day because it reduce the size of the kidney stone and take a large amount of the water in a day. And the doctor suggest to drink the green tea in your diet and coconut water it give great effect on it.

Yes, citric acid from lemon, or take Mg citrate too!

Coconut water for potassium.

GREEN tea has no oxalate. Black tea has. Never let infuse your black tea if you like to drink it, and a dash of milk will be welcome!

Al Loria wrote:

Living Wind wrote:My dad passed with a combination I suggested to him.. Lemon/Lime juice + extra virgin olive oil.. Citrus for the high vitamin C content and virgin olive oil for a smoother dispersal through the urethra.

I tried this for my last kidney stone, and the stone passed the next day. It had been problematic for weeks before. Don't know how or why it works, but it did in my case.

It is not the vitamine C but the citric acid that makes lemon works. This is the best prevention too. Drink a lot, with lemon juice in your water.

Don't soak the lemon with the peel, as the peel is high in oxalate and would go into the water.

I prepare this mix, also good for gall baldder, in a small glass jar, so I can shake it hard and get a nice drink! the mix will not reach the urethra though, digestion takes place!

George Lee wrote:Lime juice, with olive oil. The citric acid acts as a solvent in the kidneys, and will help to break down the coral-like consistency of those stones...I drink two glasses of lime juice a day as preventative, as well, as 1 beer. I do not want to ever have a kidney stone. (My father's endocrinologist said he'll never have another if he has a malted beverage each evening)

Yep, citrate! But what works in the malt / beer?

Frieda Reid wrote:The Amish insist gallons of homemade apple cider and olive oil can cause a kidney stone to pass.

I think it comes from the malic acid, but I don't know how it works, if somebody knows more...

I was sad to read this post, showing that what is said healthy is not for everybody, and insisting in the mistake does not solve the problem.

busgoddess Hatfield wrote:Specifically my stones are made of oxalic acid.
No fresh dandelion, parsley, spinach or cabbage of course no sweet potatoes or rhubarb. 

just about vegan now (my only habit was some fresh cheese and yogurt and that in someone like me creates more oxalic acid)
and now I have given up my drugga of choice...coffee!!! 
So what is left that is good for me?  I was so deficient in Magnesium because of this I thought I was going to die. I was actually starving as it effected my appetite and created a nasty bought of nausea.

Can you imagine if I was not careful about what I ate?  I have been veg for 16+ years.  Have not touched yeast in 13years (candida) and 80-90% of my kitchen is organic and/or local. 
I am getting disgusted that I work hard to be healthy and spend the $ for clean nutritious food and I am dyin ova hea! any suggestions are happy suggestions 

In the list cabbages are all low in oxalate, apart from some kales being a bit higher but not dramatic.
Dendelion is not as high as spinach.

Animal foods are the only ones to be oxalate free!
Dairies do NOT create more oxalic acid!
BUT reducing oxalate rich foods will allow the body to dump the stored oxalate, thus it will seem to create issues! The only solution is to lower oxalate intake SLOWLY.

Candida is mentionned... it thrives thanks to oxalate, that provides the fungi with a place to hide and not get fought by the body. When you have candida, think oxalate!

I think that acid foods do nothing for kidney stones because the gastric acid its a lot more acid than the foods/drinks we can eat.
It all gets neutralised by carbonate.
Hazelnuts ive heard from a biology professor that had kidney stones to the point he was almost loosing his both kidneys,that they work well.
He started foraging hazelnuts and ultimately he grew and breed them at home and over time got the biggest collection of hazelnuts in the country.

Martin Jaeger wrote:Preventive against recurrence:
Kidney bean broth. One cup hot drunk before bed. Its effect can be increased by making it with as much fresh Basil as you can stand.
Pomegranate juice. One cup for breakfast.

Kidney beans are high in oxalate. Black eyed peas are low.
Basil is also high in oxalate.
Pomegranate is also high.

So I would like to know more about why those drinks are supposed to help agaisnt recurrence of kidney stones.

Lolly Hatfield wrote:Parsley - it is one of the best diuretics used to eliminate swelling and kidney stones. It is very effective for the disposal of waste products like urea and other acidic metabolites, and for gout and arthritis.

I also know parsley to be good diuretic, but it is also quite high in oxalate.

For all these plants, maybe they are not high in soluble oxalate, I have to check, and so the main part stays in the plant and not in the broth?

Paracelsus McCoy wrote:I have had kidney stones in the past, and what worked best was not an herb but drinking a LOT of water and to make sure I don't get dehydrated in the first place. This includes limiting how much coffee I drink to two cups a day. I used to drink 7-8 cups/day.

Coffee has useful sulfur, so it can help to increase sulfur rich veggies and coconut oil when lowering coffee.
And indeed coffee is known to dehydrate...

Abe Connally wrote:kidney stones are a sign of magnesium deficiency.  I've seen many studies where participants that had recurring stones have taken magnesium supplements and 80%+ didn't have another stone.

Magnesium is essential for your body to process calcium.

So is potassium. The ratio calcium to potassium increases in case of slow thyroid for example. K is too forgotten for our body! But as NPK for plants: potassium is super important too.

The best magnesium in case of oxalate based stones or oxalate issues in general is MAGNESIUM SULFATE.

The sulfate opposes oxalate. It aliviates people who have any body pain due to oxalate dumping.

Take bath or even just foot bath, or use a cloth wet with a solution on your body at night.

Mihai Ilie wrote:I think that acid foods do nothing for kidney stones because the gastric acid its a lot more acid than the foods/drinks we can eat.
It all gets neutralised by carbonate.
Hazelnuts ive heard from a biology professor that had kidney stones to the point he was almost loosing his both kidneys,that they work well.
He started foraging hazelnuts and ultimately he grew and breed them at home and over time got the biggest collection of hazelnuts in the country.

Sorry but don't confuse pH with acid conpounds, as it has nothing to do.

In citric acid, what is important is the citric... and in other acids, also useful, I don't know what works, but indeed some people benefit from apple vinegar and tomato paste with their food. Apples are adding malic acid, well known for softening gall bladder stones.

Coming back to the stomach pH, eating acidic foods help the stomach when making HCl is hard...

I am all about clinical evidence, but just to mention... hazelnuts are high in oxalate. So that would be interresting to know if he had oxalate stones first, and then what else is there in hazelnuts, that maight neutralize oxalate...

Fred Morgan wrote:Remember too, there are more than one type of kidney stones. My wife had the elk antler type, which won't come out with anything but surgery. It is usually the result of urinary infections.

Fred this can be the reverse!
The urinary infections can come from having oxalate dumping! Oxalate is super irritating and even when there is no infection, we can get:
- peeing urgencies,
- night peeing,
- sensation of heavy bladder to empty,
- canal irritation fron the urine,
- cloudy urine sometimes when dumping hard (at least better than stones!)
- E. coli infections

When you have those signs, check if you have cristals by peeing in a bucket. You might see the cloudy suspention. If not, just pee every day in the same bucket. empty once a day and just clear without brushing. Oxalate cristals are very sticky and will accumulate quite fast.

Some women even had issues with their IUD because cristals sticked on it!

richard valley wrote:Cranberry and lots of water, Cranberry juice. I didn't see this suggested in any post if it was it is worth mentioning again.

I agree, and uva ursi in alcolic tincture works at least as well if not better! Also in case of E. coli.