10 Home Remedies For Kidney Stones

Home remedies for kidney stones includes drinking more water, apple cider vinegar, lemons, pomegranates, basil, celery, kidney beans, green tea, cranberry juice, and stinging nettle leaf tea.

There are many people that suffer from kidney stones without ever knowing it, first noticing it as a dull pain originating in the lower back. For the most part, kidney stones aren’t very dangerous, but can be annoying and cause discomfort unnecessarily.

These stones are often formed when certain minerals, often times calcium, becomes deposited and subsequently crystallizes within structures of the kidney. There are other minerals that can cause kidney stones as well, but calcium is by far the most common one.

Luckily, there are many home remedies that you can take advantage of to treat or prevent kidney stones from forming altogether. Many of these can be found in your pantry right now, so there’s no excuse to not try them.

Let’s explore the most common home remedies.

10 Home Remedies For Kidney Stones

1. Water

Dehydration is by far the most common contributor to the development of kidney stones, as almost 75% of the world’s population do not consume enough water on a daily basis. For years you have probably heard the recommended daily intake of water standing at eight glasses, but very few people actually get this amount. Instead, people tend to go by thirst, and are lucky to even get five glasses in.

The best thing you can do is to full a large water bottle, such as 1 L size, and strive to consume four filled bottles each day. Scheduling water breaks throughout the day is a much better practice than just going by eight glasses, when you are unlikely to be counting glasses at all.

Ensuring you drink enough water every day helps to flush mineral residue out of the kidneys, preventing their deposition and subsequent crystallization leading to stone formation.

2. Apple Cider Vinegar

It seems like if there is nothing Apple cider vinegar can’t handle, and in the future this may very well be true. For the time being, however, it still remains an effective natural remedy for kidney stones, as it can help to dissolve small kidney stones. Regular consumption of 2 teaspoons per day is also advised to prevent a recurrence, or formation of new stones.

3. Lemons

Whether you use freshly squeezed lemons, or the concentrate, the key is to use it daily if you are prone to kidney stones, or if you prefer to prevent them prophylactically. Lemons contain citrate, which impairs calcium stones from forming in the kidneys.

Lemon juice consumed daily can also help to fragment and dissolve small stones that can easily be passed out in urine. Added to this, lemon has natural antibacterial properties which can help safeguard you from urinary tract infections that may develop as your body tries to pass these stones.

4. Pomegranates

Pomegranates are a true superfood, loaded with antioxidants and beneficial phytocompounds that promote health and well-being of the body as a whole. When it comes to kidney stones, pomegranates can reduce the acidity of urine, which is one factor that promotes the formation of stones.

Stones are less likely to form in the kidneys if urine is slightly more alkaline, added to the fact that it is more likely to pass out naturally as it is dissolved.

5. Basil

Basil is more than just a tasty herb to add to your meals, as it is also one of the most effective natural kidney stone treatments around. Regular consumption of basil can help to regulate the production of uric acid, high levels of which are associated with an increased risk of kidney stone formation.

Basil also naturally contains acetic acid, which is one of the primary active compounds in apple cider vinegar, and which has proven efficacy in helping to break and dissolve stones. For best results, either consume basil juice, or in the form of a supplemental extract.

6. Celery

Add celery to the list of natural herbs that can help to prevent kidney stone formation, and you are likely to have a strong cocktail that can tackle the toughest stones. Rather than assisting with dissolving the stones, however, celery exerts a diuretic effect that enhances the frequency of urination.

Another strong correlating factor to stone formation is urinary frequency, as people that urinate fewer times a day are more likely to develop stones since the mineral deposits spend a greater time in the kidney and bladder, and as water is reabsorbed by the body, more likely to settle.

It is also very important to ensure that you are drinking enough water, or celery will be unable to deliver its maximal effect on reducing stone formation.

7. Kidney Beans

It’s funny how a food with kidney in its name could actually be good for your kidney, right? Well as it turns out nature has a funny way of putting the most obvious things in front of us, since many of us rather complicate things.

Kidney beans are a rich source of dietary magnesium, with this important mineral integral in the prevention of kidney stones in the first place. Persons with diets high in magnesium are less likely to experience the formation of calcium stones, as magnesium and calcium share an intricate balance, keeping each other in check.

We know it is unlikely that you will consume kidney beans daily, so a more practical option is to boil the beans (after removing from the pod), and consuming the extracted liquid. This also saves you time of having to make it every single day, as you can refrigerate it for use on other days.

8. Green Tea

Green tea is great for weight loss and overall health, thanks to the presence of unique antioxidant compounds and phenols. When it comes to kidney stones, green tea can help safeguard you by promoting the excretion of oxalate via the urine. The majority of kidney stones are calcium oxalate, so by reducing the likelihood of these two compounds interacting, you also decrease your risk of developing them.

There are many dietary sources of oxalate that you may never have considered, so it is imperative that you also actively address oxalate consumption for green tea to be effective.

9. Cranberry Juice

You probably know that cranberry juice is highly touted as a natural remedy for urinary tract infections, but did you also know that it can help to prevent kidney stone formation? Yes, as it turns out cranberry juice can also help decrease the amount of calcium found in your urine, by promoting its reabsorption into bone.

Calcium is a critical mineral that should not be unnecessarily excreted, and cranberries are the perfect thing to do just that.

10. Stinging Nettle Leaf Tea

Stinging nettles have been studied extensively over the past few years, where they have been found to have antihistaminic properties, the ability to boost testosterone levels, and now, to help treat and prevent kidney stones.

Stinging nettle leaf tea has a natural diuretic property, which assists with the flushing out of uric acid, oxalate and calcium ions that may be present. Encouraging diuresis is one of the most well-known ways to prevent stone formation, and coupled with its antibacterial properties that safeguard the kidneys and urinary tract, you are unlikely to have a problem in this regard.

Conclusion

While these are all great, effective, and safe remedies, nothing will ever beat prevention altogether. Given, there is no definitive way to safeguard yourself from kidney stones 100%, but healthy lifestyle choices such as exercise and diet (as obesity is associated with an increased likelihood of kidney stone formation), and ensuring adequate water intake are likely to pay dividends and decrease your risk greatly over your lifetime.